psyc 151 exam 1

Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (1978)

"...recommended that employers analyze their hiring and promotion processes to determine whether their selection procedures (including the use of tests) were discriminatory. If the selection rate for any race, sex, or ethnic group was less than four-fifths (or 80%) of the selection rate for the group with the highest selection ratio (i.e., the proportion of the job qualified job applicants that are selected for employment), the selection process could be considered potentially discriminatory even if there were no discriminatory intent on the part of the employer because it results in adverse impact for the under selected groups" (48)

similarities among psychological tests

"Although associations and testing professionals might have slight differences of opinion about what constitutes a psychological test, most definitions reference a procedure, an instrument, or a device and behaviors. In a broad sense, a psychological test is a procedure, an instrument, or a device that measures samples of behaviors in order to make inferences." (7) - require the person being tested to perform a behavior that is both measurable and observable - that behavior makes an inference to a psychological construct (evidence to reach a conclusion) - requires you to perform some type of behavior - construct validity is important * behavior is also sometimes used to make a prediction about some outcome

aptitude tests and the us employment service

"During the 1940s, before the Equal Employment Opportunity Act became law, the U.S. Employment Service (USES) developed the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) to assist with career counseling and job referral. An occupationally oriented, multi aptitude test, the GATB consists of 12 tests measuring nine cognitive and manual aptitudes: general learning ability, verbal aptitude, numerical aptitude, spatial aptitude, form perception, clerical perception, motor coordination, finger dexterity, and manual dexterity." (46) - used within group norming/race norming (testing differently according to the race) * allowed for the minority test taker to score higher than the white test taker * Canada continues to use GATB

intelligence testing in education

"Researchers have documented that middle- and upper-class White people, on average, score higher on intelligence tests than do members of other economic and racial groups (Lemann, 1999). Early in the 20th century, believing that this difference in intelligence was due to heredity, elementary schools began administering intelligence tests to students and using the results to place those with higher intelligence quotient (IQ) scores in special academic programs and those with lower scores in more vocationally related programs (Hunt, 1993). Individuals who believed that intelligence was inherited had no problem with using psychological tests in this manner. They believed that people who do better on such tests naturally have superior intellects. In their view, if intelligence is indeed inherited, using psychological tests in this manner is fair and in the best interest of individuals and society." (42)

the personal data sheet

"The PDS was a paper-and-pencil test that required military recruits to respond "yes" or "no" to a series of 200 questions (eventually reduced to 116 questions) asked during a psychiatric interview that searched for emotional instability. The questions covered topics such as excessive anxiety, depression, abnormal fears, impulse problems, sleepwalking, nightmares, and memory problems"(14) "After World War I, Woodworth developed the Woodworth Psychoneurotic Inventory, a version of the PDS. Unlike the PDS, the Woodworth Psychoneurotic Inventory was designed for use with civilians and was the first self-report test. It was also the first widely used personality inventory."(14)

TAT

"The test was developed to measure an individual's patterns of thought, attitudes, observational capacity, and emotional responses to ambiguous test material. Individuals are shown ambiguous pictures and asked to tell a story for each picture, including such things as what led up to the event that is shown, what is happening, what the individuals in the picture are feeling and thinking, and what the outcome of the event is. As with the Rorschach test, individuals' responses are then analyzed."(14)

lewis terman and the stanford-binet intelligence scale

- 1916 american psychologist - increased sample of the original scale and added more test elements

Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (published 1966)

- APA provides guides for ethical practices when conducting psychological tests - the text is divided into three major sections: Foundations, Operations, and Testing Applications

types of norms

- Age norms and grade norms: are common types of norms because they allow us to determine at what age level or grade level an individual is performing. - Percentile rank: is a very common type of norm because it provides us with a way to rank individuals on a scale from 1% to 100%, making it relatively easy to interpret.

Alfred Binet : Binet-Simon scale

- Alfred Binet: 19th-century self-educated psychologist * believed that intelligence was a complex characteristic consisting of: - reasoning - judgment - problem-solving skills scale: - identify intellectually subnormal individuals * mental age vs actual age

measures of a relationship

- Describes relationship between two sets of scores * Correlation coefficient: statistic to describe relationship of two or more distributions of scores

standardized test

- Designed to measures a specific construct, and after development, administered to a large group of individuals similar to the group for whom the test has been designed * Standardization sample - people who are tested to obtain data to establish a frame of reference for interpreting individual test scores. * Norms - indicate the average performance of a group and the distribution of scores above and below this average.

nonstandardized tests

- Do not have standardization samples - More common than standardized tests - Usually constructed by teacher/trainer in less form manner for single administration.

Why should we care about psychological testing?

- Results personally impact individuals - good tests facilitate high-quality decisions - Consequences of bad decisions can be significant - Test results may personally impact you * "good tests facilitate high-quality decisions, and bad test facilitate low-quality decisions" (5)

normal probability distribution

- Some characteristics * Most scores cluster in the center * 50% above and below mean * 34.1%, 13.6%, 2.1% * Convex at the highest point, concave at 1 std above/below mean

inkblot test

- based off carl jung's personality theories - "designed to identify personality disorders and assess mental functioning. Individuals look at inkblots and report their perceptions, which are then analyzed."(14)

psychological tests consist of

- content - administration and format - scoring and interpretation - psychometric quality

aptitude testing in education

- decline in sat scores during the 60s and 70s * a possible explanation given is poor schooling

measures of variability

- describe the spread in the distribution - range: high scores minus low score - variance: tells whether individuals scores to be similar to or substantially different from the mean (hard to interpret) - standard deviation: average deviation from the mean (square root of variance)

Discrete vs. Continuous

- discrete = nominal * cab be both qualitative and quantitative - continuous = interval and ratio * quantitative only

the normal cure

- evenly distributed - skewed - peaked - bimodal * theoretical distributions that are perfect and symmetrical (normal probability distributions) * Tests yield distributions of real scores from real people

frequency distribution

- frequency tables - histograms - stem and leaf plots * orderly arrangement of a group of numbers (or test scores)

Guidelines for critiquing a psychological test

- general descriptive info (ex what published, author, title, etc.) - purpose and nature of the test (ex: what does the test measure?) practical evaluation (ex: is the test easy or difficult to administer?) - technical evaluation (ex: what is the test's validity? how was the validity determined?) - test reviews - summary

Integrity Testing in Organizations

- integrity tests: measure individual attitudes and experiences towards honesty, dependability, trustworthiness, reliability, and prosocial behavior - "There are two basic types of integrity tests. One type requires individuals to respond to questions about previous experiences related to ethics and integrity. These tests are overt and include very straightforward questions. The other type requires individuals to respond to questions about their preferences and interests. These tests are more personality-based and measure propensity to engage in unacceptable work behaviors. From the preferences and interests, inferences are drawn about how the individual may behave in the future. Both types are used by organizations to identify individuals who are likely to engage in inappropriate, dishonest, and antisocial behavior at work."(49)

psychological test controversies

- intelligence testing in education * 60s: activist groups demanded schools abandon the use of intelligence test * these attempts have not been successful *army alpha-beta tests discontinued after ww1 * nature vs nurture *1994: bell curve book - oppressive: suggested that IQ is due to genetics in order to explain the gap between white and black scores

descriptive statistics

- measures of central tendency - measures of variability - measures of relationship * describe or summarize a distribution of test scores numerically * Provide us with the main points of a group of scores

Raw scores

- most basic score - Tell us very little about * how an individual performed on a test * how an individual performed compared to others * how an individual performed on one test compared to another test - Norm group: a previously tested group of individuals. - techniques to make sense of raw scores: * frequency distributions * normal curve * descriptive statistics

psychological testing in the 21st century

- multibillion dollar business - part of american culture - allows for proper assessment of needs within a community

the role of norms

- norms: test scores achieved by an identified group of individuals - norm-based interpretation

ethical standards

- not laws established by governmental bodies - but not following them can result in penalties - 10 ethical standards: 1) Resolving ethical issues 2) Competence 3) Human relations 4) Privacy and confidentiality 5) Advertising and other public statements 6) Recordkeeping and fees 7) Education and training 8) Research and publication 9)Assessment 10) Therapy

qualitative vs quantitative

- number/statistics vs. descriptions from "being in the field" (observations). - qualitative: descriptive (nominal/categorical). - quantitative: researchable (numeric)

Psychological Testing Controversies

- psychologist claimed within-group norming discriminated against whites - 1989: National Research Council study supported norming * Referrals should be based on GATB score and experience, skills, and education - Early 1990's: Within-group norming outlawed * Civil Rights Act of 1991 prohibited employers from adjusting scores based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin * Not due to unfairness, but to pass Act

history of psychological testing

- psychology started as a science - late 19th century was when intelligence tests became popularized

test takers from multicultural backgrounds

- race, culture or ethnic origin, sexual preference, family unit, primary language, etc. - vary considerably in terms of their experiences and backgrounds

levels of measurement

- referring to the relationship among the numbers we have assigned to the infromation 1. Nominal: categorical 2. Ordinal: rank-ordered 3. Interval: the equal distance between adjacent data points 4. Ratio: meaningful zero point - Claims we can make about test results depend on properties of numbers - Examples of claims: * John passed the test and Jean did not (Nominal) * John has more knowledge of math than Jean (Ordinal) * John has twice the math knowledge of Jean (Interval) * John has no knowledge of math (Ratio)

APA position on high-stakes testing

- school district should use a standardized test to assess student performance and provide teachers with feedback - however, they should take the steps necessary to ensure the following * test scores are properly used * test scores are not the only method for ensuring quality learning

physically or mentally challenged test takers

- sensory impairments: deafness, blindness - motor impairments: paralysis, missing limb - cognitive impairments: mental retardation, learning disability, traumatic brain injury - may need special accommodations during testing to assure test scores are correct - standards state: * test users must ensure test outcomes accurately indicate intended skill or attribute, and the test score not be altered because of a disability * When testing individuals with disabilities for diagnostic and intervention purposes, the test user should not rely solely on the test score * the test user must consider other sources of information, for example, interviews or behavioral measures, in addition to the test score - learning disability does not have visible signs - a learning disability refers to a difficulty in any aspect of learning

objective

- structured - require test takers to respond to structured questions - what the test taker must do is clear - little subjective judgment of the person is coring the test - predetermined correct answers

Assumptions of psychological test

- the test measures relevant information - behavior measured will remain stable over time - individuals uncertain test items similarly - individuals can report accurately about themselves - individuals will report thoughts and feelings honestly - test score is equal to the true score plus some error - est score an individual receives is equal to his or her true score plus some error, and this error may be attributable t the test itself, the examiner, the examinee, or the environment * there are things we can do to increase our confidence following certain steps in the test development process

Measures of Central Tendency

- understand the middle or distribution or set of scores - mean: the average of a distribution - mode: most common score in a distribution - outliers: a few values that are significantly (sic) higher or lower than most of the values

standard scores

- universally understood units in testing that allow test users to evaluate or make inferences about a person's performance - Allow us to evaluate a person's test score in reference to others' test scores - Linear transformations: change unit if measurement but do not change the characteristics •Linear transformation (percentages) •Linear transformation (standard deviation units) •Linear transformation (z scores) •Linear transformation (T scores) •Area transformation (percentiles) •Area transformation (stanine)

projective tests

- unstructured - Test takers respond to ambiguous stimuli such as incomplete sentences, inkblots, pictures (Rorschach) - Role of the test taker less clear

three defining characteristics of psychological tests

1) tests are representative of the behavior measures (good predictability) 2) behavior samples are obtained under standardized conditions 3) has rules for scoring

ratio scales

Ratio scales have all of the qualities of the previous scales, and they also have a point that represents an absolute absence of the property being measured--that point is called zero.

test user responsibility

Responsibility for proper test use resides with the individual using the psychological test - Ensure they have the necessary training and experience to purchase and use psychological tests - Keep others from misusing tests * Improper qualifications or test misuse by members of professional organizations may result in an appeal to the ethics committee - Test users must act responsibly to contribute to the effective delivery of being services - Acting responsibly means ensuring that each person in one or more of the roles described above is qualified to perform that role - The Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education(American Psychologist, 2002) lists specific responsibilities of the test developer and the test user

Why is psychological testing important?

Tests are used to make important decisions about individuals. - their capacity to fill certain roles (grade, job occupation etc) * individual decisions: decisions individuals make about themselves based on their test score * decisions made by others comparing test scores of various people to see who has the best score * institutional decisions: decisions made by others based on the individual's test score * absolute decisions: decisions made by others by comparing an individuals test score to a minimum score needed

ordinal scales

The numbers are assigned to order or rank objects on the attribute being measured. - two important things about ordinal scales: * the number or rank has meaning only within the group being compared and provides no information about the group as a whole * ordinal scale gives no information about how closely two individuals or object are related

interval scales

These scales have all the qualities of the previous scales, but each number represents a point that is an equal distance from the points adjacent to it.

Nominal scales

We assign numbers to represent groups or categories of information. Numbers in the nominal scale serve as labels only. - "Nominal scales are frequently used for demographic data such as grouping people based on their gender, race, or place of residence. For example, we can assign a 0 to women and a 1 to men, or we can assign a 0 to Whites, a 1 to Hispanics, a 2 to Blacks, and so on. "(91) * they yield only to categorical data * usually analyzed/, manipulated by frequencies (measured by how much they occur, etc)

percentile

a distribution that falls at or below a given raw score or is the percentage of scores in a distribution that falls below a given raw score.

psychological test

a measurement tool or technique that requires a person to perform one or more behaviors in order to make inferences about human attributes, traits, or characteristics or predict future outcomes.

stanines

are a standard score scale with nine points that allows us to describe a distribution in words instead of numbers.

T scores

are different than z scores in that they always have a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10.

issue with paid prep courses

brings into awareness possible classism within the education system

linear transformations

change unit of measurement but do not change the characteristics in the raw data in any way - Percentages - Standard deviation units (SD individual score falls away from the mean) - Z scores - T scores

area transformations

changes not only unit of measurement but also the unit of reference (relies on normal curve) - percentile - stanine

comparative decisions

comparing tests scores to see who has the best score

measures of relationship

correlation coefficient

who uses psychological tests and for what purposes?

educational settings: - administrators - teachers - school psychologist - career counselors clinical settings: - clinical psychologists - social workers - counseling psychologists - licensed professional counselors - marriage and family counselors organizational settings: - human resources professionals - industrial and organizational practitioners

Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale

index of general mental ability

informed consent

individuals are entitled to full explanation of why they are being tested, how the test data will be used, and what the test results mean

measurement instrument

is a tool or technique for assessing the size, amount, or degree of an attribute.

z score

is similar to a standard deviation unit except that it is represented as a whole number with a decimal point

psychometrics

is the quantitative and technical aspects of testing

surveys

like psychological tests (and psychological assessments), are used to collect important information from individuals. Surveys focus on group outcomes. Results of surveys are often reported at the question level by providing the percentage of respondents who selected each answer alternative.

Person product-moment correlation coefficient

measures the linear association between two variables, or sets of test scores, that have been measured in interval or ratio scales

A Continuum of Psychological Tests

more typical tests: - personality tests - intelligence tests in between: - vocational tests interest inventories - achievement tests - ability tests - self-scored magazine tests - classroom quizzes and exams less typical: - road portion of driving test - structured employment interviews - assessment centers

vocational tests

predict how successful an applicant would be on a specific occupation

absolute decisions

seeing who has the minimum score needed to qualify...decisions made by others (institutions)

protection from stigma

test results should not be communicated using stigmatizing labels (e.g., addictive personality), rather should promote positive growth and development

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

the WAIS is the most widely used intelligence test; contains verbal and performance (nonverbal) subtests

within-group norming

the practice of administering the same test to every test taker but scoring the test differently according to the race of the test taker * has been outlawed

measurement

the process of assessing the size, the amount, or the degree of an attribute using specific rules

psychological assessment

uses multiple methods

psychological tests

uses one tool of assessment unlike a psychological assessment

test security

valid psychological tests cannot be marketed, the only way you can share your test is though peer-reviewed journals