The Fletcher method

Graphological signs of extraversion were rated from handwriting samples of undergraduates (ns = 35 males, 31 females; 23 males, 20 females) and correlated with extraversion scores from an objective psychological test. No evidence was found for the validity of the graphological signs.     

Relationship between automaticity in handwriting and students' ability to generate written text.

The ability to generate written text requires the execution of a complex array of cognitive and metacognitive skills. Because of the cognitive demands of this complexity, successful writers must be able to write letters and words automatically. This article reports 2 studies that examined the relationship between orthographic-motor integration related to handwriting and the ability to generate creative and well-structured written text. Participants in the first study were 114 Grade 1 students. When the effect of reading was controlled, orthographic-motor integration accounted for 67% of the variance in written expression. An intervention study with 19 students experiencing difficulty in handwriting and 19 students matched on gender and reading examined the impact of improving students automaticity in handwriting. The intervention eliminated the detrimental effects on writing of lack of automaticity in orthographic-motor integration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is handwriting causally related to learning to write? Treatment of handwriting problems in beginning writers.

The contribution of handwriting to learning to write was examined in an experimental training study involving beginning writers with and without an identified disability. First-grade children experiencing handwriting and writing difficulties participated in 27 fifteen-min sessions designed to improve the accuracy and fluency of their handwriting. In comparison to their peers in a contact control condition receiving instruction in phonological awareness, students in the handwriting condition made greater gains in handwriting as well as compositional fluency immediately following instruction and 6 months later. The effects of instruction were similar for students with and without an identified disability. These findings indicate that handwriting is causally related to writing and that explicit and supplemental handwriting instruction is an important element in preventing writing difficulties in the primary grades. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Video-based versus written situational judgment tests: A comparison in terms of predictive validity.

In this study, the authors examined whether video-based situational judgment tests (SJTs) have higher predictive validity than written SJTs (keeping verbal content constant). The samples consisted of 1,159 students who completed a video-based version of an SJT and 1,750 students who completed the same SJT in a written format. The study was conducted in a high stakes testing context. The video-based version of an interpersonally oriented SJT had a lower correlation with cognitive ability than did the written version. It also had higher predictive and incremental validity for predicting interpersonally oriented criteria than did the written version. In this high stakes context, applicants also reacted relatively favorably to the SJTs, although there was no significant difference in face validity between the formats. These findings suggest that SJT format changes be made with caution and that validation evidence is needed when changes are proposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The electronic handwriting analyzer and motion study of writing.

"An Electronic Handwriting Analyzer is described that permits separate and automatic measurement of the component movements of manipulation and travel in the writing task. Results bearing on the application of this electronic handwriting analyzer to the measurement of writing common numbers and letters of the alphabet are summarized… . Inasmuch as the handwriting analyzer provides separate measures of manipulation and travel in writing performance, it is possible to obtain relational measures of motor coordination with this instrument." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric evaluation of scales when their scoring keys are unavailable.

Some psychological and educational tests are scored only by service organizations or computer programs that provide no access to scoring keys. The degree to which the keys need to be publicly available to evaluate different kinds of reliability and validity is examined. It is concluded that if keys are not provided, it is essential that (a) the scoring service provide internal consistency reliabilities on each batch of scales scored and (b) samples of items that correlate well with the total scale be given in the manual if content validity is claimed. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inferring gender from handwriting in Urdu and English

Handwriting samples in both English and Urdu from 30 donors were judged for masculinity-femininity by 25 judges (both judges and donors were adult Pakistanis, bilingual and literate in both Urdu and English). Inferences about gender were made reliably and accurately in both Urdu and English. Levels of accuracy (about 68%) were similar to those reported in studies of handwriting in English. Judged gender of handwriting was significantly stable across the two languages studied. These effects are relevant for the study of gender roles and gender stereotyping in assessment.     

A Depressive Symptom Scale for the California Psychological Inventory: Construct Validation of the CPI-D.

To facilitate life span research on depressive symptomatology, a depressive symptom scale for the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) is needed. The authors constructed such a scale (the CPI-D) and compared its psychometric properties with 2 widely used self-report depression scales: the Beck Depression Inventory and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Construct validity of the CPI-D was examined in 3 studies. Study 1 established content validity, classifying CPI-D items into Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition depressive symptoms. Study 2 used 3 large samples to gather evidence for reliability and validity: Correlational analyses demonstrated alpha reliability and convergent and discriminant validity; factor analysis provided evidence for discriminant validity with anxiety; and regression analyses demonstrated comparative validity with existing standard PI scales. Study 3 used clinician ratings of depression and anxiety as criteria for external validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Markon et al. (2011).

Reports an error in "The reliability and validity of discrete and continuous measures of psychopathology: A quantitative review" by Kristian E. Markon, Michael Chmielewski and Christopher J. Miller (Psychological Bulletin, 2011[Sep], Vol 137[5], 856-879). In the Samples section of Meta-Analysis 1: Reliability, third paragraph, the number of studies reporting data on clinical samples is incorrect. The sentence “Four studies included clinical samples, and eight studies included nonclinical samples” should read “Twenty-four studies included clinical samples, and eight studies included nonclinical samples.” (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2011-09705-001.) In 2 meta-analyses involving 58 studies and 59,575 participants, we quantitatively summarized the relative reliability and validity of continuous (i.e., dimensional) and discrete (i.e., categorical) measures of psychopathology. Overall, results suggest an expected 15% increase in reliability and 37% increase in validity through adoption of a continuous over discrete measure of psychopathology alone. This increase occurs across all types of samples and forms of psychopathology, with little evidence for exceptions. For typical observed effect sizes, the increase in validity is sufficient to almost halve sample sizes necessary to achieve standard power levels. With important caveats, the current results, considered with previous research, provide sufficient empirical and theoretical basis to assume a priori that continuous measurement of psychopathology is more reliable and valid. Use of continuous measures in psychopathology assessment has widespread theoretical and practical benefits in research and clinical settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

An examination of predictive bias for second grade reading outcomes from measures of early literacy skills in kindergarten with respect to English-language learners and ethnic subgroups.

The assessment of early literacy skills during the kindergarten year can provide useful information about student performance in prereading skills, which are predictors of later reading achievement. This study examined the use of fluency-based prompts of student phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, and oral reading at the end of kindergarten for predicting later reading achievement at the end of second grade. Predictive validity and bias studies were undertaken with respect to English-language learners (ELLs) and four selected ethnic subgroups: European American (EA), African American (AA), Asian American (AsA), and Hispanic American (HA). Results indicated that the predictive validity of the early literacy measures was strong, and no evidence of predictive bias for ELL and non-ELL groups was found. However, evidence of a small amount of predictive bias was found between the EA and HA students with respect to intercept differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adapting to processing demands in discourse production: The case of handwriting.

Explored the capacity requirements of discourse production via handwriting. In Exp I, writers transcribed paragraphs of technical prose under stress for speed or legibility, either as a single task or concurrently with a listening task. In Exp II, writers either transcribed technical prose or attempted to reproduce it from memory after varying amounts of study, again either as a single task or concurrently with a listening task. Instructions emphasized either handwriting or memory, so that half of the writers wrote under stress for speed or legibility of handwriting and half wrote under stress for speed or accuracy of content reproduction. Results suggest that formulation, motor-execution, and output-monitoring operations are sensitive to different variables and hence can be manipulated somewhat independently from one another, as would be expected if they constituted different stages of processing. However, contrary to the stronger hypothesis that they constitute autonomous modules, formulation and execution appear to draw on a common source of processing capacity. The rule for allocating this capacity is asymmetric, giving priority to formulation at the expense of execution when the system is loaded. All 3 sets of discourse production processes are susceptible to interference from the demands of concurrent task performance; discourse production appears to be combined with the concurrent listening task via attention switching. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inferences from personnel tests and their validity.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 70(3) of Journal of Applied Psychology (see record 2008-10968-001). On page 238, line 4, the word "each" appears and should be "such." The sentence will, therefore, refer "to the use of such cognitive processes as inductive and deductive reasoning and such characteristics of temperament as emotional stability and self-esteem."] Contends that despite clear definitions in standard sources, psychologists persistently refer to the validity of tests instead of the validity of inferences from test scores. This persistence leads to references to "kinds of validity" when, in fact, there are "kinds of validity analysis strategies" whereby data are collected or generated to determine or defend the extent, degree, or strength of the inference or inferences that can be made from a set of test scores. It is concluded that content validity analysis strategies are appropriate only when the job behavior under scrutiny falls at the observation end of the continuum; when such behavior approaches the abstract end of the continuum, a construct validity analysis strategy is indicated. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Polling the face: Prediction and consensus across cultures.

Previous work has shown that individuals agree across cultures on the traits that they infer from faces. Previous work has also shown that inferences from faces can be predictive of important outcomes within cultures. The current research merges these two lines of work. In a series of cross-cultural studies, the authors asked American and Japanese participants to provide na?ve inferences of traits from the faces of U.S. political candidates (Studies 1 and 3) and Japanese political candidates (Studies 2 and 4). Perceivers showed high agreement in their ratings of the faces, regardless of culture, and both sets of judgments were predictive of an important ecological outcome (the percentage of votes that each candidate received in the actual election). The traits predicting electoral success differed, however, depending on the targets’ culture. Thus, when American and Japanese participants were asked to provide explicit inferences of how likely each candidate would be to win an election (Studies 3–4), judgments were predictive only for same-culture candidates. Attempts to infer the electoral success for the foreign culture showed evidence of self-projection. Therefore, perceivers can reliably infer predictive information from faces but require knowledge about the target’s culture to make these predictions accurately. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Visual cues and the handwriting of older adults: A kinematic analysis.

Kinematic techniques determined the nature of any age-related changes in the fluency of handwriting movements and also the extent to which any changes can be related to a differential utilization of visual feedback. To quantitatively document the kinematics of handwriting movements, 24 young and 24 older adults were compared by having them write simple cursive letter Is 4 times on a graphics tablet, under 4 different visual conditions (no ink, ink, lines, and goggles). Pen tip position was sampled at 200 Hz, from which kinematic indexes of movement efficiency and consistency were derived. Quantitative differences in movement trajectories were found in the older adults, who produced less efficient movements with a concomitant increased utilization of external visual cues. Older adults made a differential use of visual feedback to modify movement trajectories, rather than to control the effects of neural noise. Handwriting movements of older adults resembled only to a limited extent those of patients with Parkinson's disease. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Inferences from personnel tests and their validity": Correction to Lawshe.

Reports an error in "Inferences from personnel tests and their validity" by C. H. Lawshe (Journal of Applied Psychology, 1985[Feb], Vol 70[1], 237-238). On page 238, line 4, the word "each" appears and should be "such." The sentence will, therefore, refer "to the use of such cognitive processes as inductive and deductive reasoning and such characteristics of temperament as emotional stability and self-esteem." (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1985-16032-001.) Contends that despite clear definitions in standard sources, psychologists persistently refer to the validity of tests instead of the validity of inferences from test scores. This persistence leads to references to "kinds of validity" when, in fact, there are "kinds of validity analysis strategies" whereby data are collected or generated to determine or defend the extent, degree, or strength of the inference or inferences that can be made from a set of test scores. It is concluded that content validity analysis strategies are appropriate only when the job behavior under scrutiny falls at the observation end of the continuum; when such behavior approaches the abstract end of the continuum, a construct validity analysis strategy is indicated. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Syllables as processing units in handwriting production.

This research focused on the syllable as a processing unit in handwriting. Participants wrote, in uppercase letters, words that had been visually presented. The interletter intervals provide information on the timing of motor production. In Experiment 1, French participants wrote words that shared the initial letters but had different syllable boundaries. In Experiment 2, French- and Spanish-speaking participants wrote cognates and pseudowords with a letter sequence that was always intrasyllabic in French and intersyllabic in Spanish. In Experiment 3, French-Spanish bilinguals wrote the cognates and pseudowords with the same type of sequences. In the 3 experiments, the critical interletter intervals were longer between syllables than within syllables, indicating that word syllable structure constrains motor production both in French and Spanish. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

For a psycholinguistic model of handwriting production: Testing the syllable-bigram controversy.

This study examined the theoretical controversy on the impact of syllables and bigrams in handwriting production. French children and adults wrote words on a digitizer so that we could collect data on the local, online processing of handwriting production. The words differed in the position of the lowest frequency bigram. In one condition, it coincided with the word's syllable boundary. In the other condition, it was located before the syllable boundary. The results yielded higher movement durations at the position where the low-frequency bigram coincided with the syllable boundary compared to where the low-frequency bigram appeared before the syllable boundary. Syllable-oriented strategies failed with the presence of a very low-frequency bigram within the initial syllable. Further analysis showed that children in grades 3 and 4 privileged syllable-oriented programming strategies. The production times of children in grade 4 were also affected by syllable frequency and, to a lesser extent, bigram frequency. The adults writing durations were modulated by bigram frequency. Therefore, both bigrams and syllables regulate handwriting production although the influence of bigrams was stronger in adults than children. In the light of these results, we propose a psycholinguistic model of handwriting production. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)