Toward more clinically relevant assessment research

The purpose of this article is to encourage the design and conduct of more clinically relevant assessment research. The discussion focuses on the dist inction between research design elements that are appropriate to the examin ation of validity versus utility issues in assessment. This was addressed i n 2 ways. The first part of the article summarizes the results of an inform al methodological review of 108 empirically based articles published in 3 m ajor assessment journals (Assessment, Journal of Personality Assessment, & Psychological Assessment) during the period of September 1998 through Augus t 1999. The results indicated that studies published in these journals demo nstrated appropriate sensitivity to some aspects of utility but not others. For example, none of the articles addressed the process of interpretation in clinical settings or the reactions of stakeholders to assessment. Recomm endations for enhancing the integration of validity and utility issues in t he design of research are discussed. These include methodological issues an d topics in need of further study. A particularly important example of the latter is the need for research identifying factors that foster positive im pressions of psychological assessment.