Undergraduate grades and the Miller Analogies Test as predictors of graduate success.

Ss were "124 students who entered the graduate program at the University of Michigan during the years 1951 through 1955… . Information available on each applicant at the time of entrance included the following measures": total undergraduate grade point average (GPA), undergraduate GPA in science and mathematics, undergraduate GPA in psychology courses, MAT score, objective comprehensive examination in psychology. Measures of "success" included: GPA in graduate courses, marks on doctoral preliminary examinations, faculty ratings of potential professional contribution and potential scientific contribution. 6 tables of results are presented. The best predictor of marks in graduate courses was undergraduate GPA in science courses; it also best predicted preliminary examination grades. "The MAT significantly predicted graduate course grades and was the best predictor of potential scientific contribution of the student." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selection of graduate students in clinical psychology: Use of cutoff scores and interviews.

The use of cutoff scores and interviews in the selection of graduate students in clinical psychology has been debated extensively, but researchers in only a few empirical studies have looked at these issues. We examined the selection process for clinical psychology students at Boston University, in which an interview was used and a quantitative cutoff score was not used. We analyzed scores of 357 applicants on Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and Miller Analogy Tests (MAT), grade point averages (GPA), and interview ratings. We found that the major criteria for invitation to an interview were GREs and GPA, though no quantitative cutoff had been used. The use of such a cutoff would result in no difference in selection of applicants. Reliability of interview ratings was moderately high, contrary to results of previous studies. Replications of this study would add to its generalizability and argue for the use of the cutoff and further consideration of the interview. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Criteria used for admission by graduate departments.

Replies from 217 of 289 (75% return) graduate departments of psychology in the US and Canada indicate that undergraduate grade point average (GPA), partial or total Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, and recommendations were the most important criteria for selection of students. Cutoff range for both sections of the GRE was 860–2,200. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A six-year follow-up study of graduate students in public health education.

Using the predictors available from a study of academic success, how well can future occupational success be predicted? 19 students reported in the Barthol and Kirk study (see 31: 6666) were used as Ss here. The predictors included standardized tests such as the SVIB, MMPI, Concept Mastery Test plus academic rankings. The criterion of job success was psychologists rankings based on a study of work records of the Ss. Although those with the best preparation and MMPI profiles did the best on the ratings for vocational success. Ratings of 3 faculty judges of the academic success of the Ss predicted vocational success most accurately. From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4LB40G. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comprehensive meta-analysis of the predictive validity of the Graduate Record Examinations: Implications for graduate student selection and performance.

This meta-analysis examined the validity of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) as predictors of graduate school performance. The study included samples from multiple disciplines, considered different criterion measures, and corrected for statistical artifacts. Data from 1,753 independent samples were included in the meta-analysis, yielding 6,589 correlations for 8 different criteria and 82,659 graduate students. The results indicated that the GRE and UGPA are generalizably valid predictors of graduate grade point average, 1st-year graduate grade point average, comprehensive examination scores, publication citation counts, and faculty ratings. GRE correlations with degree attainment and research productivity were consistently positive; however, some lower 90% credibility intervals included 0. Subject Tests tended to be better predictors than the Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical tests. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

On recruiting graduate students.

"The best estimate is that nearly 1700 students who received baccalaureate degrees in 1957, and 400 graduating previously, began graduate work (half-time or more) in 1957… . Some regions attracted a disproportionate number of students: e.g., California and New York totaled 26% of the entire entering group. In contrast, the 13 Southern states, excluding Texas, enrolled only 16% of the new students." The greatest number of new graduate students came from colleges and universities in New York, California, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Texas. "The Southern states contributed relatively few students." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Issues in the prediction of graduate student success.

Examined data on Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, grade point average (GPA) scores, and scores on the Miller Analogies Test from 78 graduate programs to determine whether the increased selectivity of students proposed by N. Hirschberg and S. Itkin (see record 1979-27229-001) has been accompanied by an increase in the quality of academic credentials. Advanced Psychology GRE scores and GPAs had increased. The need to examine candidate selection procedures and to consider other, career-oriented factors in student selection is emphasized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional ethics for graduate students in psychology.

Results of 2 independent questionnaires concerning the availability of courses on ethics for graduate students in psychology sent to various schools offering graduate work in psychology are combined. "Very few departments offer a course solely on professional ethics in psychology though several expressed plans for one in the future." "Ethics is handled best on a graduate level, in a seminar or colloquium, preferably on a required basis for all students, and definitely so for clinical students." "The APA code of professional ethics and journals are preferred sources of reference." "Professional training in ethics is a recent phenomenon coinciding with the APA research in this area and with the rise of clinical psychology." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ability factors of candidates for graduate school.

An analysis of ability factors that can be used to assess psychology students' potential for graduate work was conducted using data for 352 applicants in 1969 who had provided complete information for 3 Graduate Record Examination (GRE) tests and the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). 17 indexes of ability yielded 4 factors: GRE and MAT scores, research potential, research orientation, and grade point average (GPA). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Faculty and students in departments with graduate programs in psychology.

An analysis of data from a questionnaire sent to institutions offering graduate training in psychology in terms of the number and status of faculty members and students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Reexamination of GRE Scores.

Comments on a recent article by A. R. Marston (see record 1972-11620-001), which discussed the use of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for selection of graduate students. The conclusion that GRE scores as a selection device should be re-examined was supported by data collected with a restriction of range on these scores. There is precious little linear relation between GRE scores and normal criteria for graduate success. Once a person is admitted to graduate school, his/her GRE scores should be burned, never to be used again. This, of course, still leaves the question as to whether GRE scores are an appropriate selection device for graduate students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The graduate research training environment in professional psychology: A multilevel investigation.

Very little program-level research on psychology graduate research training environments (RTEs) exists despite the RTE being a program-level (vs. student-level) construct. In the current study, the authors investigated correlates of programs' RTEs, including characteristics of the students, the faculty, and the programs themselves. Proportional stratified sampling of American Psychological Association-accredited PhD programs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology yielded data from 40 programs. Students and faculty in those programs completed Internet questionnaires, and additional faculty and program characteristics were coded. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses revealed that programs with positive student-rated RTEs had faculty who also viewed the RTE as positive and had satisfying faculty–student relations. These programs also had students with higher levels of research interest and stronger advisory alliances, yet within-program student differences in the RTE explained more variance in these student characteristics than did between-programs differences. This research supports the value of examining the RTE at both the student and program levels, and it suggests that training interventions ought to occur at both levels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Student ratings and instructor-defined extenuating circumstances.

Examined the relationships between student ratings of instructor performance and 7 instructor-defined extenuating circumstances. Data were collected in 195 courses from a total of 3,625 students taught by 138 faculty members. For each extenuating circumstance, mean ratings of the group of faculty who said it applied to their course were compared with mean ratings of the group who said that it did not apply. The only extenuating circumstance that produced a statistically significant difference was "Class is too large to adequately present the material." Findings suggest that this set of instructors' rationalizations for not receiving better evaluations does not really explain them, even though there was a tendency for class ratings to be lower for the groups responding "Yes, the extenuating circumstances did apply to this course." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive processes, anxiety, and performance on doctoral dissertation oral examinations.

In an effort to explore evaluation anxiety in a naturalistic setting, this study examined the relationships among anxiety, thoughts, self-efficacy, and performance of 37 students defending their doctoral dissertations. After the orals, faculty examiners rated each student's performance and level of anxiety. Analyses showed that the state-of-mind ratio (ratio of positive thoughts to positive-plus-negative thoughts) appeared to be a more important contributor to anxiety than did self-inefficacy to control thoughts. Although faculty ratings of anxiety were significantly related to their ratings of performance, S's own reports of anxiety and their thoughts during orals were not predictive of performance. The strongest predictors of orals performance were graduate grade point average (GPA) and committee ratings of the quality of the dissertation and of the student's work in the doctoral program before the dissertation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Educational facilities and financial assistance for graduate students in psychology: 1966-67.

This report is similar to previous ones on educational facilities and financial assistance for graduate students in psychology. Institutions with graduate programs in psychology are listed, with information supplied by the respective departments. There is no evaluation of these programs and no implication of approval of them by the American Psychological Association, except those doctoral programs in clinical psychology and in counseling psychology that are indicated by the phrase, "PhD in clinical and counseling APA-approved." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of the draft on graduate education in psychology.

In mid-fall 1968, the APA in cooperation with all constituent societies of the Scientific Manpower Commission surveyed graduate departments in order to learn the possible effect of the changes in draft regulations. The survey indicated that between 30 and 40% of the full-time male students were draft eligible (Boneau & Gates, 1969). In May 1969, the APA resurveyed the graduate departments in order to determine how many of the students had actually been affected. Approximately 10% of the full-time male students in PhD programs had either entered service or been issued postponed induction orders. The Scientific Manpower Commission, in addition to disseminating information on the effect of the draft, is cooperating with the Defense Department in helping the graduate student draftees in "finding military slots in which they will be able to utilize their scientific and technical training." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Faculty and graduate students in departments with approved doctoral programs.

Data are presented for 46 institutions. "The mean average number of staff members of the departments is 19.7, with a range of 7 to 52." The mean "equivalent of full-time members giving time to graduate instruction and supervision" is 8.14. "A total of 3,583 graduate students is reported… ." The student-staff ratio is 9.9 with a range of 4.3 to 22.5. The number of Ph.D.s granted in 1953-1954 was 517. "The number of graduate students in psychology admitted for the fall of 1954 was 922… ." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Educational facilities and financial assistance for graduate students in psychology: 1959-1960.

This report is similar to previous articles on educational facilities and financial assistance for graduate students in psychology. Institutions with graduate programs in psychology are listed, with information supplied by the respective departments. Schools not returning up-to-date information are not included, for no listing is based on information of previous years. There is no evaluation of these programs and no implication of approval of them by the American Psychological Association, except those doctoral programs in clinical psychology and in counseling psychology that are indicated by the phrase, "PhD in clinical and counseling APA-approved." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What are the ratings rating?

6 objective variables in the public domain were found to predict A. Cartter's ratings of psychology departments: (a) number of areas of specialization (b) number of faculty, (c) number of PhD's graduated between 1960-1964, (d) number of full-time students, (e) number of part-time students, and (f) ratio of part to full-time students. It is suggested that ratings obtained by Cartter may have been contaminated by halo effect related to size rather than based on criteria recommended by him to the raters. Implications for the quality of graduate and undergraduate instruction in psychology are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validity indices for the Heston Personal Adjustment Inventory.

For a sample of 88 female freshmen, scores on the Heston PAI were correlated with ratings (faculty, counselor, dormitory head) on six personality traits named after the Heston scales, and raters were asked to note certain types of behavior considered symptomatic of difficulty in adjustment to college. "The correlations… indicative of association between trait scores and faculty ratings are considerably lower than similar indices reported from other studies cited in the… Manual… . Further, the inventory failed to discriminate between students who seemed to have considerable difficulty adjusting to college and those who did not… one must conclude that the… Inventory is of limited practical value for predicting adjustment to college life." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)