SCHOOL-PSYCHOLOGISTS ACCEPTABILITY OF BEHAVIORAL AND TRADITIONAL ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES FOR EXTERNALIZING PROBLEM BEHAVIORS

A national survey of school psychologists' acceptability of psychologi cal assessment techniques in the area of externalizing problem behavio rs was examined. School psychologists' ratings of two procedures, Beha vioral Assessment (BA) and Traditional Assessment (TA), were compared using an analogue case study methodology. Using a random sample of 500 National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) members from the 1991-1992 membership directory, a total of 339 (68%) participants comp leted the Assessment Rating Profile (ARP) after reading a hypothetical case summary describing a student with suspected externalizing proble m behaviors. Results indicated statistically significant differences b etween assessment methods and ratings of acceptability. Behavioral ass essment (BA) procedures were found to be more acceptable than traditio nal assessment (TA) procedures. implications related to the acceptabil ity of psychological assessment techniques, as well as implications fo r school psychology practitioners are discussed.