Subjective Assessment

A Subjective Assessment is a evaluation task based on subjective information, such as personal opinions and feelings.

• Context:
  • It can (often) vary from person to person as it's influenced by individual biases, perspectives, and emotions.
  • It can be used to assess intangible or qualitative aspects, such as aesthetics, taste, and emotional experience.
  • It can (often) be a part of surveys, interviews, or feedback where individuals express their opinions or preferences.
  • …
• Example(s):
  • Media and Arts Subjective Assessments, such as:
    • A movie review discussing the emotional impact and relatability of the characters.
    • A music critic's review of an album focusing on the emotional depth and complexity of the compositions.
    • Standardized Subjective Media and Arts Assessments:
      • Film festival judging criteria used to evaluate movies.
  • Educational Subjective Assessments:
    • A teacher's evaluation of a student's class participation and engagement.
    • A mentor's assessment of a student's potential in a particular field.
    • Standardized Educational Subjective Assessments:
      • Rubrics used to assess student presentations.
  • Subjective Food and Beverage Assessments, such as:
    • A taste test assessing the flavor of a new food product.
    • A coffee expert's analysis of the aroma and taste of different coffee beans.
    • Standardized Food and Beverage Subjective Assessments, such as:
      • Coffee cupping scoring sheets used in coffee-tasting competitions.
  • Clinical Subjective Assessments:
    • Psychological Subjective Assessments:
      • A psychologist’s analysis of a patient's mood and mental state through conversation.
      • Standardized Psychological Subjective Assessment, such as:
        • The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) used to assess the severity of depression in patients based on their responses.
        • The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), a self-report questionnaire that evaluates the symptoms and severity of depression.
        • The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a self-administered questionnaire for screening, diagnosing, and monitoring depression severity.
    • Standardized Subjective Clinical Assessments:
      • The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) that assesses the severity of a patient’s pain and the impact on daily functioning.
      • The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), used to measure cognitive impairment in patients.
    • ...
  • Mechanical and Product Testing Subjective Assessments:
    • An automotive engineer's evaluation of a car's handling and ride quality based on standardized criteria.
    • Standardized Mechanical and Product Testing Subjective Assessments:
      • Standardized Automotive Ride and Handling Assessments using established criteria for car performance.
  • Subjective Legal Assessments, such as:
    • A judge's interpretation of a legal statute based on its context and the intent of the legislature.
    • A jury’s assessment of a witness's credibility based on their demeanor and testimony.
    • A lawyer's opinion on the likely outcome of a case based on their experience and analysis of legal precedents.
    • Standardized Subjective Legal Assessments:
      • The Legal Reasoning evaluation in some bar exams, where candidates must apply legal principles to hypothetical scenarios.
      • A sentencing guideline score sheet, which allows for certain discretionary judgments in assessing prior records and other factors to standardize sentences.
  • …
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Objective Assessment, which relies on factual and measurable data.
  • A blood test providing quantitative data on cholesterol levels.
  • A stopwatch measurement of time taken to complete a race.
• See: Subjective Self-Assessment, Qualitative Research, Opinion, Bias, Objective Assessment.

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References

2022

• (Alastalo et al., 2022) ⇒ Mika Alastalo, Leena Salminen, Tero Vahlberg, and Helena Leino-Kilpi. (2022). “Subjective and Objective Assessment in Skills Evaluation: A Cross-sectional Study Among Critical Care Nurses.” Nordic Journal of Nursing Research
  • QUOTE: ... The evidence concerning patient observation skills among critical care nurses is scarce, and these skills have not been evaluated using both subjective and objective assessment. This study aimed to explore associations between self-assessment and knowledge test assessment of critical care nurses’ skills in patient observation, thus combining subjective and objective assessment. ...

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