Effect of corrective testing: An extension.

Conducted a straightforward parametric extension of the immediate feedback and partial credit components of S. L. Pressey's (see record 1950-06064-001) corrective testing procedure. 130 high- and low-test-anxious undergraduates served as Ss. Ss in the feedback conditions were given the opportunity to answer a given item once, twice, 3 times, or 4 times. For purposes of comparison, another group of Ss completed the item, using the conventional multiple choice format. On several measures of Ss' subjective reactions, corrective testing feedback was superior to the conventional multiple choice format. The differences between the various feedback conditions were small but consistent. In particular, providing Ss 2 attempts to answer each item met with the most positive reaction, especially among Ss high in test anxiety. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Delay of informative feedback in computer-assisted testing.

112 undergraduates took a multiple-choice computer-assisted test and received informative feedback (the entire item with the correct answer identified) either (a) immediately item by item (2-sec delay), (b) following the entire test (20-min delay), (c) 24 hrs later (24-hr delay), or (d) no feedback. Retention 1–3 wks later was significantly better for the 2 delayed feedback conditions than for immediate feedback; this effect was seen on items wrong initially and correct later. For those items, significantly greater increase in confidence ratings occurred in the 24-hr delay condition than in the other conditions. Results confirm previous findings for computer-assisted tests in an educational setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A note on the evaluation of a new answer form.

An answer form with a new item format proved comparable to a standard IBM form in an answer-marking task. A new red answer form with similar new item format was then used with actual tests. Ss were 4th graders, 8th graders, and 12th graders in 4 cities; each took a test form appropriate for his grade level with a new and old answer form. The new answer form was considered acceptable for use in the 8th grade and higher grades. Color change represented by the new red answer form had no significant effect on test performance of persons in the 8th grade or higher. Statistical analyses of the 4th-grade data proved inconclusive. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of the testing situation on item responding: Cause for concern.

The effects of faking on personality test scores have been studied previously by comparing (a) experimental groups instructed to fake or answer honestly, (b) subgroups created from a single sample of applicants or nonapplicants by using impression management scores, and (c) job applicants and nonapplicants. In this investigation, the latter 2 methods were used to study the effects of faking on the functioning of the items and scales of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire. A variety of item response theory methods were used to detect differential item/test functioning, interpreted as evidence of faking. The presence of differential item/test functioning across testing situations suggests that faking adversely affects the construct validity of personality scales and that it is problematic to study faking by comparing groups defined by impression management scores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects and underlying mechanisms of self-adapted testing.

Undergraduates participated in 3 experiments related to self-adapted testing. Experiment 1 demonstrated that, in comparison with computerized adaptive testing, self-adapted testing reduced the influence of anxiety on performance but took longer and was less efficient. Experiment 2 indicated that benefits of self-adapted testing cannot be attributed solely to item ordering. Instead, active choice of item difficulty seems to be necessary. Experiment 3 demonstrated that the provision of feedback increased the efficiency of the test but had no effect on estimates of ability derived. The potential of self-adapted testing to reduce the influence of extraneous sources of variation in test performance is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Computerized adaptive personality assessment: An illustration with the Absorption scale.

This article introduces the theory behind and applications of adaptive personality assessment based on the item response theory. Two adaptive testing strategies were compared: (a) fixed test length and (b) clinical decision. Real-data simulations, based on the item responses from 1,000 subjects who had previously taken the 34-item Absorption scale (A. Tellegen, 1982) by means of paper-and-pencil format, were used to illustrate these strategies. Results suggest that computerized adaptive personality assessment works impressively well. With the fixed-test-length strategy, a 50% savings in administered items was achieved with little loss of measurement precision. In the clinical-decision testing strategy, individuals who were extreme on the Absorption trait were identified with perfect accuracy using, on average, 25% of the available items. The implications of these results for personality research and assessment are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A "contingent-item" method for constructing a short personality questionnaire.

A brief, face-valid personality test was devised to be used as a limited range screening mode to locate general problem areas and the degree to which an individual is operating under "stress" in his daily life. The test uses a novel double-question method in which the 2nd question elaborates the answer to the 1st and is contingent upon it. This format is intended to encourage candidness on the part of the respondent and to enhance the power of the individual item. Criterion analyses and reliability indicate that the test and/or item form may prove useful in personality assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations of test item characteristics to test preparation/test practice effects: A quantitative summary.

Examined 10 studies on the effects of test preparation or test practice to provide information relevant to the strategy of developing tests that do not exhibit significant susceptibility to test preparation. Only studies that reported effects by individual item type and used aptitude tests for post-secondary admissions or employment were included in the analysis. The item-level effects were related to a number of test item characteristics, including item format, difficulty level, and complexity of test directions. Strong relations were noted between test preparation and/or practice effects and (a) the length and complexity of test directions and (b) the item format used. The number of words used to convey directions seemed to be a significant aspect of the complexity, as did the fixed-format nature of many of the most susceptible item types. It is suggested that only studies conducted at the level of individual item types are likely to yield results that will help test developers construct relatively "uncoachable" tests. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Delay-retention effect in natural classroom settings.

144 high school students received either no feedback, immediate feedback, or delayed feedback following a 20-item multiple-choice test covering a meaningful passage. Presence or absence of feedback did not affect the probability of being right on a 1-wk retention test, given a right answer on the initial test. As expected, however, when the measure was the probability of being right on the retention test, given a wrong answer on the initial test, feedback proved significantly better than no feedback, and delayed feedback proved superior to immediate feedback. Results show that the delay-retention effect occurred under conditions approximating those of real instruction and confirm the interference-perseveration interpretation of the phenomenon. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ventromedial prefrontal damage and memory for context: Perceptual versus semantic features.

Memory for context is known to rely on episodic binding and strategic retrieval processes. It is unclear, however, whether memory for different contextual features taps the same cognitive and neural mechanisms. Here, the authors compare memory for a perceptual feature (i.e., the format in which an item had been presented) and for a semantic feature (i.e., the concept with which an item had been paired) in 13 patients with lesions in ventromedial prefrontal cortex, including patients with and without confabulation, and 13 healthy controls. Participants studied picture–word pairs and received an old–new recognition test that included intact pairs, rearranged pairs, format pairs (studied pairs in which the picture–word format of each item was switched), old–new pairs, and new–new pairs. Hit rates for intact pairs were similar for all participant groups. Compared with controls, patients, especially those with confabulation, had higher false-alarm rates for format pairs but comparable false-alarm rates for rearranged pairs. The authors propose that distinct monitoring processes are engaged during retrieval of perceptual and semantic context, with only the former crucially dependent on ventromedial prefrontal cortex. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response preconditioning effects.

Two experiments investigated the effects on instrumental responding of a sequence of training stages similar to that followed in demonstrations of sensory preconditioning. In Exp I, 62 male hooded rats that experienced response-correlated presentations of a neutral stimulus, followed by pairings of the neutral stimulus with food, showed an enhanced tendency to emit the response during a test in which responding had no programmed consequences. In Exp II, in which the 2nd stage of training involved pairings of the neutral stimulus with shock, responding by the 24 Ss during the test was suppressed. Two interpretations of the results are discussed: (a) Enhancement and suppression of the operant response were mediated by Pavlovian processes (viz., sensory preconditioning); (b) the critical association formed was between the response and the neutral stimulus, and the observed variations in instrumental responding reflected response preconditioning. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

EMG biofeedback training versus systematic desensitization for test anxiety reduction.

Investigated EMG biofeedback training as a method to reduce test anxiety among 40 university students. A procedure combining EMG biofeedback training with systematic desensitization (SD) was compared to an automated SD program not using EMG feedback. The study also evaluated the effectiveness of EMG feedback relaxation training without SD. Ss were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: (a) EMG biofeedback training with SD, (b) EMG biofeedback relaxation training, (c) automated SD, and (d) no-treatment control. At the end of the program, all participants were administered the Suinn Test Anxiety Behavior Scale, Sarason's Test Anxiety Scale, and an anagrams test, given under threat conditions. Results suggest that EMG biofeedback training is a useful technique for reducing test anxiety, but not necessarily more effective than SD. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Computerized adaptive personality testing: A review and illustration with the MMPI-2 computerized adaptive version.

Computerized adaptive testing in personality assessment can improve efficiency by significantly reducing the number of items administered to answer an assessment question. Two approaches have been explored for adaptive testing in computerized personality assessment: item response theory and the countdown method. In this article, the authors review the literature on each and report the results of an investigation designed to explore the utility, in terms of item and time savings, and validity, in terms of correlations with external criterion measures, of an expanded countdown method-based research version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), the MMPI-2 Computerized Adaptive Version (MMPI-2-CA). Participants were 433 undergraduate college students (170 men and 263 women). Results indicated considerable item savings and corresponding time savings for the adaptive testing modalities compared with a conventional computerized MMPI-2 administration. Furthermore, computerized adaptive administration yielded comparable results to computerized conventional administration of the MMPI-2 in terms of both test scores and their validity. Future directions for computerized adaptive personality testing are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validation of the MMPI-2 Computerized Adaptive version (MMPI-2-CA) in a correctional intake facility.

Computerized adaptive testing in personality assessment can improve efficiency by significantly reducing the number of items administered to answer an assessment question. The time savings afforded by this technique could be of particular benefit in settings where large numbers of psychological screenings are conducted, such as correctional facilities. In the current study, item and time savings, as well as the test–retest and extratest correlations associated with an audio augmented administration of all the scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)-2 Computerized Adaptive (MMPI-2-CA) are reported. Participants include 366 men, ages 18 to 62 years (M = 33.04, SD = 10.40), undergoing intake into a large Midwestern state correctional facility. Results of the current study indicate considerable item and corresponding time savings for the MMPI-2-CA compared to conventional administration of the test, as well as comparability in terms of test–retest and correlations with external measures. Future directions of adaptive personality testing are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does the rose still smell as sweet? Item variability across test forms and revisions.

This article examines item stability when the same item appears in different contexts. The 1st section considers the assumptions in classical test theory and item response theory concerning the relationship between the item and the trait it is presumed to measure. The 2nd section presents contextualist challenges to the measurement theory assumptions about item properties and shows the instability of item characteristics across different testing contexts. The 3rd section describes methods for checking the relationship between items and traits. Classical test methods, item response methods, and structural equation methods for assessing item stability are reviewed. The instability of item characteristics across contexts should caution researchers to assess, and not assume, that items operate the same way on different test versions. Item instability also indicates the need for a more detailed understanding of the psychological processes that occur between item and answer. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of type and timing of feedback on learning from multiple-choice tests.

Two experiments investigated how the type and timing of feedback influence learning from a multiple-choice test. First, participants read 12 prose passages, which covered various general knowledge topics (e.g., The Sun) and ranged between 280 and 300 words in length. Next, they took an initial six-alternative, multiple-choice test on information contained in the passages. Feedback was given immediately for some of the multiple-choice items or after delay for other items. Participants were either shown the correct answer as feedback (standard feedback) or were allowed to keep answering until the correct answer was discovered (answer-until-correct feedback). Learning from the test was assessed on a delayed cued-recall test. The results indicated that delayed feedback led to superior final test performance relative to immediate feedback. However, type of feedback did not matter: discovering the correct answer through answer-until-correct feedback produced equivalent performance relative to standard feedback. This research suggests that delaying the presentation of feedback after a test is beneficial to learning because of the spaced presentation of information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preventing adolescent drug abuse through a multimodal cognitive-behavioral approach: Results of a 3-year study.

Students (N?=?4,466) attending 56 schools in New York State were involved in a 3-year study testing the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral approach to substance abuse prevention. In a randomized block design, schools were assigned to receive (a) the prevention program with formal provider training and implementation feedback, (b) the prevention program with videotaped provider training and no feedback, or (c) no treatment. After pretest equivalence and comparability of conditions with respect to attrition were established, students who received at least 60% of the prevention program (N?=?3,684) were included in analyses of program effectiveness. Significant prevention effects were found for cigarette smoking, marijuana use, and immoderate alcohol use. Prevention effects were also found for normative expectations and knowledge concerning substance use, interpersonal skills, and communication skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

When Does Feedback Facilitate Learning of Words?

Some researchers have suggested that although feedback may enhance performance during associative learning, it does so at the expense of later retention. To examine this issue, subjects (N = 258) learned Luganda-English word pairs. After 2 initial exposures to the materials, subjects were tested on each item several times, with the presence and type of feedback varying between subjects. A final test followed after 1 week. Supplying the correct answer after an incorrect response not only improved performance during the initial learning session--it also increased final retention by 494%. On the other hand, feedback after correct responses made little difference either immediately or at a delay, regardless of whether the subject was confident in the response. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of modeling, rehearsal, feedback, and remediation on acquisition of a counseling strategy.

Assessed the effects of 4 primary components of the microcounseling training model on the acquisition of a counseling strategy. The 4 training components investigated were (a) written and video models, (b) role-play practice, (c) peer feedback, and (d) role-play remediation practice. 40 beginning graduate students in counseling were assigned randomly to the following 4 treatment conditions: modeling; modeling and practice; modeling, practice, and feedback; and modeling, practice, feedback, and remediation. Written pretest, posttest, and retention test measures and posttest and retention test role-play interview measures were obtained of the dependent variable—the developing goals counseling strategy. Results show that, on the written measures, the performance of all 4 groups increased significantly from pre- to posttest and from pretest to retention test. A 1-way ANOVA revealed that all groups performed equally well on the posttest role-play interview. A repeated measures ANOVA on the role-play posttest and retention interviews indicated no significant differences between treatment groups or across trials. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential effects of age on item and associative measures of memory: A meta-analysis.

In this meta-analysis, the authors evaluated recent suggestions that older adults' episodic memory impairments are partially due to a reduced ability to encode and retrieve associated/bound units of information. Results of 90 studies of episodic memory for both item and associative information in 3,197 young and 3,192 older adults provided support for the age-related associative/binding deficit suggestion, indicating a larger effect of age on memory for associative information than for item information. Moderators assessed included the type of associations, encoding instructions, materials, and test format. Results indicated an age-related associative deficit in memory for source, context, temporal order, spatial location, and item pairings, in both verbal and nonverbal material. An age-related associative deficit was quite pronounced under intentional learning instructions but was not clearly evident under incidental learning instructions. Finally, test format was also found to moderate the associative deficit, with older adults showing an associative/binding deficit when item memory was evaluated via recognition tests but not when item memory was evaluated via recall tests, in which case the age-related deficits were similar for item and associative information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)