ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned mainly with looking inside the problem of human assessment, but the points just made may help to establish that organized assessment is very much a social function, and incidentally sustaining the norms as it does so. Psychological assessment, or psycho-metrics, has made major general and practical contributions to educational assessment. Examples of cultural diversity in educational assessment are easily found. Some understanding of human assessment is indispensable for people, like teachers and psychologists, who exercise great influence through the assessments they make and the decisions that are taken in consequence. A good or bad assessment makes one feel good or bad—at any rate, if one counts on esteem from that particular assessor or in the particular area of achievement assessed. Knowledge of such factors facilitates understanding of whether it may be legitimate to combine assessments, or of how best to combine assessments, in particular cases.
