PsychologyVariations in Psychological Attributes

An assessment varies from case to case and from one assessor to anoth…

An assessment varies from case to case and from one assessor to another, and it is open to subjective interpretations. Which kind of assessment is this?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (3) → Informal

Option	Reason
Option (1): Formal. Incorrect.	Formal assessment is objective, standardised and organised. Psychologists are trained to carry it out.
Option (2): Situational. Incorrect.	Situational tests place a person in a set-up situation and record how the person behaves. They are a method of personality assessment.
Option (3): Informal. Correct.	Informal assessment varies from one assessor to another and from case to case. So it is open to subjective interpretations.
Option (4): Standardised. Incorrect.	A standardised assessment follows uniform procedures for everyone. Being standardised is a feature of formal assessment.

NCERT (2026-27): “ASSESSMENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES …
Any attribute will be said to exist in a person only if it can be measured by using scientific procedures. For example, when we say, “Harish is dominant”, we are referring to the degree of ‘dominance’ in Harish. This statement is based on our own assessment of ‘dominance’ in him. Our assessment may be informal or formal. Formal assessment is objective, standardised, and organised. On the other hand, informal assessment varies from case to case and from one assessor to another and, therefore, is open to subjective interpretations. Psychologists are trained in making formal assessment of psychological attributes.”