Pedagogical-Psychological Diagnostics

Flashcards covering the fundamental concepts, history, statistics, and methodology of pedagogical-psychological diagnostics based on the lecture notes.

Diagnostics (Etymology)

Derived from the Greek words for “to get to know exactly,” “to decide,” and “to resolve.”

Pedagogical-Psychological Diagnostics

The rule-guided collection and processing of data with the aim of making decisions and reviewing the consequences of those decisions in educational-psychological contexts.

Interindividual comparison

The evaluation of behavior by comparing it with the behavior of other persons.

Intraindividual comparison

The evaluation of behavior by comparing it with the behavior of the same person in different contexts or from different perspectives.

Naturalistic Fallacy

The error in reasoning where one concludes how things “should” be based solely on how things “are.”

Real Norms

Normative attributions secured via statistical-empirical arguments; for example, defining deviance as something that occurs rarely in the reference group average.

Ideal Norms

A purpose-rational justification scheme where a goal (a “behavioral ideal”) is justified through evidence-based indications of expected consequences.

Arithmetic Mean ($\bar{x}$)

The most common measure of central tendency for metric data, calculated by dividing the sum of all values by the count of all values.

Variance ($s^2$)

A measure of deviation calculated as the sum of squared deviations of all measured values from the arithmetic mean, divided by the total number of values.

Standard Deviation ($s$)

The square root of the variance ($s = \text{variance}^{1/2}$).

Correlation Coefficient ($r$)

A number between $-1$ and $+1$ describing the closeness of a linear relationship between two variables; $+1$ is perfectly positive, $0$ is no relationship, and $-1$ is perfectly negative.

Intelligence (Stern, 1935)

“The ability to adjust oneself to new demands by using thinking means appropriately.”

Potential vs. Performanz

The distinction that talent or aptitude represents the possibility for achievement (potential), whereas performance is the actual achievement realized.

Intelligenzquotient (Stern's original formula)

A measure of cognitive performance calculated as $IQ = 100 \times \frac{IA}{LA}$, where $IA$ is the mental age and $LA$ is the chronological age.

Deviation IQ (Wechsler, 1939)

A normalized score within an age group calculated as $IQ = 100 + 15 \times z$, where $z = \frac{x - MW}{s}$.

Two-Factor Theory (Spearman)

The theory that all cognitive performance is based on the interaction between a general mental potential ($g$-factor) and task-specific abilities ($s$-factors).

Primary Mental Abilities (Thurstone)

A theory identifying seven independent factors of intelligence: verbal comprehension, word fluency, number, space, memory, perceptual speed, and reasoning.

Fluid Intelligence ($Cattell$)

An experience-independent substrate of cognitive potential.

Crystalline Intelligence ($Cattell$)

The portion of cognitive ability formed by learning experiences and knowledge.

Base Rate ($BR$)

The actual prevalence of a specific trait in the population, calculated as $BR = \frac{\text{number of suitable applicants}}{\text{total number of applicants}}$.

Selection Rate ($SR$)

The relative demand or supply capacity, calculated as $SR = \frac{\text{number of open positions}}{\text{total number of applicants}}$.

Summative Evaluation

A summary assessment of the effectiveness of a completed intervention.

Formative Evaluation

An assessment designed to allow for the modification or improvement of an ongoing measure based on regularly collected interim results.

Split-Plot Design

A frequent evaluation design using an intervention group ($EG$) and a control group ($KG$) with measurements at multiple times ($Pre-test, Post-test, Follow-Up$).

Psychological Test

A standardized testing procedure used to record behavioral characteristics that serve as indicators for personal traits, allowing the test-taker to be classified within a group.

Measurement (Messen)

The assignment of numbers to objects or events such that the assignment is a homomorphic mapping of an empirical relative into a numerical relative.

Objectivity

The independence of a test from the person administering it, including administration, scoring, and interpretation objectivity.

Reliability ($r_{tt}$)

The measurement accuracy or formal exactness of trait recording, expressed as the ratio of true variance to total observed variance ($r_{tt} = \frac{Var(T)}{Var(X)}$).

Cronbach's $\alpha$

An indicator of internal consistency where each individual item is treated as its own test; widely used as a reliability estimate.

Validity

The degree to which a procedure actually captures what it claims to measure; including content, criterion, and construct validity.

Item Difficulty Index ($p$)

The relative frequency of “correct” answers in a sample; for dichotomous items, $p = \frac{N_R}{N}$.

Discrimination Coefficient ($r_{it}$)

An index showing how well a single item represents the total result of a test, usually calculated via part-whole correlation.

Rasch Model

A model of Item-Response Theory that uses a logistic function to describe the relationship between person traits, item difficulty, and solution probability.

Adaptive Testing

A testing method where the answer to a previous item determines which item is presented next to optimize economy and quality.

Transference (Übertragung)

A psychoanalytic concept where previous psychic experiences and fantasies are revived as current relationships toward the diagnostician.

Halo Effect

A cognitive bias where a single central trait dimension dominates the overall impression formed of a person.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to pay more attention to data that confirms one's own hypotheses or expectations (linked to the primary effect and self-fulfilling prophecies).

Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect ($BFLPE$)

The phenomenon where students in high-achieving classes are often graded more harshly than those in low-achieving classes for the same level of performance.

Hodgepodge Grading (Brookhart)

A term for grades that mix achievement with non-achievement factors like effort, diligence, and attitude.

Portfolio

A targeted collection of student work showing effort, progress, and results, which includes the student's own content selection and self-reflection.