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Exam 1 Study Guide

Terms in this set (23)

What are some benefits of understanding the field of psychological measurement?
-for users of psychological tests in applied behavior science, understanding the field of psychological measurement will help them intercept test results and make decisions
-for behavioral science researchers understanding the field of psychological measurement will help them obtain accurate and precise assessment of the psychological attributes of interest, and interpret research findings accurately and meaningfully
-even fo those who do not plan to pursue careers involving psychological measurement, they may face consequences of psychological testing (either directly or indirectly) at various times in their lives, so understanding that field will help them become a more informed test taker
In communicating test results, how can one assure not only accurate comprehension but also acceptance by a recipient?
One should use well-explained vernal evaluations suited to the recipient's comprehension
How do publishers of tests safeguard security and use of tests?
publishers should restrict access to and use of psychological tests only to qualified users, based on the complexity level of a test and users' qualifications to handle that particular "level" of test
How did Seguin, Binet, Esquirol and Galton contribute to the development of psychological testing?
-Seguin developed educational programs got persons with mental retardation
-Binet invented the first model intelligence test in 1905,w which was used to place children into special education programs suitable to their more limited intellectual prowess
-Esquirol was the first to formalize in writing the difference between mental retardation (lifelong developmental phenomenon) and mental illness (abrupt onset in adulthood); he also develop ed the first classification system in mental retardation; he placed great emphasis on language skills in measuring mental retardation
-Galton is the father of mental testing because of his work in developing practicable measures of individual differences. He set up a psychometric laboratory in London and tested more than 17,000 individuals using various physical and behavioral measures
What was the major limitation of early experimental psychologists of the late 1800s in developing psychological measurement?
Although they made notable contributions to basic principles of measurement, they focused on developing common law of though for the average adult ind and generally had little interest in studying individual differences in psychological attributes
What was the outcome of the following cases?
-1979 Larry P. vs Riles: court ruled that IQ tests were culturally biased against African American children in identifying educable mentally retarded persons in the San Francisco public schools
-1980 Parents in Action on Special Education (PASE) vs. Hannon: Court ruled that IQ tests were not racially to culturally biased and did not unfairly discriminate against African American children in the Chicago public schools
-1994 Crafted vs. Honig: The judge in Larry P vs. Riles case overruled his earlier ruling an allowed the use of IQ test, upon the formal request of the student' parent, in evaluating a learning disability
What is a latent variable?
A latent variable, or hypothetical construct, is theoretical psychological characteristic, attribute, process or state that cannot be directly observed (e.g., knowledge, intelligence, self-esteem, attitudes, hunger, memory, personality traits, depression, attention)
Operational definition
An operational definition is the operation or procedure that his usecd to measure a latent variable (hypothetical construct)
Give some examples of psychological tests
A psychological test is a systematic procedure for comparing the behaviors of people. tests can vary in content, such as achievement tests, aptitude tests, intelligence tests, personality tests, attitude surveys, etc. Tests also vary with regard to the type of response required (open ended tests vs. close ended tests) tests also vary according to the methods used to administer them such as individually administered tests vs. group administered tests, paper and special test vs. phone interview vs. online tests
What is the difference between a norm-referenced and criterion-referenced test?
orm-criterion referenced tests are most often seen in settings in which a decision must be made about a person's skill level. In those settings, a cutoff test score is established as a criterion, and it is used to people into two groups (1) those whose performance exceeds the performance criterion and (2) those whose performance does not . In contrast norm referenced tests are usually used to understand how a person compares with other people. this is done by comparing the person's test score with scores from a reference sample or normative sample that is thought to be representative of some well defined population. By comparing a persons test score with the scores obtained from the people in the normative sample we can tell whether the individual has a higher or lower score than the average person in the relevant population
What is the difference between reflective indicators and formative indicators
Reflective indicators are items in a psychological test that can be seen as indicators of the underlying hypothetical construct being measured. A persons response to such items are caused by. and reflect this persons level of the psychological attribute. For example, responses to items in an intelligence test reflect the respondents intelligence level and these items are reflective indicators.
Formative indicators are items that define or form the construct being measured. these indicators cause the construct. For example the indicators of socioeconomic status such as income, education and occupation are considered as formative indicators because they are in part exactly what define SES
What are some characteristics of speeded tests?
Speeded tests have the following characteristics: (1) they are time limited tests (2) test takers are not expected to complete the entire test in the allotted time (3) they are scored by counting the number of questions answered correctly in the allotted time period (4) it is assumed that there is a high probability that each question will be answered correctly (5) each of the questions on a speeded test should be of comparable difficulty
What are some characteristics of power tests?
power tests have the following characteristics (1) they are not time limited (2) test takers are expected to answer al the test questions (3) they are scored by counting the number of correct answers made of the test (4) it is assumed that not every question will be answered correctly by the majority of test takers (5) test items must range in difficulty so that sores on these tests can be used to discriminate among people with regard to the psychological attribute of the test
What is the field of psychometrics concerned with?
The field of psychometrics is concerned with the principles and procedures fro evaluating the attributes of a psychological measure (ie for understanding whether a test provides information that is reliable meaningful and trustworthy)
Explain the following terms: (a) social desirability, (b) malingering, (c) observer bias
(a) social desirability is a type of participant reactivity, it occurs in search or applied measurement situations when people change their behavior to try to impress the person doing the measurement
(b)malingering is another type of participant reactivity, and it occurs when people change their behavior to convey a poor impression to the person doing the measurement
(c) observer bias occurs when people collecting the behavioral data (observing the behavior scoring a test, etc) bring biases and expectations to their task
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