Psychometrics Exam 1 content

Psychometrics

Field measuring psychological attributes quantitatively.

Validity

Extent to which a test measures what it claims.

Reliability

Consistency of test results over time.

Alfred Binet

Pioneer in intelligence testing, developed Binet-Simon scale.

Binet-Simon Scale

First intelligence test assessing mental age.

Mental Age

Age at which a child performs intellectually.

(Terman) Binet Intelligence Scale

Extended age norms, added, & revised items

IQ Formula

IQ = (Mental Age / Chronological Age) x 100.

WAIS/WISC

Tests measuring adult/child intelligence and cognitive abilities.

Versimilitude

Similarity btwn the task demands of the test & the demands imposed in everyday environment

Veridicality

Extent to which results on an assessment instrument are related to scores on others

Ellis Island

Psych testing used for immigration process, late 19th-early 20th century (administered in English)

Psychology

Describe, explain, predict behavior

Psych Test

Measure behavior(s) to make inferences about constructs

Assessment

Multimodal; combine various measurement methods including tests, etc. to gather conceptual understanding

Measurement

Process of all quantifying constructs that may or may not include formal testing

Test

Standardized method of a measurement to evaluate skill ( 1 tool in assessment)

Behavior Observation Test

No single defined task; participant may not know they're being observed

Self report test

Questionnaire

Standardized Test

Test administered and scored uniformly across individuals.

Objective Test

Test with predetermined answers and clear tasks.

Projective Test

Test allowing ambiguous responses to reveal personality.

Acheivement

Previous learning in specific category

Aptitude

Potential for learning/ability (EX: How would you?)

Intelligence

Measure wide range of general cog. abilities (EX: How do you?)

Behavior

Observable and measurable action

Construct

Underlying attribute thought to influence behavior.

Inference

Using evidence to reach conclusion

Individual Decision

Test takers use their test scores to make decisions about themselves

Institutional Decision

Decision made by another entity about an individual

Comparative Decision

Made by comparing the test scores of a number of people to see who has the best score

Absolute Decision

Made by others (institutions) by looking at who has the minimum score needed to qualify

Cultural Bias

Test bias favoring one cultural group over another (Army Alpha Test/Robert Williams)

Test Publisher Responsibilities

Test security, test user qualifications

Test User Responsibilities

Determine needs for psych testing, administer, select test to use, scores, interpret

Test Taker Responsibilities

Understand & accept consequences of (not) taking test, carefully attend to instruction, represent self honestly, request accommodations if needed

Test Taker Rights

Receive explanation prior to test about purpose, be informed of rights/responsibilities, treated w/ respect, tested by measures w/ professional standard, knows when administered/scored, or of fees

Nominal Scale

Categorical scale w/o inherent order or ranking. (frequency, mode, chi-square)

Ordinal Scale

Ranked scale indicating order but not magnitude. (frequency, mode, median, percentage, correlation)

Interval Scale

Scale with equal intervals but no true zero (Likert Scale; frequency, mode, median, mean, standard dev., correlation, t-test, f-test)

Ratio Scale

Scale with all properties of interval plus true zero.

Preparing Psych Test/Survey

1. identify the objectives, 2. operationalize objectives, 3. construct a plan, 4. select the type of survey, & 5. writing survey items/questions

Good Items

Purposeful & straight forward, unambiguous & use correct syntax, have appropriate rating scale & response options, include appropriate categorical alternative, should only ask 1 question, and should not require reverse coding

Central Tendency

Used to determine a single score that defines the center of distribution

Raw Score

Provides little info on its own; natural units

Norm Score

A score in a pop. or group representative of a pop. compared to individual

Frequency Distribution

An orderly arrangement of a group of numbers

Class Intervals

A way to group raw scores for distribution

Histogram

Bar graph used to represent frequency data in statistics

Stem & Leaf Display

Special table to illustrate distribution count & shape

Kurtosis

Measure of whether the data in the distribution are heavy/light tailed

Variability

Provides objective/quantitative measure of the degree to which scores in a distribution are spread out or clustered together

Range

Highest minus lowest score

Interquartile Range

Range covered by the middle 50% of the distribution

Variance

A function of the mean and sample size

Standard Deviation

Square root of variance

Mean

Average

Frequency

How many

Mode

Most selected

Median

Middle number

Chi-Square

Compares frequencies

Ttest

Compares mean

Ftest

Compares variance