PSY 4420 MIDTERM

Interval scale

Clear increasing increments / meaningful distances. *temperature, calendar year* . units on scale are exactly equal to other units on a scale. it is possible to add and subtract scores, which allows for calculating means and standard deviations. not magnitudes, they cannot be compared as ratios, proportions, or percentages. one cannot meaningfully say that an IQ of 100 is "twice as high" as an IQ of 50. Although it may not be obvious, this statement makes no more sense than to assume that all second-place finishers in a foot race take twice as long as first-place winners because 2 is "twice as large" as 1. The number 100 is certainly twice as large as 50, but the quantity being measured is not double in size. Likewise, an IQ of 110 is not "10% higher" than an IQ of 100. This statement makes no more sense than to say that a zip code of 00110 is 10 percent larger than a zip code of 00100.

Leptokurtic distribution (Memory: Leptokurtic leaps tall buildings in a single bound.)

Distribution curve is very tall, thin and peaked.

Collectivist cultures

More community oriented, families have a central role, working as a group, promote selflessness, do what is best for group. less likely to attribute success at jobs to self. Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Venezuela, Guatemala, Indonesia, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, and India. ----- conformity, cooperation, interdependence, and striving toward group goals. People raised in this culture see themselves as part of a larger whole, with much greater connectedness to others. And rather than seeing their own traits as stable over time and through situations, the person raised in this culture believes that "one's behavior is determined, contingent on, and, to a large extent organized by what the actor perceives to be the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others in the relationship"

r = 1

perfect correlation

Daubert versus Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals

*a rule of evidence regarding the admissibility of expert witness testimony* Mrs. Daubert's use of the prescription drug Bendectin to relieve nausea during pregnancy. The plaintiffs sued the manufacturer of this drug, Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, when their children were born with birth defects. They claimed that Mrs. Daubert's use of Bendectin had caused their children's birth defects. Plaintiffs' research was not allowed to be used as evidence, therefore they did not have enough proof, and lost the case, appealed numerous times, took to high court. the attorneys for the Dauberts argued that Rule 702 had wrongly been ignored by the trial judge--dismissed. In Daubert, the Supreme Court viewed factors such as general acceptance in the scientific community or publication in a peer-reviewed journal as only some of many possible factors for judges to consider. Other factors judges might consider included the extent to which a theory or technique had been tested and the extent to which the theory or technique might be subject to error. In essence, *the Supreme Court's ruling in Daubert gave trial judges a great deal of leeway in deciding what juries would be allowed to hear.*Thus, for example, a psychologist's testimony based on personal experience in independent practice (rather than findings from a formal research study) could be admitted into evidence at the discretion of the trial judge. liberalized

Aptitude test

*focus more on informal learning or life experiences.* for example, the Armed Services *Vocational* Aptitude Battery -- is administered to prospective new recruits in all the armed services. It is also made available to high-school students and other young adults who seek guidance and counseling about their *future education* and career plans. help test-takers learn about their interests, abilities, and personal preferences in relation to career opportunities in military and civilian settings. --- also referred to as prognostic tests, are typically used to make predictions. used to measure readiness to: enter a particular preschool program; enter elementary school successfully; complete a challenging course of study in secondary school; successfully complete college-level work. *Think "readiness" ----- SAT/ACT, MCAT, LSAT* tend to be job related and have names that include job titles such as the Programmers Aptitude Series.

Mean

*measure of central tendency* a statistic that indicates the average or midmost score between the extreme scores in a distribution. the "average" accounts the actual numerical value of every score use this when looking for the average test score or average age of a town

Frye v. United States

*must determine whether or not the method by which that evidence was obtained was generally accepted by experts in the particular field in which it belongs.* Court held that scientific research is admissible as evidence when the research study or method enjoys general acceptance. General acceptance could typically be established by the testimony of experts and by reference to publications in peer-reviewed journals. In short, if an expert witness claimed something that most other experts in the same field would agree with then, under Frye, the testimony could be admitted into evidence. Rule 702 changed that by allowing more experts to testify regarding the admissibility of the original expert testimony. Beyond expert testimony indicating that some research method or technique enjoyed general acceptance in the field, other experts were now allowed to testify and present their opinions with regard to the admissibility of the evidence.

Mills v. Board of Education of District of Columbia

*prompted congress to ensure appropriate educational opportunities for children with disabilities* --lawsuit on behalf of children with behavioral, emotional, and learning impairments.

Francis Galton

*researched how humans differ* to devise a number of measures for psychological variables (intelligence test)--influential contributor to the field of measurement; aspired to classify people "according to their natural gifts" and to ascertain their "deviation from an average." Along the way, would be credited with devising or contributing to the development of many contemporary tools of psychological assessment, including questionnaires, rating scales, and self-report inventories.*excited widespread interest in the measurement of psychology-related variables.*

Correlation

-1 to 1 ::: anything higher than 1 or lower than -1 is never a correlation which is stronger? take absolute value and the one closest to 1 (or furthest from 0 (without going over)) 1 is the stronger. 0 = NO CORRELATION. do hands test — up up + , up down - down down + positive is when variables move in tandem.

Stratified-random sampling

A form of probability sampling; a random sampling technique in which the researcher identifies particular demographic categories of interest and then randomly selects individuals within each category. -- if there was only one asian in manhattan then in stratified they would 100% be sampled, but in random, the odds are that that person would not be selected.

Nominal scale

Assigns classification or *categorization based on one or more distinguishing characteristics*, where all things measured must be placed into mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories. For example, college majors might be listed alphabetically (e.g., Accounting, Biology, Chemistry, . . .), there is *no inherent order* to college majors... *yes/no response* Many demographic variables like gender, race, or place of birth are nominal because they are categories with no defined order.

National anchor norms

Best Reading Test vs XYZ test BRT is our new test and we want to compare it to an older one (XYZ) with some old study data. comparing the two, grounds the test to the other test by providing grounds of comparison --- equivalency table if the 96th percentile corresponds to a score of 69 on the BRT and if the 96th percentile corresponds to a score of 14 on the XYZ, then we can say that a BRT score of 69 is equivalent to an XYZ score of 14. We should note that the national anchor norms for our hypothetical BRT and XYZ tests must have been obtained on the same sample—each member of the sample took both tests, and the equivalency tables were then calculated on the basis of these data. Although national anchor norms provide an indication of the equivalency of scores on various tests, technical considerations entail that it would be a mistake to treat these equivalencies as precise equalities

PARC v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Brought lawsuit because children with intellectual disability in that state had been denied access to public education. --- *prompted congress to ensure appropriate educational opportunities for children with disabilities*

What makes a test fair?

Code of Fair testing: this document presents standards for educational test developers in four areas: (1) developing/selecting tests, (2) interpreting scores, (3) striving for fairness, and (4) informing test-taker (TEST-TAKER SHOULD ALWAYS KNOW WHAT TEST INTENTION IS and how it will be used) It contains the obligations of professionals to testtakers. It presents standards for educational test developers in selecting tests. fairness: extent to which a test is used in an impartial, just, and equitable problems related to test fairness: (1) arise if the test is used with people for whom it was not intended, (2) some are more political than psychometric in nature

Platykurtic distribution (Memory: 'Plat' sounds like 'flat')

Flatter and more spread out than a normal curve.

Naturalistic observation

For example, a group of researchers wants to study children with autism disorder and opts for a natural setting instead of a laboratory one. ---- assessing target in setting where the target behavior would occur normally. In a school setting, a child who is suspected of language deficiency is observed on the playground. it is found that the child does have the skills, but does not demonstrate them to adults typically because of shyness. --- for private practitioners, it is not feasible to spend hours outside of their office or clinic to assess people, but in some cases it can be necessary to monitor people to see if they can perform tasks like in assisted living circumstances. also, Tracie Striebel going to the grocery store as both exposure therapy but also form of observation (not ________ because presence of researcher (whoever) ruins the intrinsic behavior trying to see; feel uncomfortable knowing being watched)

Grade norms

Norms that allow test users to compare a student's test score with scores of other students in the same grade not across-grade norms a 12th grader who scores the same as a 6th grader-- we don't know what they were tested on, we just know that they scored the same amount correct. the grade norms are best understood within grades. if other 12th graders scored 12+ or around 6, then ok now we see what is happening.

Accommodations

One general type involves the test being presented in another form, as when a written test is set in larger type for presentation to a visually impaired test-taker. Concerns the way responses to the test are obtained; for example, a speech-impaired individual writing out responses in an examination rather than saying aloud. Students with learning disabilities may be accommodated by being permitted to read test questions aloud. Modification of the physical environment in which a test is conducted; for example, a test that is usually group-administered at a central location may on occasion be administered individually to a disabled person at home. --- very important because we should want our test to be accessible by everyone for the most holistic results. -- when administering/creating a test, questions in this vicinity are typically answered by: 1. the capabilities of the assessee; 2. the purpose of the assessment; 3. the meaning attached to test scores; 4. and the capabilities of the assessor. ----When scoring a test, ask what types of responses will be required of test-takers? What kind of disability might preclude someone from being able to take this test? What adaptations are recommended for persons with disabilities? How will that ^^^^ impact my data, if at all?

Individualist cultures

People raised in Western culture tend to see themselves as having a unique constellation of traits that are stable over time and through situations. The person raised in a this culture exhibit behavior that is "organized and made meaningful primarily by reference to one's own internal repertoire of thoughts, feelings, and action, rather than by reference to the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others." ---- US and UK. Value being placed on traits such as self-reliance, autonomy, independence, uniqueness, and competitiveness.

Positive skew

Relatively few of the scores fall at the high end of the distribution; may indicate that the test was too difficult.

Negative Skew

Relatively few of the scores fall at the low end of the distribution; may indicate that the test was too easy.

Sputnik

The prospect of a Russian satellite orbiting Earth 24 hours a day was most unsettling, as it magnified feelings of vulnerability. the satellite had the effect of galvanizing public and legislative opinion around the value of education in areas such as math, science, engineering, and physics. *More resources would have to be allocated toward identifying the gifted children who would one day equip the United States to successfully compete with the Soviets.* ---Congress passed the National Defense Education Act, which provided federal money to local schools for the purpose of testing ability and aptitude to identify gifted and academically talented students. *This event triggered a proliferation of large-scale testing programs in the schools.*Additionally, the use of ability tests and personality tests for personnel selection increased in government, the military, and business. ---"How Much Can We Boost IQ and Scholastic Achievement?" Its author, Arthur Jensen, argued that "genetic factors are strongly implicated in the average Negro-white intelligence difference." *What followed was an outpouring of public and professional attention to nature-versus-nurture issues in addition to widespread skepticism about what intelligence tests were really measuring.*

IQ score distribution

X = 100 ±15 above 130 Very gifted 2.1%1 21-130 Gifted 6.4% 111-120 Above average intelligence 15.7% 90-110 Average intelligence 51.6% 80-89 Below average intelligence 15.7% 70-79 Cognitively impaired 6.4%

Standard deviation

a measure of variability that describes an average distance of every score from the mean -- square root of the variance

National norms

a normative sample that was nationally representative of the population at the time the norming study was conducted. testing large numbers of people representative of different variables of interest such as age, gender, racial/ethnic background, socioeconomic strata, geographical location (such as North, East, South, West, Midwest), and different types of communities within the various parts of the country (such as rural, urban, suburban). if we want to conduct a tests on women, the sample should only have women. a test on the general population would not be applicable because there are other people than women in society "What are the differences between the tests I am considering for use in terms of their normative samples?" "How comparable are these normative samples to the sample of testtakers with whom I will be using the test?"

Henry Goddard

administered intelligence tests to immigrants at Ellis Island and found that an overwhelming majority of them were "feebleminded." wondered aloud whether the findings were due to "hereditary defect" or "apparent defect due to deprivation." In reality, the findings were largely the result of using a translated Binet test that overestimated mental deficiency in native English-speaking populations, let alone immigrant populations. this work fueled the fires of an ongoing nature-nurture debate about what intelligence tests actually measure. he believed intelligence tests held the answers to questions about everything from what job one should have to what activities could make one happy ----- he falls victim to eugenics movement and begins pseudoscience. leading him to classify many people as "feebleminded" based on undesirable social status, illegitimacy, or "sinful" activity. --- *nature vs nurture, all factors are not accounted for. you cannot label an entire group of people with one trait or etc.*

Reciprocal affair/exchange

an interview is a give and take. interviewee and interviewer respond and react to each other. Interviewers can vary in humor, conveying genuineness, rapport, etc.

Purposive sample

arbitrarily select some sample of the population that we believe to be representative not necessarily spending the time to get a representative sample "we think" it's representative even though we don't know a nonprobability sample in which a researcher uses discretion (cleveland) in selecting elements for observation For example, the manufacturer might test a product in a market such as Cleveland because, on the basis of experience with this particular product, "how goes Cleveland, so goes the nation." The danger in using such a purposive sample is that the sample, in this case Cleveland residents, may no longer be representative of the nation.

Validity

as applied to a test, is a judgment or estimate of how well a test measures what it purports to measure in a particular context. Do the items adequately sample the range of areas that must be sampled to adequately measure the construct? What do these scores really tell us about the targeted construct? How are high scores on the test related to testtakers' behavior? How are low scores on the test related to testtakers' behavior? How do scores on this test relate to scores on other tests purporting to measure the same construct? How do scores on this test relate to scores on other tests purporting to measure opposite types of constructs? How might a test be apt for one population or culture but not for another? give scores that closely approximate construct scores. Reliable test does not mean the test is valid.

Quality of life

as good of life as possible. either self-report or perspective of observer. typically assessed in geriatric settings/assisted living. typically include stress, loneliness, and sources of satisfaction, personal values, quality of friendships and living conditions as factors. -- we would want to know this in most scenarios; the happiness of our students, employees, population, etc. - not always asking this question though, most people would have to think about it for a moment if you asked them how good they think their life is... hence the variables.

Ordinal scale

assign people to categories. *clear, uncontroversial order* to items, but one is not inherently better than another. *[Never, Sometimes, Often] , [Senior > Junior > Sophomore > Freshman]* In business and organizational settings, job applicants may be rank-ordered according to their desirability for a position. In clinical settings, people on a waiting list for psychotherapy may be rank-ordered according to their need for treatment. In these examples, individuals are compared with others and assigned a rank (perhaps 1 to the best applicant or the most needy wait-listed client, 2 to the next, and so forth). *No absolute zero point, all test-takers have "some ability"* interquartile range is a measure of variability equal to the difference between Q3 and Q1. Like the median, it is an ordinal statistic

The Mental Measurements Yearbook

authoritative compilation of test reviews is currently updated about every three years; "one-stop shopping" for a great deal of test-related information--- *contains descriptions and critical reviews of a test written by third parties who presumably have nothing to gain or lose by praising or criticizing the instrument*, its standardization sample, and its psychometric soundness (this is good).

Age norms

average performance of different samples of testtakers who were at various ages at the time the test was administered Expectations about what people should be doing or how they should behave at different points in the life span. age norm tables for physical characteristics such as height enjoy widespread acceptance and are virtually noncontroversial. This is not the case, however, with respect to age norm tables for psychological characteristics such as intelligence.

Ability test

best described as assessing skill level of something; measure the capacity of individuals to perform particular physical or mental tasks. e.g., job ability test, perceptual motor, mental/intelligence/cognitive ability. The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) widely used by young people looking for vocational direction-not just army, group intelligence tests used in schools give information about pupil and what they should cover in class, aid or hinder placement in a gifted program. Given that the test scores may differ by as much as 1 standard deviation, such differences may have great impact on who gets what job or who is admitted to an institution of higher learning. *Average differences between groups on tests of cognitive ability may contribute to limiting diversity.* designed to measure the abilities or mental processes that underlie aptitude.

Reliability

consistency in measurement reliability coefficient: quantifies reliability, ranging from 0 (not at all reliable) to 1 (perfectly reliable) synonym for dependency or consistency of measure "good test" — even if inaccurate, if the same results persist with re-testing; it is a reliable test - carryover effects of time can impact a test's reliability when administered over and over again Reliable tests give scores that closely approximate true scores. Without reliability, a test can not be valid

Test manuals

contains information about development of a test with technical instructions --important to follow directions

Title VII (7) charge of discrimination

created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to enforce the act. The EEOC has published sets of guidelines concerning standards to be met in constructing and using employment tests. --"The use of any test which adversely affects hiring, promotion, transfer or any other employment or membership opportunity of classes protected by the law constitutes discrimination unless: (a) the test has been validated and evidences a high degree of utility as hereinafter described; (b) the person giving or acting upon the results of the particular test can demonstrate that alternative suitable hiring, transfer or promotion procedures are unavailable for use." EEOC got involved in lawsuit with immigrant women in agriculture lawsuit because r/sa inhibited the women from working. top 10% in UT rule

Mesokurtic Distribution

distribution "somewhere in the middle"

criterion-referenced testing

evaluate test on the basis of whether something has been met; a standard on which a judgment or decision may be based. a method of evaluation and a way of deriving meaning from test scores by evaluating an individual's score with reference to a set standard. example: state licensing as a doctor, minimal competency exam for high school grad, program planning for remedial instruction in reading, criterion, the grade in your psychological measurements course, or earning a karate black belt

norm-referenced testing

evaluating / deriving meaning from test scores and comparing them to another group of test-takers. an individual score is understood relative to other scores on the same test. ACT, AP, IB, MAP (state level), CLEP, admission to honors program, program for remedial reading instruction norm is "test performance data of a particular group of test-takers that are designed for use as a reference when evaluating individual scores"

Achievement test

focus on the *learning* that has occurred as a result of *relatively structured input* --- Whether a test is seen as measuring aptitude or achievement is a context-based judgment—that is, the judgment will be based, at least in part, on whether or not the testtaker is presumed to have prior exposure or formal learning related to the test's content.

Role-play tests

for example, we are in an interview and i want to see how you will respond to conflict in the office. we assume hypothetical positions in a hypothetical situation so i can see how you would respond. assessees may be evaluated with regard to their expressed thoughts, behaviors (aggression), abilities, and other variables use this in a hiring situation (sus out teamwork or prejudice), family situation to sus out conflict (IPV or CPS)

Ratio scale

has a true zero point, which indicates the absence of the thing being measured. For example, 0 siblings means the absence of siblings. *bank accounts, can have $0 and have -$100* can be compared as ratios and proportions. It is possible that one person weighs twice as much as another person weighs or that a person's income is 10% larger than it was in the previous year. example, a test of hand grip, where the variable measured is the amount of pressure a person can exert with one hand. Another example is a timed test of perceptual-motor ability that requires the testtaker to assemble a puzzle. the time taken to successfully complete the puzzle is the measure that is recorded. Because there is a true zero point on this scale (or, 0 seconds), it is meaningful to say that a testtaker who completes the assembly in 30 seconds has taken half the time of a testtaker who completed it in 60 seconds.

Case study

illustrative report concerning a person or event based on case history data. -- analysis of official records (criminal records, eviction status, therapist records, military records, employment records, autopsy, crime-scene photos) personal documents (photo albums/videos, diaries); must be interpreted with accurate cultural/ historical lens--- for example, may provide additional information when assessing one's financial competency, assessing claims of emotional injury, or profiling individuals after a crime as well as an interview. -- this material can provide leads regarding areas of evaluation to explore in depth and can also suggest the course a particular disease or deficit will follow and how observed strengths or weaknesses may change over time; is also valuable in formulating plans for therapeutic intervention.

Ecological momentary assessment

in-time assessment of behavior. Think about if doctors prescribing Adderall observed the patient in the classroom, it is typically prescribed from tests. If they observed them in the moment, they would have a much better understanding and sample of their attention deficits. -- Like how my PSY 4220 group observed parents and children at the zoo.

Projective test

individual is assumed to "project" onto some ambiguous stimulus his or her own unique needs, fears, hopes, and motivation (e.g., Rorschach inkblot). __indirect__ method of personality assessment. test that brings out inner, unique needs, hopes motivation, etc... (where does culture come in here?)

Tests in Print

lists all commercially available English-language tests in print. also updated periodically, provides detailed information for each test listed, including test publisher, test author, test purpose, intended test population, and test administration time.

Retrospective assessment

looking back in time with evaluative tools to draw conclusions about psychological aspects of a person as they existed at some point in time prior to the assessment. --consider whether person is alive or deceased. if you are assessing someone, can use criminal record or medical history to draw conclusions about them. if they are still alive, use interviews and ask about past events. -- might be necessary for hiring in sensitive settings or considering someone for a clinical trial -- A psychologist attempts to construct the psychological profile of a deceased man by gathering information about him from past records as well as people who knew him. In the context of psychological assessment, this scenario is an example of a psychological autopsy these are especially used with the deceased because, obviously, you cannot test their personality now

Local norms some test

normative information with respect to the local population's performance on some test. A school guidance center may find that locally derived norms for a particular test—say, a survey of personal values—are more useful in counseling students than the national norms printed in the manual -abbreviated form of a test -user substitutes section for another within a larger test

The objective of testing

obtain a sample of behavior --usually numeric --test giver does not matter but requires technical skills in administering, scoring, and interpreting test results

Incidental/convenience sample

one that is available for use, limitations from money. drunk looking under lamppost, because maybe money wasn't lost there, but that is where the light is. like psychology students taking psychological tests. we acknowledge that the sample is not representative - A sample that is convenient or available for use. May not be representative of the population - Generalization of findings from convenience samples must be made with caution.

What is included in psychological assessment?

particularly curated for an individual.... cannot fail assessment, just categorize. in the MMPI we would see how they would react in a situation, questions but in an interview we can further assess because we can see body language and physical responses. (e.g, personality test, achievement test, attitude test, aptitude test, emotional intelligence test, neuropsychological test, projective test)

In psychological tests what does the term format mean?

pertains to form, plan, structure, arrangement, and layout of test items as well as considerations like time-limit. considerations in administration like computerized vs non-computerized (pencil and paper?) or what computer software to use. -- not limited to one test type; it also denotes form and structure for other evaluative tools like guidelines for creating a portfolio.

Stratified sampling

proportionate sampling to prevent sampling bias and ultimately aid in the interpretation of findings. such as Blacks, whites, Asians, other non-whites, males, females, non-binary persons, the poor, the middle class, the rich, professional people, business people, office workers, skilled and unskilled laborers, the unemployed, homemakers, Catholics, Jews, members of other religions, and so forth—all in proportion to the current occurrence of these strata in the population of people who reside on the island of Manhattan. different groups but all have Manhattan residency in common.

Biofeedback equipment

provides information about test-taker's body. electrical sensors that receive information about the body such as the brain waves, breathing, heart rate, muscle contraction, sweat gland activity, temperature and make subtle changes (e.g. chronic pain, anxiety, high bp, ADHD) (lie detector test). penile arousal test that is often used to help determine whether a male participant is likely or unlikely to respond sexually to a child or adolescent

The objective of assessment

psychological evaluation through tests like interviews, case studies, behavioral observation, and specifically designed apparatuses. --depends on many factors: reason for, and process of. -- usually answering a question and depends heavily on the test administerer; requires thoughtful decision about what to administer and how to interpret data. these are individualized and focus on and how individuals' respond rather than results

Cut scores

reference point to divide data (pass fail) cutoff. "exceptional" "satisfactory" "good" "average" who sets these? relative: as a reference point—in a distribution of test scores used to divide a set of data into two or more classifications— based on norm-related considerations rather than on relationship of test scores norm-referenced: set with reference to the performance of a group (or target segment of a group) top 5% of class gets A is "relative" to class (norm) fixed: a reference point— typically set with reference to a judgment concerning a minimum level of proficiency required to be included in a particular classification also referred to as absolute Multiple: refers to the use of two or more divides with reference to one predictor for the purpose of categorizing testtakers. your instructor may have multiple divides in place every time an examination is administered, and each class member will be assigned to one category (e.g., A, B, C, D, or F) on the basis of scores on that examination. That is, meeting or exceeding one cut score will result in an A for the examination, meeting or exceeding another cut score will result in a B for the examination, etc. multistage (or multiple hurdle) selection process, a cut score is in place for each predictor used. each divide ensures that each predictor will be designed to ensure that each applicant possess some minimum level of a specific attribute or skill one collective element of a multistage decision-making process in which the achievement of a particular cut score on one test is necessary in order to advance to the next stage of evaluation in the selection process Angoff method for setting fixed cut scores can be applied to personnel selection tasks as well as to questions regarding the presence or absence of a particular trait, attribute, or ability.

Subgroup norms

segmentation of normative sample by any of the criteria initially used in selecting subjects for the sample. example: selection for XYZ reading test is age, educational level, socioeconomic level, geographic region, community type, and handedness. The test manual or a supplement to it might report normative information by each of these subgroups. A community school board member might find the regional norms to be most useful, whereas a psychologist doing exploratory research in the area of brain lateralization and reading scores might find the handedness norms most useful.

Psychometrists or psychometricians

test creators! professionals who analyzes and interprets psych test data --- psychometrics: "technical quality" the science of a psychological measurement are we measuring what we would like to measure? <- think about merit scholars (usually are bright people, so construct validity seems high)

Independent and Dependent variables

the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied. the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable. the client's problem is the dependent variable, and the factor (or factors) responsible for causing or maintaining the problem behavior is the independent variable.

Median

the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it. appropriate measure of central tendency for ordinal, interval, and ratio data national income; the middle person represents exactly that

Mode

the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution; not calculated in a true sense, it is a nominal statistic and cannot legitimately be used in further calculations; perhaps useful for norm-referenced testing use this when severe outliers would skew data at face value. like if we wanted to know average income of a town. obviously there are disparities... this would give us the most common income rather than an average.

Assumption 6

unfair and biased assessment procedures can be identified and reformed all major test publishers strive to develop instruments that are when used in strict accordance with guidelines in the test manual problems related to test fairness: arise if the test is used with people for whom it was not intended some are more political than psychometric in nature are these assessments in favor of the client or the employer? the person who administered.

Psychometric soundness

validity and reliability of test. the technical quality of test. it is not always the case that a valid test is a useful test.

Panel interview

where more than one interviewer participates in the assessment; one interviewee. good: can remove biases from just one interviewer. bad: more expensive. have to ask if $$ is worthwhile e.g., WGS pizza lunches for new faculty member. current faculty and students vet the candidates and listen to their research, sort of like an interview.

Putting a test to the test

why use this particular instrument or method? --What is the objective of using a test and how well does the test under consideration meet that objective? --Who is this test designed for use with (age of testtakers? reading level? etc.) and how appropriate is it for the targeted testtakers? --How is what the test measures defined? --What type of data will be generated from using this test, and what other types of data will it be necessary to generate if this test is used? --Do alternate forms of this test exist? are there published guidelines? --Published guidelines inform us that any instrument the assessor selects to obtain information about "X" capacity (e.g., parenting) must be supplemented with other instruments or procedures designed to support any expressed opinion, conclusion, or recommendation. In everyday practice, these other sources of data will be derived using other tools of psychological assessment such as interviews, behavioral observation, and case history or document analysis. is this instrument reliable? --careful reading of the test's manual and of published research on the test, test reviews, and related sources. --consider internal consistency is this instrument valid? --careful reading of the test's manual and published research on the test, test reviews, and related sources. --sometimes, inter-rater differences reflect reality (e.g., school teacher vs parent report) what starts as research to determine the validity of an individual instrument for a particular objective may end with research as to which combination of instruments will best achieve that objective. is this instrument cost effective? -- test utility (e.g., army administering group tests WWI because individual ones were time consuming and pricey) what inferences can reasonably be made from test scores, and what is the generalizability? --Will we learn something about a child's readiness to begin first grade? about whether one is harmful to oneself or others? about whether an employee has executive potential? --if the items on a test are worded to be less comprehensible by members of a specific group, then using that test on members of that group is questionable. Also, how is a test was administered? If a test administration deviates in any way from published/specific directions, the generalizability of the findings is compromised. Culture is a variable that must be taken account of in the development of new tests as well as the administration, scoring, and interpretation of any test.

Rapport

working relationship between examiner and examinee in testing or assessment-- important because if the examinee feels uncomfortable, they may potentially reveal less information or answer less honestly. with a child, this could look like engaging in play before the assessment. differences in client and clinician can impact their relationship. important when working with children and infants (0-18 mo).