2.1 Test Construction & Test Tryout

Paired Comparison, Rank Order, Constant Sum, & Q-Sort Technique

Types of Comparative Scaling

Paired Comparison

Type of comparative scaling that produces ordinal data by presenting pairs of two stimuli to compare

Rank Order

Type of comparative scaling where respondents are presented with several items simultaneously and are asked to rank in order or priority

Constant Sum

Type of comparative scaling where respondents are asked to allocate a constant sum of units, such as points, among set of stimulus objects with respect to some criterion

Q-Sort Technique

Type of comparative scaling where respondents are asked to sort objects based on similarity with respect to some criterion

Continuous Rating, Itemized Rating, Likert Scale, Visual Analogue Scale, Semantic Differential Scale, Stapel Scale, Summative Scale, Thurstone Scale, & Ipsative Scale

Types of Non-Comparative Scaling

Continuous Rating

Type of non-comparative scale where respondents are asked to rate objects by placing a mark at the appropriate position on a continuous line that runs from one extreme of the criterion variable to the other

Itemized Rating

Type of non-comparative scale that has numbers or brief descriptions associated with each category

Likert Scale

Type of non-comparative scale where respondents indicate how strongly they agree or disagree with carefully worded statements that range from very positive to very negative

Visual Analogue Scale

Type of non-comparative scale that has a 100-mm line that allows subjects to express the magnitude of an experience or belief

Semantic Differential Scale

Type of non-comparative scale that measures an individual’s attitudes or emotional reactions to a concept or object by using a series of bipolar adjectives or phrases

Stapel Scale Type of non-comparative scale that uses a numerical scale, typically presented vertically, with a single adjective in the middle to measure respondents' attitudes or opinions about a specific subject

Thurstone Scale

Type of non-comparative scale that uses a set of statements about a topic, with each statement assigned a numerical value reflecting the respondent’s attitude towards it

Ipsative Scale

Type of non-comparative scale where respondents distribute a fixed number of points across different attributes, highlighting their relative strengths and weaknesses within themselves

Class Scoring (Category Scoring), Cumulative Model, & Ipsative Scoring

Ways of Scoring Items

Class Scoring (Category Scoring)

Scoring where test taker responses earn credit toward placement in a particular class or category with other test takers whose pattern or responses is presumably similar in one way

Cumulative Model

The higher the score on the test, the higher the test taker is on the ability, trait, or other characteristic that the test purports to measure

Ipsative Scoring

Comparing a test taker’s score on one scale with a test to another scale within that same test

Test Tryout

Stage of test development where the test is administered to a representative sample of test takers under conditions that stimulate the conditions of the final test administration

No fewer than 5-10 subjects per item

Informal rule of thumb when it comes to test tryouts

Phantom Factors

Factors that actually are just artifacts of the small sample size

Good Item

Reliable, valid, and can answered by the test taker correctly by high scores on the test as a whole

Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA)

A neurological disorder characterized by frequent and involuntary outbursts of laughing or crying that may or may not be appropriate to the situation