Retranslation of expectations: An approach to the construction of unambiguous anchors for rating scales.

A procedure was tested for the construction of evaluative rating scales anchored by examples of expected behavior. Expectations, based on having observed similar behavior, were used to permit rating in a variety of situations without sacrifice of specificity. Examples, submitted by head nurses as illustrations of nurses' behavior related to a given dimension were retained only if reallocated to that dimension by other head nurses, and then scaled as to desirability. Agreement for a number of examples was high, and scale reliabilities ranged above .97. Similar content validity should be obtained in other rating situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comment on the recent study of the Mechanical Comprehension Test (CC) by R. L. Decker.

Reference is made to a 1959 article (see 33: 6982) which is "lacking in accuracy to such an extent that some comments on it appear to be in order." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Must all tests be valid?

Validity "is universally praised, but the good works done in its name are remarkably few… . The basic difficulty in validating many tests arises, we believe, not from inadequate criteria but from logical and operational limitations of the concept of validity itself." 4 indications of difficulty with the concept of validity are specified and bases for these problems are considered. "We would suggest that meaningfulness replace validity in the usual lists of major desirable characteristics of a measuring instrument." From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4AE40E. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Whither the Rorschach? An analysis of the evidence.

In the previous Special Section, the authors presented empirical evidence and logical analysis that were sufficient to demonstrate that the widespread use of the Rorschach in clinical, legal, forensic, and occupational settings is unwarranted on both scientific and ethical grounds (J. Hunsley and J. M. Bailey, see record 1999-11130-004). To expand on their analysis and to respond to issues raised in the previous and current Special Sections, they begin their article by examining a number of conceptual issues that are at the heart of the disagreements about the Rorschach. The focus is then shifted to the central issue of clinical utility, with an emphasis on why current research is insufficient to demonstrate the utility of the Rorschach. Next, the psychometric issues raised by I. B. Weiner (see record 2001-05665-002) are addressed and an alternative perspective on the psychometric viability of the Rorschach is provided. Finally, the authors conclude with some suggestions for future directions that must be taken in research to address the substantive concerns raised by Rorschach critics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some effects of combining psychological tests on clinical inferences.

The study was designed to determine whether the reliability and validity of interpretations based on 3 frequently used psychological tests—Rorschach, TAT, MMPI—increased as a function of number of tests employed. 30 clinical psychologists completed personality questionnaires describing 5 Ss on the basis of identifying data alone, each test individually, pairs of tests, and all 3 combined. Reliability and validity did not increase as a function of number of tests, nor were there any differences between tests or pairs of tests. The validity scores for test data ranged from 66% to 73%, with a Mean of 68%. The reliability scores ranged from 56% to 72%, with a Mean of 64%. (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of a Psychometrically Sound Internet Addiction Scale: A Preliminary Step.

The Internet Addiction Scale (IAS) is a self-report instrument based on the 7 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) substance dependence criteria and 2 additional criteria recommended by Griffiths (1998). The IAS was administered to 233 undergraduates along with 4 measures pertaining to loneliness and boredom proneness. An item reliability analysis reduced the initial scale from 36 to 31 items (with a Cronbach's alpha of .95). A principal-components analysis indicated that the IAS consisted mainly of one factor. Multiple regression analyses revealed that Family and Social Loneliness and Boredom Proneness were significantly correlated with the IAS; Family and Social Loneliness uniquely predicted IAS scores. No evidence for widespread Internet addiction was found. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Recipe for a cook book.

"The purpose of this note is to point out that the base rate is an essential part of every validity study, that p1 and p2 determined without reference to the base rate are quite meaningless, and that every valid continuous predictor, properly used, can give better predictions than those given by the base rate alone." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social reputation and social behavior: A further validation of the Peer Nomination Inventory.

2 studies were done on the congruence of reputation and overt behavior. Ss were 255 5th- and 6th-grade boys. The Peer Nomination Inventory (Wiggins & Winder, 1961) was used to assess the reputation of each boy for Aggression, Dependency, Withdrawal, Depression, and Likeability. Ss were assigned to high-,medium-, and low-aggression reputation groups, and to analogous dependency reputation groups. Then, Ss were observed, respectively, in a Situational Test of Aggression and a Situational Test of Dependency. Findings support the conclusion that reputation is predictive of overt interpersonal behavior. A tentative conclusion is that overt dependency and overt aggression are less closely related than are those aspects of reputation. More specifically, the results are a partial validation of the Aggression and Dependency scales of the Peer Nomination Inventory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validation and revision of a test in use.

The problems of evaluating a test when it is being used are discussed. Data are presented for a test when "in use" and in a "give but don't use" condition. Emphasis is placed upon the effects of indirect curtailment when a test is being correctly used with other valid selection instruments. This phenomenon presents problems both for evaluating a test and for the appropriate weighting of tests in a battery. This may be a major problem in applied selection research programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a process-focused model of test score validity: Improving psychological assessment in science and practice.

Although definitions of validity have evolved considerably since L. J. Cronbach and P. E. Meehl's classic (1955) review, contemporary validity research continues to emphasize correlational analyses assessing predictor–criterion relationships, with most outcome criteria being self-reports. The present article describes an alternative way of operationalizing validity—the process-focused (PF) model. The PF model conceptualizes validity as the degree to which respondents can be shown to engage in a predictable set of psychological processes during testing, with those processes dictated a priori by the nature of the instrument(s) used and the context in which testing takes place. In contrast to the traditional approach wherein correlational methods are used to quantify the relationship between test score and criterion, the PF model uses experimental methods to manipulate variables that moderate test score–criterion relationships, enabling researchers to draw more definitive conclusions regarding the impact of underlying psychological processes on test scores. By complementing outcome-based validity assessment with a process-driven approach, researchers will not only improve psychology's assessment procedures but also enhance their understanding of test bias and test score misuse by illuminating the intra- and interpersonal factors that lead to differential performance (and differential prediction) in different groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construction and validation of a Thurstone scale of liberalism—conservatism.

A 23-item scale of liberalism—conservatism was constructed by the Thurstone method of equal-appearing intervals and found to correlate highly (point-biserial r = .64) with a naturalistic behavioral criterion consisting of self-selected, actively campaigning political groups (Young Democrats and Young Republicans). The scale yielded an internal-consistency coefficient of .79, indicating substantial common variance among items, and a coefficient of reproducibility of .87, indicating quasiscalability. A considerably greater proportion of non-perfect scale types, as evidenced by a significantly greater number of errors of reproducibility (p     

The generality of social perception scores.

"This study of self-ratings and other-ratings was designed to investigate (a) whether it is justified to assume the generality of various distance scores regardless of the content involved, (b) the reliability of these scores, and (c) the effect on their generality and reliability when the sign of any of the distance measures is ignored. The method of data analysis employed is comparatively new and has been tried here for the first time." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Equivalence of forms of the Wonderlic Personnel Test: a study of reliability and interchangeability.

In a replicated 5 X 5 Latin square design, the 5 forms of the Wonderlic were administered in 5 orders to 14 sets of 5 subjects. "The Wonderlic forms vary in level of difficulty and cannot be regarded as equivalent and interchangeable… the forms appear also to vary in reliability." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A technique for increasing the reproducibility of cumulative attitude scales.

From a set of 40 statements for which Thurstone Scale values had previously been determined, a set of 9 statements were presented in paired-comparison form (36 pairs) to 370 psychology students. "… using the method of paired comparisons in conjunction with a set of opinion statements with known scale values… has promise for the construction of attitude scales with a relatively high degree of reproducibility and satisfactory reliability." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The validity of the guilty knowledge technique: The effects of faking.

In developing an alternative to the lie detector, a questionnaire was given 20 Ss with the GSR. 1 response in each multiple-choice item was a guilty response known to the examiner. Ss were bribed to defeat the GSR after being trained to do so. They failed. Although conventional methods may be used in more instances, this objectively scored, guilt knowledge test offers a valuable alternative. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The validity of behavioral rating scale items for the assessment of individual creativity.

In the study of creativity, how would it do to have statements about creative people obtained in an unstructured interview form the basis for rating research personnel? After trial with 78 Ss, the data was subjected to linkage analysis. 8 types of items were identified. "It was suggested that the items presented may be valid discriminators between relatively more or less creative persons in a wide variety of research areas." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of a logically related predictor in determining intragroup differential predictability.

The overall validity of a career-intention question for predicting Navy reenlistment was reanalyzed for subgroups selected by another logically related test serving as a measure of predictability. On the assumption that career-intention responses of better informed recruits would be relatively more valid, 21 samples, comprising 13,448 enlisted men, were each trichotomized into High, Middle, and Low subgroups on Naval Knowledge Test (NKT) scores. The validity of the career question for the High group was equal to, or larger than the validity for the total group in 19 of the 21 samples. The results generally confirmed that test validity for total groups may be improved for subgroups identified as more predictable by another relevant measure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The measurement of creativity in machine design.

"(1) A battery of four measuring devices [Power Source Apparatus Test, Application of Mechanisms Test, Personal Inventory, Personal History Form] for the discrimination of creative from noncreative machine designers has been developed. (2) The concurrent validity of this battery, within companies, is such that it would probably predict the correct classification of about three-fourths of the members of two equal groups of creative and noncreative designers." "Creatives" and "noncreatives" are not differentiated by general mental ability, and creativity seems to be somewhat specific to the field in question. 18 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview: Development, reliability, and validity in an adolescent sample.

The authors developed the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview (SITBI) and evaluated its psychometric properties. The SITBI is a structured interview that assesses the presence, frequency, and characteristics of a wide range of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, including suicidal ideation, suicide plans, suicide gestures, suicide attempts, and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). This initial study, based on the administration of the SITBI to 94 adolescents and young adults, suggested that the SITBI has strong interrater reliability (average κ = .99, r = 1.0) and test-retest reliability (average κ = .70, intraclass correlation coefficient = .44) over a 6-month period. Moreover, concurrent validity was demonstrated via strong correspondence between the SITBI and other measures of suicidal ideation (average κ = .54), suicide attempt (κ = .65), and NSSI (average κ = .87). The authors concluded that the SITBI uniformly and comprehensively assesses a wide range of self-injury-related constructs and provides a new instrument that can be administered with relative ease in both research and clinical settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cross validation of an IBM proof machine test battery.

In validating predictors of performance in bank clerical work, 53 proof machine operators, on whom predictors were tried, were followed up. Performance on a work sample was related to tests given concurrently. In the follow-up study, actual production items per hour were determined. The predictors of the first study were essentially accurate. "A multiple test battery with the requirement that two of the three tests be passed at the group median or better had a very good selective efficiency against both criteria and is recommended to increase production by almost 13%." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)