ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the idea of psychometric assessment and signposts the major topics covered in the rest of the book. It gives an overview of the types of people who may be interested in administering and interpreting questionnaires and tests, and it outlines some challenges that each face before introducing the terms “trait” and “state”. The chapter ends by suggesting that translating responses to questionnaire and test items into numbers may be more problematical than is generally appreciated.
