Psychology
Reset assessments, created by a team of psychologists and assessment experts, draw from among the most widely accepted and researched models and theories of behavior.
Health Belief Model
The Health Belief Model, developed by the US Public Health Service in the 1950s, posits that an individual will act to bring about change to address a problem based on the following factors.
- Perceived Susceptibility: An individual’s assessment of their risk of developing a health condition.
- Perceived Severity: An individual’s assessment of the seriousness of the condition and its potential consequences (e.g., medical, social).
- Perceived Benefits: Beliefs regarding the effectiveness of actions in reducing the threat of disease.
- Perceived Barriers: Potential negative aspects or obstacles (e.g., cost, time, pain) associated with taking health action.
- Cues to Action: Triggers that prompt behavior, such as a doctor’s recommendation, media campaigns, or experiencing symptoms.
- Self-Efficacy: Confidence in one’s ability to successfully take action.
Social and Emotional Intelligence
Social and emotional intelligence (SEI) is the ability to understand and manage one’s own emotions, recognize and influence the emotions of others, and use this awareness to navigate social situations effectively. Key components include:
- Self-Awareness: Recognizing your own emotions, strengths, weaknesses, and how they affect your actions,
- Self-Regulation (or Self-Management): Managing your emotional reactions, impulses, and maintaining resilience in challenging situations,
- Social Awareness (or Empathy): Understanding and sharing the feelings, perspectives, and needs of others, and
- Social Skills (or Relationship Management): Effectively communicating, resolving conflicts, building bonds, and influencing others positively.
Self-Efficacy
The theory of Self-Efficacy, proposed by Albert Bandura, seeks to explain how people regulate their own behavior through cognitive processes rather than just environmental rewards or punishments. The theory posits that confidence in one’s own abilities shapes the individual’s motivation, effort, and persistence, and is developed through mastery experiences, modeling, social persuasion, and physical/emotional states.
Hierarchy of Needs
The hierarchy of needs, proposed by Abraham Maslow, posits five levels of needs.
- Physiological Needs: Basic survival needs, including food, water, sleep, and shelter.
- Safety Needs: Security, stability, health, and financial safety.
- Love and Belonging Needs: Social needs for friendship, family, intimacy, and connection.
- Esteem Needs: The desire for confidence, respect, achievement, and recognition.
- Self-Actualization Needs: The highest level, representing the pursuit of one’s full potential, creativity, and self-fulfillment.
According to this theory, an individual must satisfy lower level needs such as physical needs before satisfying higher level needs such as self-actualization.
Transtheoretical Model
The Transtheoretical Model (TTM), or Stages of Change Model, developed by Prochaska and colleagues, provides a framework for understanding how individuals modify unhealthy behaviors through six distinct, non-linear stages.
- Precontemplation: No intention to take action in the foreseeable future (usually 6 months).
- Contemplation: Intends to take action within the next 6 months; aware of pros and cons of change.
- Preparation: Intends to take action in the immediate future (usually next 30 days) and has taken some behavioral steps.
- Action: Specific, overt modifications in lifestyle are made within the past 6 months.
- Maintenance: Sustaining the new behavior for over 6 months, working to prevent relapse.
- Termination: Zero temptation and 100% self-efficacy to maintain the habit.
Subjective Wellbeing
Diener’s theory of Subjective Well-Being (SWB) defines happiness as a person’s cognitive and affective evaluation of their own life, essentially measuring how people think and feel about their life. There are three main components to this model.
- Life Satisfaction (Cognitive): An individual’s overall assessment of their life, often comparing it to their aspirations and goals.
- Positive Affect (Affective): Frequent experience of pleasant emotions like joy, pride, and contentment.
- Negative Affect (Affective): Infrequent experience of unpleasant emotions like sadness, anger, and anxiety.
Therapeutic Alliance
The therapeutic alliance is a collaborative, trusting, and safe working relationship between a therapist and client, recognized as a primary predictor of positive therapeutic outcomes. It comprises three key components:
- mutual agreement on goals,
- consensus on tasks (methods), and
- an emotional bond.
This partnership thrives on empathy, clear communication, and non-judgmental support.
Psychometrics
Test Administration
Reset assessments are variable length. Scoring of the Reset assessments is performed after each item is answered, using an item response theory-based sequential probability ratio test (SPRT). The SPRT is a statistical, sequential hypothesis testing method that evaluates data as it is collected. Developed by Abraham Wald, it is used to make faster, more efficient decisions in A/B testing and quality control.
The SPRT procedure is used to determine if an area is 1) problematic; 2) not problematic; or, 3) more testing is necessary. If scoring after an item results in one of the first two categories, the test is terminated., otherwise another item is administered