Psychological Testing and Assessment

Overview

Psychological Testing and Assessment: An Introduction to Tests and Measurement is the standard-setting text that through seven editions has overviewed measurement in psychology with unrivaled depth, breadth, and clarity. Logically organized and lucidly written, this book acquaints readers with important historical, legal, ethical, and cultural issues, and then proceeds to provide readers with the information necessary to understand psychometric concepts such as reliability, validity, and utility. Through writing that effectively anchors abstract concepts to real-life applications--and through the use of innovative teaching tools such as "Just Think" questions and the "Everyday Psychometrics" features in the text--readers will come away with a well-rounded, working knowledge of psychometrics and the assessment enterprise in a contemporary, real world context.

Table of contents

PART I : An Overview


Chapter 1:
PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND ASSESSMENT

TESTING AND ASSESSMENT
Testing and Assessment Defined
The process of assessment

THE TOOLS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
The Test
The Interview
The Portfolio
Case History Data
Behavioral Observation
Role-Play Tests
Computers as Tools
Other tools



WHO, WHAT, WHY, HOW, AND WHERE?
Who Are the Parties?
The test developer
The test user
The testtaker
Society at large
Other parties
In What Types of Settings Are Assessments Conducted, and Why?
Educational settings
Clinical setting
Counseling settings
Geriatric settings
Business and military settings
Governmental and organizational credentialing
Other settings
How Are Assessments Conducted? Assessment of People with Disabilities
Where To Go for Authoritative Information: Reference Sources
Test catalogues
Test manuals
Reference volumes
Journal articles
Online databases
Other sources

Close-up: Should Observers be Parties to the Assessment Process?
Everyday Psychometrics: Everyday Accommodations
Meet a Test User: Meet Dr. Barbara Pavlo
SelfAssessment




Chapter 2
Historical, Cultural, and Legal/Ethical Considerations

A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Antiquity to the Nineteenth Century
The Twentieth Century
The measurement of intelligence
The measurement of personality
The academic and applied traditions

CULTURE AND ASSESSMENT
Evolving Interest in Culture-Related Issues
Some Issues Regarding Culture and Assessment
Verbal communication
Nonverbal communication and behavior
Standards of evaluation
Tests and Group Membership
Psychology, tests, and public policy

LEGAL AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
The Concerns of the Public
Legislation
Litigation
The Concerns of the Profession
Test-user qualifications
Testing people with disabilities
Computerized test administration, scoring, and interpretation
The Rights of Testtakers
The right of informed consent
The right to be informed of test findings
The right to privacy and confidentiality
The right to the least stigmatizing label

Close-up: The Controversial Henry Herbert Goddard
Everyday Psychometrics: Life-or-Death Psychological Assessment
Meet A Test User: Meet Dr. Diana D. Jeffery
Self-Assessment
PART II The Science of Psychological Measurement
Chapter 3
A Statistics Refresher

SCALES OF MEASUREMENT
Nominal Scales
Ordinal Scales
Interval Scales
Ratio Scales
Measurement Scales in Psychology

DESCRIBING DATA
Frequency Distributions
Measures of Central Tendency
The arithmetic mean
The median
The mode
Measures of Variability
The range
The interquartile and the semi-interquartile ranges
The average deviation
The standard deviation
Skewness
Kurtosis

THE NORMAL CURVE
The Area Under the Normal Curve

STANDARD SCORES
z Scores
T Scores
Other Standard Scores
Normalized standard scores

Close-up: The Normal Curve and Psychological Tests
Everyday Psychometrics: Consumer (of Graphed Data), Beware!
Meet a Test User: Meet Dr. Jeff Laurent
Self-Assessment


Chapter 4
OF TESTS AND TESTING

SOME ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND ASSESSMENT
Assumption 1: Psychological Traits and States Exist
Assumption 2: Psychological Traits and States Can Be Quantified and Measured
Assumption 3: Test-Related Behavior Predicts Non-Test-Related Behavior
Assumption 4: Tests and Other Measurement Techniques Have Strengths and Weaknesses
Assumption 5: Various Sources of Error Are Part of the Assessment Process
Assumption 6: Testing and Assessment Can Be Conducted in a Fair and Unbiased Manner
Assumption 7: Testing and Assessment Benefit Society

WHAT’S A "GOOD TEST"?
Reliability
Validity
Other Considerations

NORMS
Sampling to Develop Norms
Developing norms for a standardized test
Types of Norms
Percentiles
Age norms
Grade norms
National norms
National anchor norms
Subgroup norms
Local norms
Fixed Reference Group Scoring Systems
Norm-Referenced versus Criterion-Referenced Evaluation

CORRELATION AND INFERENCE
The Concept of Correlation
The Pearson r
The Spearman Rho
Graphic Representations of Correlation
Regression
Multiple regression

INFERENCE FROM MEASUREMENT
Meta-Analysis
Culture and Inference

Close-up: How "Standard" is Standard in Measurement?
Everyday Psychometrics: Putting Tests to the Test
Meet a Team of Test Users: Meet Dr. Howard Atlas and Dr. Steve Julius
Self-Assessment






Chapter 5
RELIABILITY

THE CONCEPT OF RELIABILITY
Sources of Error Variance
Test construction
Test administration
Test scoring and interpretation
Other sources of error

RELIABILITY ESTIMATES
Test-Retest Reliability Estimates
Parallel-Forms and Alternate-Forms Reliability Estimates
Split-Half Reliability Estimates
The Spearman-Brown formula
Other Methods of Estimating Internal Consistency
The Kuder-Richardson formulas
Coefficient alpha
Measures of Inter-Scorer Reliability

USING AND INTERPRETING A COEFFICIENT OF RELIABILITY
The Purpose of the ReliabilityCoefficient
The Nature of the Test
Homogeneity versus heterogeneity of test items
Dynamic versus static characteristics
Restriction or inflation of range
Speed tests versus power tests
Criterion-referenced tests
Alternatives to the True Score Model
Generalizability theory
Item response theory

RELIABILITY AND INDIVIDUAL SCORES
The Standard Error of Measurement
The Standard Error of the Difference Between Two Scores

Close-up: Item Response Theory
Everyday Psychometrics: The Reliability Defense and the Breathalyzer Test
Meet a Test User: Meet Dr. Bryce B. Reeve
Self-Assessment





Chapter 6
VALIDITY

THE CONCEPT OF VALIDITY
Face Validity
Content Validity
The Quantification of Content Validity
Culture and the Relativity of Content Validity

CRITERION-RELATED VALIDITY
What Is a Criterion?
Characteristics of a criterion
Concurrent Validity
Predictive Validity
The validity coefficient
Incremental validity
Expectancy data
Decision theory and test utility

CONSTRUCT VALIDITY
Evidence of Construct Validity
Evidence of homogeneity
Evidence of changes with age
Evidence of pretest/posttest changes
Evidence from distinct groups
Convergent evidence
Discriminate evidence
Factor analysis

VALIDITY, BIAS, AND FAIRNESS
Test Bias
Rating error
Test Fairness

Close-up: Base Rates and Predictive Validity
Everyday Psychometrics: Adjustment of Test Scores by Group Membership: Fairness in Testing or Foul Play?
Meet a Test User: Meet Dr. Adam Shoemaker
Self-Assessment


Chapter 7
UTILITY

WHAT IS UTILITY?
Factors that Affect Test Utility
Psychometric soundness
Costs
Benefits

UTILITY ANALYSIS
What is a Utility Analysis?
How is a Utility Analysis Conducted?
Expectancy data
The Brogden-Cronbach-Gleser Formula
Some Practical Considerations
The pool of job applicants
The complexity of the job
The cut score in use

METHODS FOR SETTINGS CUT SCORES
The Angoff Method
The Known Groups Method
IRT-based methods
Other Methods
Close-up: Utility Analysis: An Illustration
Everyday Psychometrics: Re-thinking the Costs of Testing—and Not Testing
Meet a Test User: Meet Dr. Erik Viirre
Self-Assessment



Chapter 8
Test Development

TEST CONCEPTUALIZATION
Some Preliminary Questions
Norm-referenced versus criterion-referenced tests: Item development issues
Pilot Work

TEST CONSTRUCTION
Scaling
Types of scales
Scaling methods
Writing Items
Item format
Writing items for computer administration
Scoring Items

TEST TRYOUT
What Is a Good Item?

ITEM ANALYSIS
Item-Difficulty Index
Item-Reliability Index
Factor analysis and inter-item consistency
Item-Validity Index
Item-Discrimination Index
Analysis of item alternatives
Item-Characteristic Curves
Item response theory
Other Considerations in Item Analysis
Guessing
Item fairness
Speed tests
Qualitative Item Analysis
"Think aloud" test administration
Expert panels

TEST REVISION
Test Revision as a Stage in New Test Development
Test Revision in the Life Cycle of an Existing Test
Cross-validation and co-validation
Quality assurance during test revision
The Use of IRT in Building and Revising Tests
Evaluating the properties of existing tests and guiding test revision.
Determining measurement equivalence across research populations.
Developing item banks.

Close-up: Designing an Item Bank
Everyday Psychometrics: Psychometrics in the Classroom
Meet a Test User: Meet Dr. Scott Birkeland
Self-Assessment




PART III The Assessment of Intelligence


Chapter 9
Intelligence and Its Measurement

WHAT IS INTELLIGENCE?
Intelligence Defined: Views of the Lay Public
Intelligence Defined: Views of Scholars and Test Professionals
Francis Galton
Alfred Binet
David Wechsler
Jean Piaget
Factor-Analytic Theories of Intelligence
The CHC model
The Information-Processing View

MEASURING INTELLIGENCE
Types of Tasks Used in Intelligence Tests
Theory in Intelligence Test Development and Interpretation

INTELLIGENCE: SOME ISSUES
Nature Versus Nurture
Inheritance and interactionism
The Stability of Intelligence
Other Issues
Personality
Gender
Family environment
Culture
A Perspective

Close-up: Culture Fair/Culture Loaded
Everyday Psychometrics: Being Gifted
Meet A Test User: Meet John Garruto, M.S.
Self-Assessment



Chapter 10
Tests of Intelligence

THE STANFORD-BINET INTELLIGENCE SCALES
The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales: Fifth Edition
Standardization
Psychometric soundness
Test administration
Scoring and interpretation

THE WECHSLER TESTS
The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III)
Standardization and norms
Psychometric issues
The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-
Fourth Edition (WISC-IV)
Background
The test today
The WISC-IV Compared to the SB5
The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-
Third Edition (WPPSI-III)
Wechsler, Binet, and the Short Form
The Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence
The Wechsler Tests in Perspective

OTHER MEASURES OF INTELLIGENCE
Tests Designed for Individual Administration
Tests Designed for Group Administration
Group tests in the military
Group tests in the schools
Measures of Specific Intellectual Abilities

Close-up: Factor Analysis
Everyday Psychometrics: The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB): A Test You Can Take
Meet a Test User: Meet Dr. Rivka Olley
Self-Assessment



Chapter 11
Preschool and Educational Assessment

PRESCHOOL ASSESSMENT
Tools of Preschool Assessment
Checklists and rating scales
Psychological tests
Other measures

ACHIEVEMENT TESTS
Measures of General Achievement
Measures of Achievement in Specific Subject Areas

APTITUDE TESTS
The Elementary School Level
The Metropolitan Readiness Tests (MRT)
The Secondary School Level
The Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT)
The ACT Assessment (ACT)
The College Level and Beyond
The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)
The Miller Analogies Test (MAT)
Other aptitude tests
Dynamic Assessment

DIAGNOSTIC TESTS
Reading Tests
The Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-
Revised (WRMT-R)
Math Tests
Other Diagnostic Tests

PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL TEST BATTERIES
The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC), and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second
Edition (KABC-II)
The Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ III)

OTHER TOOLS OF ASSESSMENT IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS
Performance, Portfolio, and Authentic Assessment
Peer Appraisal Techniques
Measuring Study Habits, Interests, and Attitudes

Close-up: Tests of Minimum Competency
Everyday Psychometrics: First Impressions
Meet A Test User: Meet Dr. Rebecca Anderson
Self-Assessment




PART IV: THE ASSESSMENT OF PERSONALITY

Chapter 12
Personality Assessment: An Overview

PERSONALITY AND PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT DEFINED
Personality
Personality Assessment
Traits, Types, and States
Personality traits
Personality types
Personality states

PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT: SOME BASIC QUESTIONS
Who?
The self as the primary referent
Another person as the referent
The cultural background of assessees
What?
Primary content area sampled
Testtaker response styles
Where?
How?
Scope and theory
Procedures and item formats
Frame of reference
Scoring and interpretation
Issues in personality test development and use

DEVELOPING INSTRUMENTS TO ASSESS PERSONALITY
Logic and Reason
Theory
Data Reduction Methods
The Big Five
Criterion Groups
The MMPI
The MMPI-2
The MMPI-2-RF
The MMPI-A
The MMPI and its revisions in perspective

PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT AND CULTURE Acculturation and Related Considerations
Close-up: Assessing Acculturation and Related Variables
Everyday Psychometrics: Some Common Item Formats
Meet a Test User: Meet Dr. Eric A. Zillmer
Self-Assessment




Chapter 13
PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT METHODS

OBJECTIVE METHODS
PROJECTIVE METHODS
Inkblots as Projective Stimuli
The Rorschach
Pictures as Projective Stimuli
The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
Other tests using pictures as projective stimuli
Words as Projective Stimuli
Word association tests
Sentence completion tests
Sounds as Projective Stimuli
The Production of Figure Drawings
Figure-drawing tests
Projective Methods in Perspective
Assumptions
Psychometric considerations

Behavioral Assessment Methods:
The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of It
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
Approaches to Behavioral Assessment
Behavioral observation and rating scales
Self-monitoring
Analogue studies
Situational performance measures
Role play
Psychophysiological methods
Unobtrusive measures
Issues in Behavioral Assessment

A PERSPECTIVE

Close-up: Personality, Life Outcomes, and College Yearbook Photos
Everyday Psychometrics: Confessions of a Behavior Rater
Meet a Test User: Meet Dr. Tonia Caselman
Self-Assessment




PART V Testing and Assessment in Action


Chapter 14
Clinical and Counseling Assessment

AN OVERVIEW
The Diagnosis of Mental Disorders
Biopsychosocial assessment
The Interview in Clinical Assessment
Types of interviews
Psychometric aspects of the interview
Case History Data
Psychological Tests
The psychological test battery

CULTURALLY INFORMED PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
Cultural Aspects of the Interview
Cultural Considerations and Managed Care

SPECIAL APPLICATIONS OF CLINICAL MEASURES
The Assessment of Addiction and Substance Abuse
Forensic Psychological Assessment
Dangerousness to oneself or others
Competency to stand trial
Criminal responsibility
Readiness for parole or probation
Diagnosis and evaluation of emotional injury
Profiling
Custody Evaluations
Evaluation of the parent
Evaluation of the child
Child Abuse and Neglect
Physical signs of abuse and neglect
Emotional and behavioral signs of abuse and neglect
Issues in reporting child abuse and neglect
Risk assessment
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL REPORT
The Barnum Effect
Clinical Versus Mechanical Prediction
Close-up: Assessment of Dangerousness and the Secret Service
Everyday Psychometrics: Elements of a Typical Report of Psychological Assessment
Meet a Test User: Meet Dr. Alan Raphael
Self-Assessment



Chapter 15
Neuropsychological Assessment

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND BEHAVIOR
Neurological Damage and the Concept of Organicity

THE NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINATION
History Taking, the Case History, and Case Studies
The Interview
The neuropsychological mental status examination
The Physical Examination
Neuropsychological Tests
Tests of general intellectual ability
Tests to measure the ability to abstract
Tests of executive function
Tests of perceptual, motor, and perceptual-motor function
Tests of verbal functioning
Tests of memory
NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TEST BATTERIES
OTHER TOOLS OF NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
Close-up: Fixed Versus Flexible Neuropsychological Test Batteries and the Law
Everyday Psychometrics: Medical Diagnostic Aids and Neuropsychological Assessment
Meet a Test User: Meet Dr. Kathleen Salomone
Self-Assessment



Chapter 16
Assessment, Careers, and Business

CAREER CHOICE AND CAREER TRANSITION
Measures of Interest
The Strong Interest Inventory
Other interest inventories
Measures of Ability and Aptitude
The General Aptitude Test Battery
Measures of Personality
Measuring personality traits
Measuring personality types
Other Measures
SCREENING, SELECTION, CLASSIFICATION, AND PLACEMENT
The Resume and the Letter of Application
The Application Form
Letters of Recommendation
Interviews
Portfolio Assessment
Performance Tests
The assessment center
Physical Tests
Drug testing

PRODUCTIVITY, MOTIVATION, ATTITUDE, AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
Measures of Cognitive Ability
Personnel selection and diversity issues
Productivity
Motivation
Burnout and its measurement
Attitude
Job satisfaction
Organizational commitment
Organizational Culture
OTHER APPLICATIONS OF TOOLS OF ASSESSMENT
Consumer Psychology
The Measurement of Attitudes
Measuring implicit attitudes
Surveys
Motivation Research Methods
Behavioral observation
Other methods
Close-up: Validity Generalization and the GATB
Everyday Psychometrics: Assessment of Corporate and Organizational Culture
Meet a Test User: Meet Rob Kaiser, M.S.
Self-Assessment



References R-1
Credits C-1
Name Index N-1
Glossary/Index I-1