ABSTRACT
Although most clinical psychologists tend to use a limited number of tests, they have available, and occasionally need, instruments for specialized assessment purposes. In the past, clinical psychologists demonstrated considerable interest in appraising special aspects of intellectual functioning or impairment. Particular attention was paid to problems of detecting organic brain damage and to the measurement of cognitive deficiencies in certain kinds of mental disorders. While severe cognitive deficits or impairment are frequently associated with certain types of brain damage, the term deterioration has been used broadly to include thought disturbances also manifested in the so-called functional disorders. The vocabulary test is made up of forty multiple-choice items, while the abstraction test consists of twenty completion items. A variety of different tests, developed over the years, has reflected the special interests of their authors in particular aspects of psychopathology and mental functioning.
