Taking Diversity into Account
Psychological assessment of the older adult population must take into account the methodological issues arising from age-related diversity. This chapter begins with an overview of theoretical considerations when assessing older adults: the need to conceptualize development as a process of selective optimization and compensation over the entire life span, and the importance of containing the influences of stereotypic images of the aging process. It discusses three central issues surrounding psychological assessment of the older adult population. First, many assessment instruments currently used for older adults were originally designed and normed for younger adults. Second, statistical norms may not reflect functional norms: older adults’ performance on standardized tests may underestimate their level of everyday functioning. Third, life-span-related contextual factors can be potential conflating elements that challenge the validity of assessment instruments among older adults, whose performance may be affected by differences in goals and motivations, memory processes and strategies, and expectations.