ASSESSMENT OF ABILITIES BY ADMINISTERING
DAVID'S BATTERY OF DIFFERENTIAL ABILITIES
Ability is the actual power to perform an act, physical or mental,
whether attained by training and/or education. According to APA,
“Ability refers to an existing competence or skill to perform a specific
physical or mental act.”
General ability is concerned with all sorts of tasks, but especially
those of a cognitive or intellectual nature. Special ability has to do with
a defined kind of tasks.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF ABILITY:
1. Verbal Ability (VA): -
The ability to comprehend, understand and identify words and ideas
as well the capability of a person to understand the written language.
Professionals in the field of literature and linguistics need to possess
this ability.
2. Numerical Ability (NA):
The ability to understand, analyze and manipulate numbers accurately
and quickly. Professionals in the field of accounting, finance, and
mathematics need this ability to excel in their respective fields.
3. Spatial Ability (SA): -
The ability, to perceive patterns and objects in given spaces
appropriately and accurately. Professionals such as pilots, artists,
architects, and interior designers need this ability.
4. Closure ability (CA):
It is the ability to see the whole picture quickly when parts of it are
missing. It is relevant in occupations involving quick and accurate
visual perception such as architecture and designing.
5. Clerical Ability (CL): -
It is the ability to make speedy evaluations of features of
visual stimuli. It is necessary in various tasks including record
keeping, coding etc.
6. Mechanical Ability (MA):
It is the ability to understand the functioning, operation and technical
aspects of machines, tools and auto-motive facts and parts. This
ability is highly needed for tasks concerned with machinery and
engineering.
7. Reasoning Ability (RA): -
This refers to the ability of applying one's thought process on reason
for solving various problems using the basic knowledge that a person
possesses. It is used in various fields including logic and
mathematics.
8. Psychomotor Ability (PM): -
The ability to perform accurately under speeded conditions and
having fine muscle and motor dexterity for the respective manual
tasks. It is necessary in activities such as assembly line work and
drafting.
DAVID'S BATTERY OF DIFFERENTIAL ABILITIES (DBDA):
David's Battery of differential abilities (DBDA) has been revised
by Sanjay Vohra in order to have an accurate measure of individuals'
various mental abilities. It is a standardized procedure for objectively
measuring what a person can do at the time he/she is being assessed and
under the conditions of the assessment. It measures 8 different kinds of
abilities.
RELIABILITY & VALIDITY:
The split-half method of reliability coefficient is reported
at 0.72 for verbal ability, 0.82 for numerical ability,0.95 for special
ability, 0.84 for closure ability,0.69 for mechanical
ability,0.94 for clerical ability, 0.76 for reasoning ability, and 0.84 for
psychomotor ability.
The test is valid.
APPLICATIONS:
Career counselling:
Career counsellors can use the test results to help clients find careers
that match their abilities.
Educational planning:
Students and educators can use the test results to help choose
educational options like college majors.
Employee selection:
Employers can use the test results to help select candidates for
various educational and professional courses and specialized jobs.
Individual assessment:
Providing insights into an individual's cognitive profile for personal
development and self-awareness.
Talent identification:
The test can help identify individuals with specific aptitudes in areas
like mathematics, language, or spatial reasoning, which can be
beneficial for talent development programs.
REFERENCES:
Pulangasih, W. (2012, Mar 27). David battery of differential ability. Retrieved
from Slideshare: [Link]
ability/12178154
Vohra.S.(1994). Handbook for DBDA [Link] [Link] services.
Practical No: Participant:
Date: Administrator:
AIM:
To assess the different abilities of the participant using David’s
Battery of Differential Abilities (DBDA).
Materials Required:
DBDA test Booklets.
Response sheet.
Manual.
Graph sheet.
Stencils.
Stopwatch.
PROCEDURE:
The participant was seated comfortably and rapport is established.
Once the participant is ready, booklet for verbal ability was given and
instructed to read the instruction given in the first pages while the
experimenter read it aloud. When the participant is clear about the
instructions, she or he was allowed to turn the page to start the test. At
prescribed time, the participant was instructed to stop the test. Similar
procedures are followed for tests of numerical ability, spatial ability,
clerical ability, mechanical ability, closure ability, reasoning ability and
psychometric ability. A time interval of 20 to 30 seconds was given
between each test.
Time limits for spatial ability and clerical ability tests were not
provided to the participants, to understand the performance under
anxious situations.
SCORING:
The scoring procedure in DBDA is very objective and simple.
Separate stencil keys are available for each test to be placed on the
answer sheet. Complete instructions for obtaining the raw scores are
given on these stencils themselves. Before the scoring keys are used
some general guidelines are to be observed to maintain the validity of
the test. Such as:
see that only one response is marked for each item and that it is
marked clearly:
reject those answer sheets that show obvious response patterns
such as all the answers in one column, or alteration of left and right
responses in all the tests, etc.;
see that maximum the items have been answered within the
specified time limit.
