Visions of clinical assessment: then, now, and a brief history of the future.

Perspectives on the discipline of psychological assessment are provided through reflections on a classic article by Hunt (1946), review of current issues, and a projection of changes likely to occur over the next fifty years. Topics covered include the place of idiosyncratic qualitative responses, test design, clinical judgment, managed care, financial efficacy, over emphasis on pathology, treatment planning, status of projectives, ecological validity, relationship between theory and tests, innovations in scale construction, and computer-assisted assessment. Future predictions relate to innovations in computer-assisted assessment, practitioner roles in an increasingly automated environment, the future of traditional tests, and human-rights issues.