Testing Children

出版者:Hogrefe & Huber Pub

作者:Preston, Phyllis

页数:144

出版时间:2005-1

价格:$ 33.84

装帧:HRD

isbn号码:9780889372962

具体描述

This book is written by an experienced psychologist specialising in the development of infants and young adults and aims to help practitioners to achieve accurate results and reach conclusions best suited to the particular needs of the child under assessment.The book is divided into 3 sections, with the first being an exploration of the nature of mental development. It discusses different theoretical perspectives of mental measurement, including the history of mental measurement, concept of the mind and psychology of communication. Key theoretical issues that are prerequisites for an effective assessment are highlighted. Useful examples based on day-to-day practice are quoted, e.g. reasons that should be considered when a child is uncooperative during tests.The second section is a guide to psychometrics. It includes the explanation of the essential statistics required to interpret test scores, specific information regarding the nature and function of measurements, the normal distribution curve and its relation to IQ values. There is also a chapter specifically introducing and comparing different tests of mental development. The last section focuses on the skills needed by practitioners for effective assessment of young children. The author explains how the very presence of the assessor has an impact on the assessment process both in terms of perceptual idiosyncrasies and in terms of the effectiveness with which the interpersonal dynamics between child, carer and assessor are managed.'I found the last section of the book the most relevant and useful for professionals working with children. During assessment, all measurements are liable to errors and when these involve infants and children, errors are almost unavoidable. This is because their skills are not established and their attempts to display them are often of experimental nature. In the individual testing situation, both assessor and child are in a learning situation and liable to trial-and-error strategies. In this section common real-life examples depicted common pitfalls faced by inexperienced and even experienced practitioners, including the physical setting of interview, inadequate social skills to engage clients, parental influence on the child's behaviour during interview, and faulty recording of observations.The author gives useful suggestions on how to properly engage the young child without being overly solicitous or enthusiastic by effectively using particular words and phrases. The author also gives clear instructions when illustrating the proper Griffith Mental Development Scales, the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, and the Weschler Pre-school and Primary Scale of Intelligence etc. At the end of the chapter, the key points for maintaining the flow of the test session are succinctly presented, including tips on what to do with an inattentive child. Her advice on how to be sensitive to the affective state of the child and to create a positive mood during the test is a very timely reminder during this era of duty overloading and lengthy work-hours.We often try to finish testing as if we are fast forwarding a video, which makes our clients uneasy and therefore more likely to produce errors. At the beginning of the book the author tries to offer an overview of the complex nature of human mental development, including the evolutionary view on the concept of the mind, the soul and thought and the two 'faces' of psychology. Although what she has discussed is very interesting, it seems rather irrelevant to the rest of the book. This philosophical approach also makes it hard for readers to grasp the key messages the author is trying to convey.In the last 2 chapters the important issues in observation are mentioned especially to enable practitioners to avoid common pitfalls during assessment and provide the techniques needed for improving observation skills. Unfortunately, this advice is too general for professionals: the author often uses poems and examples from literature to illustrate the key areas of development, e.g. language, memory, mobility, speech, touch, and the child as a whole. Although this approach does make it more interesting to read, it also makes it too abstract to be understood.I particularly appreciate the real-case vignettes cited at the end of the book. They show us how the interaction between the child, the caregiver and the assessor can influence the assessment process and also add a personal touch to the book. I recommend this book to professionals working in the testing field, particularly the beginners. It offers a general and holistic guide to skilled observation, accurate interpretation and effective reporting, which equips the reader with the tools to derive accurate conclusions in the best interests of the child under assessment' - Dr Flora YM Mo, Medical Officer, Department of Psychiatry, New Territories East Cluster, Hong Kong, China.

用户评价

这本书的开篇，那种扑面而来的生活气息和细腻入微的观察，简直让人像是被一只温暖的手轻轻牵引着，走进了那个充满了烟火气的世界。作者对人性的洞察力，尤其是在处理那些看似微不足道却又至关重要的日常细节时，展现得淋漓尽致。我尤其欣赏它那种不加修饰的坦诚，它没有试图去美化任何事物，而是将生活中的那些磕磕绊绊、小小的失落和瞬间的喜悦，都以一种近乎纪录片式的冷静和富有感染力的笔触呈现出来。读着读着，我发现自己不由自主地在脑海中勾勒出那些人物的侧脸，甚至能想象出他们身上特有的气味和动作。叙事节奏的把握极为高明，它时而像潺潺流水般平缓舒展，让你可以悠闲地品味其中的韵味；时而又像突然收紧的弓弦，在关键的转折点上予人强烈的冲击感。这种张弛有度的叙事策略，极大地增强了阅读的沉浸体验，让人完全沉浸其中，难以自拔，仿佛自己也成了那个故事场景中的一员，共同经历着那些起伏跌宕的情感波折。

这本书的语言风格，简直是一场文字的盛宴，充满了复古的韵味和一种独特的、几乎是慵懒的诗意。它不是那种追求速度和效率的现代白话文，而是更偏向于雕琢词句的打磨，每一个形容词的选择，每一个句式的结构，都仿佛经过了深思熟虑，带着一种时间的沉淀感。我感觉作者在用一种近乎古典文学的精细度来描绘现代场景，这使得原本可能平淡无奇的事件，瞬间被赋予了一种史诗般的重量感。尤其是那些大段的环境描写，简直可以单独拿出来作为散文欣赏，光影的流转、空气的湿度、声音的层次感，都被捕捉得无比精准，使得读者的大脑可以直接“播放”出场景画面。然而，这种精致并非空中楼阁，它紧紧根植于坚实的现实基础之上，使得那种超凡脱俗的美感，反而更添了一份触手可及的真实性，让我在欣赏文字艺术的同时，也深深地被故事的灵魂所触动。

这本书的结构设计，简直是匠心独运，展现了作者对叙事架构的极高掌控力。它没有采用传统意义上线性发展的时间线索，而是采用了多重视角、穿插闪回的复杂编排方式。一开始，这种跳跃性可能会让人感到一丝困惑，需要集中精力去梳理人物关系和时间轴的对应关系。但一旦适应了这种节奏，就会发现这种非线性叙事带来的巨大优势——它极大地增强了悬念的堆叠和情感的爆发力。通过不同人物对同一事件的不同侧面描述，作者构建了一个多维度的世界观，让读者得以从多个角度审视事件的复杂性，避免了单一视角的局限。这种手法使得故事的真相像一幅被打碎又重新拼凑起来的马赛克画，每一个碎片都有其存在的意义，最终组合出一个比任何单一描述都更为丰满和真实的图景。

我必须称赞这本书在情绪处理上的成熟与克制。在处理那些极度敏感或具有争议性的话题时，作者展现出了一种近乎外科手术般的精准和冷静。它从不煽情，也不刻意引导读者的情绪走向，而是将事实、人物的挣扎和环境的压力并置在一起，让情感的涌动自然而然地发生。这种“让事实说话”的处理方式，显得格外有力。它要求读者必须以一种更加成熟和理性的态度去面对故事中的困境，而不是被廉价的眼泪所裹挟。书中对于人性阴暗面和脆弱性的挖掘，深入骨髓，却又保持着一份必要的距离感，使得批判性的思考能够穿透情感的迷雾。这种不提供简单答案的勇气，正是这本书能够长期占据我内心深处的重要原因，它给予的不是安慰，而是更深刻的理解和反思的机会。

如果要用一个词来形容这本书给我的整体感受，那一定是“回味无穷”。它不是那种读完就扔的快餐读物，而更像是一坛陈年的老酒，初尝可能平淡无奇，但随着时间的推移和反复的咀嚼，那些深藏的复杂层次感才会一点点地散发出来。作者似乎并不急于把所有的谜团都解开，而是巧妙地留下了许多开放式的空间，让读者在合上书本之后，依然可以继续在自己的思绪中进行“二次创作”。我发现自己会在走路时、做家务时，不自觉地回想起书中的某一个对话片段，或者某一个人物的眼神，然后开始揣测他们行为背后的真正动机。这种持续的、内在的对话，恰恰是优秀文学作品的标志之一。它挑战了我们对于既定叙事的接受习惯，鼓励我们去质疑、去探索，去填补那些文字间隙的空白，这种主动参与感是阅读过程中最令人兴奋的部分。