Assessment by telematic means and artificial agents: A new challenge for psychometrics?

During the COVID-19 restrictions, the administration of psychodiagnostic tools not through direct interaction with the psychologist, but administered electronically and/or with artificial agents, opened a new challenge. A change of setting and interactive conditions are introduced which can alter the reliability and validity of tools consolidated for diagnostic use in face-to-face assessments. A sample of 122 licensed psychologists participated in the study. They were either attending or teaching post-graduate specialization courses of different theoretical-methodological focus. The participants were given an online survey via Google forms that included a questionnaire composed of 21 items on a 5-point scale, built according to the UTAUT model and adapted for the acceptability and willingness to use online questionnaires for mental well-being, and a semantic differential for evaluating the attitude towards technology in general. The overall attitude of the psychologists toward the innovative modalities of assessment is positive, and the intention to use online testing is very high. The predictors of the positive attitude and intention of use are analyzed. A multidimensional analysis suggested that the attitude towards online testing, and the intention to use it, are located in the crossing dimensions of technical (psychometric) aspects and concrete usability. The administration of tests electronically or through artificial agents requires adaptation studies and in many cases a reformulation of the tools that are offered using these modalities. The need to raise awareness amongst psychologists about the new forms of assessment, and to train those who intend to use them, has be underlined.