Development of a criterion of research productivity.

"A forced-choice rating scale designed to determine the extent of a person's productive research behavior was developed at a Midwestern physical science foundation. Of the two experimental scales developed the better form showed an interrator reliability coefficient of .62 and a validity of .60. When the ratings of two raters were averaged the validity of the scale increased to .74." (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)     

Development of a forced-choice rating scale for engineer evaluation.

A technique alternative to the conventional ratings of engineers by their supervisors was studied. A 20-triad forced-choice rating scale was constructed. 33 engineers were rated by their supervisors using this device. The reliability of these ratings was .90. An item analysis showed 19 of the 20 triads to have strong discriminating power between high and low scorers. The same Ss were also rated in 8 different areas on a 4-point scale. The reliability of the 2nd rating scale was .87. The 2 scales correlated .73 with each other. These findings support previous research concerned with the more general applicability of the forced-choice technique for the determination of criterion scores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Remote associates test as a predictor of creativity in engineers.

A correlation of +.31 was found between Remote Associates Test scores and supervisory ratings of creativity for 21 American-born engineers. Production of remote verbal associates may not be as important a component of behavioral creativity for professional engineers as it may be for other groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construct validity of an attention rating scale for traumatic brain injury.

Attention deficits are nearly ubiquitous after traumatic brain injury (TBI). In the subacute phase of moderate to severe TBI, these deficits may be difficult to measure with the precision needed to predict outcomes, assess degree of recovery, and monitor treatment response. This article reports the findings of four studies, three observational and one a randomized, controlled treatment trial of methylphenidate (MP), designed to provide construct validation of the Moss Attention Rating Scale (MARS), an observational measure of attention dysfunction following TBI. One hundred seven participants with moderate to severe TBI were enrolled during treatment on an inpatient rehabilitation unit. MARS scores were provided independently by four rehabilitation disciplines (Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapies and Nursing). Results indicated that the MARS: (1) is more strongly related to concurrent measures of cognitive versus physical disability, supporting its validity as a measure of cognition, (2) is more strongly related to concurrent psychometric measures of attention versus measures thought to rely less on attention, supporting its validity as a measure of attention; and (3) predicts 1-year outcomes of TBI better than psychometric measures of attention. However, the MARS (4) was not differentially affected by MP versus placebo treatment. Results support the construct validity and utility of the MARS, with further research needed to clarify its role in treatment outcome assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of variations in rating scale format on judgment.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether mean occupation evaluation ratings would differ as a function of 7 variations in rating-scale format. 60 basic airmen rated 15 occupations on 9 occupation-requirement factors for each format. A 3-way analysis of variance (occupations, factors, scale format) resulted in statistically significant terms for each of the main effects and for all 4 interaction terms. It was concluded that rating-scale format was a determiner of the judgment of raters in this sample and that selection of an optimal format should be based upon capability to predict a criterion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construct revalidation of a forced-choice rating form.

A forced-choice rating form was revalidated by using a type of construct validation based on the hypothesis that a manager's effectiveness is reflected in the performance level of his subordinates. 11 plant managers were ranked on overall effectiveness by 3 independent judges, and the relationship between these rankings and the average performance report scores of 142 first-line supervisors in the respective plants was determined by analysis of variance and correlation techniques. Results showed a significant overall relationship between plant-manager rankings and production-supervisor scores on the forced-choice form (p = .005) and significant correlations on 2 of the 6 subscales, with the highest relationship apparent in the Human Relations area (p = .025). The findings support the hypothesis of a relationship between management effectiveness and subordinate performance, and provide evidence to indicate continued validity of the rating instrument. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dimensions of dreaming: A factored scale for rating dream reports.

127 dream reports of 24 Ss were assessed on 20 psychological characteristics. Nearly all characteristics were assessed by 2 raters, and some by S as well, creating a total of 43 variables. These were subjected to principal component analysis and analytic orthogonal rotation. About 63% of the total variance is accounted for by 8 dimensions: vivid fantasy, active control, pleasantness, verbal aggression, physical aggression, heterosexuality, perception (vs. conception), and reference to past experience. In a resulting condensed scale, each dimension is indexed by a single characteristic. These 8 characteristics are essentially uncorrelated. The last 2 are assessed by S alone; rater agreement in assessing the 1st 6 is .63, .71, .62, .74, .44, and .66. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A vocational interest scale for biologists.

A Biologist scale for the SVIB (Form M) was developed following procedures outlined by E. K. Strong, Jr. 4 groups were employed: (a) criterion (N = 251) systematically selected from Volume 2 of American Men of Science, (b) cross-validation (N = 89) selected at an American Institute of Biological Science convention, (c) 2 concurrent validation groups (Ns = 121, 306) selected from the Pennsylvania State University student body. Results indicated that the scale differentiated the interests of: (a) the biologists from Strong's men-in-general group (P1), (b) the biologists from the interests measured by 36 other SVIB scales, (c) the concurrent validation groups in the expected direction. Reliabilities of .88 (criterion) and .87 (cross-validation) were obtained. It was concluded that the scale has sufficient validity and reliability to be a useful counseling device. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measuring individual research productivity: A review and development of the integrated research productivity index.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate methods of measuring individual research productivity for counseling psychologists. Using the 60 members of the Journal of Counseling Psychology editorial board, the authors computed a comparison of 6 popular indices of productivity, revealing considerable levels of positive skewness, kurtosis, and overlap with each other. Combining the strengths of the 6 indices, the authors developed a new productivity index entitled the Integrated Research Productivity Index (IRPI). The IRPI measures individual productivity by statistically combining an individual's author-weighted publications, average times cited by other publications, and years since first publication into a comprehensive score. Productivity values and IRPI scores for 3 groups of counseling psychologists (Tyler Award recipients, Kuder Award recipients, and Division 17 Presidents) were computed to provide evidence of discriminant validity among the indices. In contrast to the other measures examined, the IRPI accounts for productivity per year and years in the field and assesses mean citation count per article as opposed to total citation count, thus yielding similar scores for Tyler (lifetime) and Kuder (early career) research award recipients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of a communication on attitude change and scale judgments.

"The purposes of this study were to assess the effects of a persuasive communication on attitude change and on judgments of the scale values of opinion items and to examine the relationship between attitude change and evaluations of the communication. An experimental group of subjects was exposed to a communication advocating abolution of capital punishment, after which they evaluated the communication, judged the scale values of 36 opinion statements, and revealed their own attitudes by responding to 20 opinion items… . The major results are: The communication changed attitudes in the direction advocated. But the groups were alike in their judgments of the scale values of the related opinion statements. Hence, a change in scale judgments is not a necessary condition for attitude change." From Psyc Abstracts 36:01:3GD33W. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

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 score method of constructing asymmetric confidence intervals for the mean of a rating scale item.

This article presents a generalization of the Score method of constructing confidence intervals for the population proportion (E. B. Wilson, 1927) to the case of the population mean of a rating scale item. A simulation study was conducted to assess the properties of the Score confidence interval in relation to the traditional Wald (A. Wald, 1943) confidence interval under a variety of conditions, including sample size, number of response options, extremeness of the population mean, and kurtosis of the response distribution. The results of the simulation study indicated that the Score interval usually outperformed the Wald interval, suggesting that the Score interval is a viable method of constructing confidence intervals for the population mean of a rating scale item. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A verification scale for the Minnesota Vocational Interest Inventory.

A verification scale, designed to detect individuals answering carelessly or incorrectly, was developed for the Minnesota Vocational Interest Inventory. The scale is composed of items answered very infrequently by Clark's group of Tradesmen-in-General. Data on a validation and cross-validation group are presented. The scale was shown to correctly identify 97% of arbitrarily responding individuals while misclassifying only 9% of individuals answering in a normal manner. To demonstate other attributes of the scale, data are presented for a test-retest group (rxx = .81), a hospitalized psychotic group, and a group of answer sheets completed using random numbers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prediction of improvement in treated and untreated patients using the Rorschach prognostic rating scale.

An attempt was made to evaluate the predictive validity for improvement of the Rorschach Prognostic Rating Scale (RPRS) and the MMPI. A group of untreated psychiatric outpatients (N = 40) and a group of outpatients treated with psychotherapy (N = 21) were given the Rorschach and MMPI before their assignment to the treatment or waiting list groups. After a waiting or treatment period of approximately 6 mo., each patient was clinically rated as improved or unimproved. The RPRS was significantly (p     

Compositional diversity and the research productivity of PhD graduates.

Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the relationship between the compositional diversity in 20 academic programs in a Research Extensive college of education and the research productivity of 275 PhD graduates of these programs. Compositional diversity in terms of race and ethnicity was operationalized with Chang's (1999) diversity index; cumulative number of refereed articles and chapters published within two years of graduation was the measure of research productivity. Results showed that, after controlling for individual differences in Graduate Record Examination scores, greater compositional diversity was related to the increased research productivity for African American and International PhD graduates but not to the research productivity of Asian American, Latina/Latino, or White PhD graduates. Because compositional diversity was unrelated to the research productivity of White students, the findings suggest compositional diversity may have its effects by reducing the stereotype threat for African American and International PhD graduates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between item ambiguity and discriminating power in a forced-choice scale.

"(a) In questionnaire format, Ambiguous statements were more valid than either Positive or Negative statements for differentiating college achievers from non-achievers. (b) In general, the validity of Ambiguous items either held up or increased in forced-choice format. (c) The 12-tetrad inventory consisting almost exclusively of Ambiguous items was found to have substantial reliability and validity for the purpose used, and did not appear to lend itself to willful misrepresentation on the part of the subjects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A unidimensional depression scale for the MMPI.

To develop a depression scale that differentiates consistently not only between normal and abnormal samples but also within such samples, items from the MMPI D scale were selected on the basis of consistent relationship to the major dimension or factor underlying the 60 items as determined by a contextual analysis of responses in each of 4 normative samples of 40 Ss (normal and abnormal divided also by sex). The final 30-item scale, called the D30 scale, showed greatly improved within-group distinctions, particularly among normals, dimensionality coefficients (rd) of .97, .95, and .98 being obtained in cross validation in contrast to values of .67, .45, and .87 for the original. Split-half reliability showed improvement despite shorter length, and test-retest estimates in 2 normal samples were .88 and .92. Since part-whole correlations indicated that D30 scale scores account for the systematic differences in scores on the 60-item scale, the D30 scale was recommended for general use in lieu of the original. T score norms based on 424 Ss were presented and scale content discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The California F scale in psychological research: 1950-1955.

The purpose of this paper is to present a review of those studies using the F scale in substantially its original form which appeared in the literature between 1950 and 1955. The studies were grouped into five major categories: (a) ideology; (b) personality correlates; (c) interpersonal behavior; (d) cultural and sub-cultural variations; and (e) studies of the instrument. It was concluded that "many questions still remain to be answered before its (the F scale) use would have much meaning in terms of predicting human behavior." 64-item bibliography. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of a decisional balance scale for young adult marijuana use.

This study describes the development and validation of a decisional balance scale for marijuana use in young adults. Scale development was accomplished in four phases. First, 53 participants (70% female, 68% freshman) provided qualitative data that yielded content for an initial set of 47 items. In the second phase, an exploratory factor analysis on the responses of 260 participants (52% female, 68% freshman) revealed two factors, corresponding to pros and cons. Items that did not load well on the factors were omitted, resulting in a reduced set of 36 items. In the third phase, 182 participants (49% female, 37% freshmen) completed the revised scale and an evaluation of factor structure led to scale revisions and model respecification to create a good-fitting model. The final scales consisted of 8 pros (α = 0.91) and 16 cons (α = 0.93), and showed evidence of validity. In the fourth phase (N = 248, 66% female, 70% freshman), we confirmed the factor structure, and provided further evidence for reliability and validity. The Marijuana Decisional Balance Scale enhances our ability to study motivational factors associated with marijuana use among young adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)