Application of process models in assessment psychology: Potential assets and challenges

The relevance of quantitative models of probabilistic processes to clinical phenomena that unfold over time is discussed. Examples of such phenomena include remission processes, accumulation of objective cost and subjective stress of treatment delay, and psychopathology-related deviations in cognitive operations. Provision is made for time as a continuous or discrete variable. The discourse is developed with the use of a representative mathematical model. Extraction of information on time-related aspects of clinical transactions is described. The presentation is extended to indicate how process models can be used with established assessment methods. Challenges to the application of process models in clinical-assessment settings, and potential avenues of resolution, are put forth. It is contended that stochastic quantitative models may represent the premier analytic tack to capturing genuinely dynamic features of clinical processes.