Construct validity of measures of college teaching effectiveness.

Compared evaluation form, student, colleague, trained observer, former student, and self-rating teacher assessments of 43 university instructors. Data show that student and former student ratings displayed substantially greater validity coefficients of teaching effectiveness than self-report, colleague, and trained observer ratings. Advantages of student rating techniques (i.e., greater exposure to instructor's teaching), various teaching assessment methods, and problems in the literature due to limitations of research approaches typically used are discussed. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The masculinity-femininity dimension in normal and psychotic subjects.

A research was designed to test hypotheses derived from psychoanalytic theory that psychotic and normal women differ in their responses to measures of different levels of masculinity organization. "On the DC (Drawing Completion Test), the psychotic women obtain more masculine scores than do normals. However, using the DAP (Draw-A-Person Test) as a measure of body image, only two of four measures yielded significant differences, and these did not hold up on cross-validation. The verbal statements of normal women concerning masculinity-femininity status correspond more closely to their respective measures of body image status than do those of psychotic women." Theoretical implications of findings and areas for future research are discussed. 22 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dimensions of sensation seeking.

Tested 63 new items for the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS) in an attempt to develop new scales representative of hypothesized dimensions of sensation seeking. An experimental form was given to 332 and 92 undergraduates at 2 universities. Data from the 1st university was factor analyzed separately for males and females. Besides the general factor running through diverse items, 4 factors were extracted from the rotated factor loadings: thrill and adventure seeking, experience seeking, disinhibition, and boredom susceptibility. The 1st 3 factors showed good factor and internal scale reliability in both sexes and samples. Since boredom susceptibility was not well defined in females and was of minimal reliability, it was retained as a subscale for males only. (24 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construct validity of material-specific memory measures following unilateral temporal lobe ablations.

Material-specific memory test performance of 18 left (LTL), and 11 right (RTL), unilateral temporal lobectomy patients was assessed pre- and 1 wk postsurgery. The Selective Reminding Test (H. Buschke and P. A. Fuld; see record 1975-07695-001) and the Serial Digit Learning Test (A. L. Benton et al, 1983) were the verbal, and the Complex Figure Test and the Form Sequence Learning Test (K. Hamster et al, 1983) were the nonverbal, learning measures. Following surgery, LTLs showed significant reductions on both verbal memory tests, but no significant decline was observed in RTLs on the nonverbal memory measures' summary scores. Results suggest that Selective Reminding and Serial Digit Learning tests are sensitive to left temporal lesions but that Complex Figure and Form Sequence Learning tests, and by extension other nonverbal learning tests, should be interpreted cautiously with respect to unilateral temporal lobe dysfunction. Reasons for the difficulty in finding "pure" measures of visual learning are discussed, and suggestions for future nonverbal memory test development are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construct validity of multiple job performance measures using confirmatory factor analysis.

The construct validity of job performance ratings obtained from self, supervisors, and peers was assessed relative to performance data obtained from an objective test of task proficiency. Data were gathered from a sample of 256 first-term jet engine mechanics in the U.S. Air Force. Widaman's (1985) approach to assessment of convergent and discriminant validity of multitrait–multimethod data using confirmatory factor analysis to contrast alternative models was used. As expected, all analyses revealed support for a model with correlated performance traits and uncorrelated methods. Significant convergence among the three rating sources was found. In addition, convergence was found between task ratings and scores from the objective proficiency test. Significant discriminant validity was found in all of the analyses. Results revealed that self, supervisors, and peers can be equally valid as sources of performance information, although performance of some tasks may be more validly evaluated by one source than another. Needs for further research on the effects of task characteristics on the validity of ratings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mediation and associative facilitation in neurotic, psychotic, and normal subjects.

The present investigation is a replication of previous work (see 30: 555; 27: 4925) utilizing Veterans Administration medical and psychiatric patients instead of college Ss. The previous findings indicated that associative relationship facilitates verbal learning. Ss learned 2 sets of syllable-word paired associates; ? of the pairs on the 2nd list had response terms which were associates of their responses to words on the 1st list. Although the responses of all Ss showed the effects of associative facilitation, this was more true for nonpsychotics. The results are discussed in terms of understanding the thinking of schizophrenics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationships between dimensions of anxiety and sensation seeking.

To determine more precisely the relationship between the general dimensions of sensation seeking and anxiety, 130 male and 112 female undergraduates were administered the Sensation-Seeking Scales (SSS) and the S–R Inventory of General Trait Anxiousness (S–R GTA). The intercorrelations among the 5 scales from the SSS and the 4 scales from the S–R GTA were computed and compared to theoretical predictions. Results show that the majority of the correlations were negative, with the strongest relationship existing between anxiety in physically dangerous situations and sensation-seeking needs. The variation in the intercorrelations, ranging from moderately negative to low positive, is interpreted as supporting the necessity of multidimensional measures of anxiety and sensation-seeking constructs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construct validity and social desirability.

Comments on the article by R. Hogan and R. A. Nicholson (see record 1989-00097-001) on the construct validity of personality tests and argues that Hogan and Nicholson attributed to A. L. Edwards (1953) conclusions that Edwards never made, concerning the use of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the influence of social desirability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Similarities and differences between normal and psychotic subjects in responses to verbal stimuli.

Individuals receive so much verbal stimulation that one would expect verbal response habits to be greatly overlearned, yet clinical data suggests an almost complete breakdown in verbal behavior of psychotics. In the present study, affective ratings, m data, and associative data were gathered from normal and psychotic Ss. Patients, as compared with normals, rate words as affectively better, produce lower m values and more idiosyncratic associations to verbal stimuli. Beneath these apparent differences between the 2 groups there exists a surprisingly substantial core of similarity. This core of similarity suggests that verbal response habits do not break down in psychosis to as large a degree as is generally believed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On "Construct validity of measures of college teaching effectiveness."

In their recent study Howard, Conway, and Maxwell (1985) proffered evidence of the validity of student evaluations of teaching effectiveness, particularly the convergence of student and former-student ratings. The authors claimed that these two measures are "especially effective evaluation methods" (Howard et al., 1985, p. 187). In this article, I raise questions on conceptual and methodological grounds about the quality of the Howard et al. validation evidence. The main points of concern are whether (a) the Howard et al. evidence can support the hypothesis that their student evaluation measure is tapping a construct other than teaching effectiveness and (b) the convergent validation offered in their article more closely resembles reliability analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construct validity of in-basket scores.

This article reports a study of the construct validity of in-baskets designed to measure managerial abilities. Data were collected using randomized pretest–posttest experimental design with two alternate in-basket forms. Results indicated that (1) there was little convergent validity and evidence of method bias both within and between alternate in-basket forms and (2) brief training improved in-basket performance on the perceptiveness and delegation dimensions and on overall performance. Both lines of evidence call into question the validity of inferring individual differences in managerial ability from in-basket scores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construct validity: Construct representation versus nomothetic span.

Presents a new approach to construct validation research: construct modeling. A paradigm shift from functionalism to structuralism in psychology permits 2 types of research to be separated. Construct representation is concerned with identifying the theoretical mechanisms that underlie responses, such as information processes, strategies, and knowledge stores. Three approaches to assessing construct representation are presented: (1) mathematical modeling, particularly as used in cognitive psychology; (2) psychometric modeling, as exemplified by latent trait modeling; and (3) multicomponent latent trait modeling. Nomothetic span is concerned with the network of relationships of a test score with other variables. These 2 types of construct validation research address different issues and require different types of data. For each type of construct validation research, appropriate methods and quantitative models are presented to test a priori hypotheses about construct validity. Examples are presented, and the construct modeling approach is compared with both the traditional psychometric approach and the information-processing approach to establishing theoretical mechanisms in performance. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive style, sensation seeking, and assortative mating.

Examined assortative mating, the tendency of persons to marry others with similar characteristics, among 177 couples (male mean age 37.7 yrs, female mean age 35.1 yrs). Ss completed the Kinesthetic Figural Aftereffects Test, Embedded Figures Test, Matching Familar Figures Test, and the Sensation-Seeking Scale. Findings suggest assortative mating for reflection–impulsivity; reasoning–accuracy; field dependence–independence; and sensation-seeking and its subfactors of experience seeking, disinhibition, and boredom susceptibility. Analysis of relationship lengths indicated that the similarities within couples were not the result of increased similarity over time. It is concluded that partner similarities in sensation seeking and cognitive style may play a role in mate selection and in marital quality. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construct validity for measures of childhood depression: Application of multitrait–multimethod methodology.

In Exp I, 24 emotionally disturbed inpatients (aged 7 yrs 1 mo to 15 yrs 8 mo) were administered a battery of measures of depression including the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale (P-H), a DSM-III rating scale, a measure of learned helplessness, and a peer-nomination inventory. Results show that the CDI was significantly related to the P-H and the measure of learned helplessness. In Exp II, 133 2nd–8th graders were used to investigate the convergent and discriminant validity of several measures of depression and anger in a multimethod–multitrait matrix. Measures of depression and anger were obtained from the CDI, peers, and teachers. Results show a method effect twice as large as the trait effect. Both convergent and discriminant validities were supported for the measures as a group. However, the method of measurement was as important a source of variance as was the trait being measured. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construct validity of interpersonal personality measures: The interpersonal circumplex as a nomological net.

To understand a construct means to set it within an appropriate "nomological net" of lawful relations. For measures of interpersonal constructs, the interpersonal circumplex provides a nomological system of great potential for validating constructs and their measures. Three multidimensional measures (dependency, empathy, and narcissism) were subjected to an interpersonal analysis, and construct parameters and similarities were estimated by using formulas derived from the circumplex model. The results offer a distinctly interpersonal perspective on the construct validity of the respective measures. Expanded uses for the interpersonal circumplex are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construct validity in psychological tests.

"Construct validation was introduced in order to specify types of research required in developing tests for which the conventional views on validation are inappropriate. Personality tests, and some tests of ability, are interpreted in terms of attributes for which there is no adequate criterion. This paper indicates what sorts of evidence can substantiate such an interpretation, and how such evidence is to be interpreted." 60 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construct validity: A Critique.

"The renaming of the process of building a theory of behavior by the new term 'construct validity' contributes nothing to the understanding of the process nor to the usefulness of the concepts. The introduction into discussion of psychological theorizing of the aspects of construct validity discussed… creates, at best, unnecessary confusion and at worst, a nonempirical, nonscientific approach to the study of behavior." Terminology of logical behaviorism and techniques of an "operational methodology" are preferred. "It is… recommended that the formulation of construct validity, as presented in the several papers noted in this critique, be eliminated from further consideration as a way of speaking about psychological concepts, laws, and theories." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construct validity and the predictability of behavior.

Recurring assessment problems in personality research related to the cross-situational consistency and predictability of behavior are evaluated in light of modern construct-oriented measurement theory. A recent study of the domain of conscientiousness behaviors (Mischel & Peake, 1982) is used to illustrate the consequences of not applying well-established strategies for the development and validation of psychological measures. It is argued that a careful specification of the behavioral exemplars of a trait domain and their interrelations is an essential precondition for the construct validity of a measure and for evidence of behavioral consistency. A reanalysis of the observational data of Mischel and Peake revealed conceptually and empirically identifiable facets of the domain of conscientiousness and, when behaviors were properly aggregated, substantial evidence of their construct validity and cross-situational generality. This finding is contrary to interpretations of Mischel and Peake and occurred despite several definitional and measurement problems identified in their study. Conditions contributing to the prediction of behavior across situations are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construct validity of multiple measures in teaching, research, and service and reliability of peer ratings.

The construct validity measures in teaching, research, and service were determined using a multitrait–multimethod matrix. The measures in research (research publications, research grants, research awards, and peer ratings in research) and three of the measures in teaching (student evaluations, teaching awards, and peer ratings in teaching) supported convergent and divergent validity. However, the three-pronged model in academia was not validated, and exploratory factor analysis identified 5 and possibly 6 domains of behavior (research, classroom teaching, writing about teaching, community service, writing about service, and internal service). For one measure, peer ratings, reliability varied across academic areas and was moderately high for only high-confident ratings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construct validity and the Taylor Anxiety Scale.

"The intent of this paper has been to emphasize the directive role of theory in the construction of psychological tests." The several methodological issues arising from the use of theory in test construction are illustrated through a critical examination of the Taylor Anxiety Scale. "Our conclusion was that the A scale has only a tenuous, theoretical and empirical coordination to the Hullian construct of drive." 31 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)