Psychological Testing: A Practical Introduction, 4th Edition [Rental Edition]

Preface iii

Part 1

1 The World of Psychological Testing 3

Introduction 3

Major Categories of Tests 4

Uses and Users of Tests 8

Major Issues: Assumptions and Questions 10

The Historical Perspective 13

Major Forces 24

By Way of Definition 28

Summary 29

Key Terms 30

Exercises 30

2 Sources of Information About Tests 32

Two Common Problems Requiring Information About Tests 32

A Test’s Introductory Kit 33

Comprehensive Lists of Tests 34

Systematic Reviews 37

Special-Purpose Collections 38

Books About Single Tests 39

Textbooks on Testing 40

Journals 40

Publishers’ Catalogs and Personnel 42

Other Users 42

Strengths and Shortcomings of the Sources 43

Summary 44

Key Terms 44

Exercises 44

3 Test Norms 47

Purpose of Norms 47

Review of Statistics: Part 1 48

The Raw Score 55

The Special Case of Theta (θ) 56

Types of Norms 57

Innovative Ways to Interpret Test Performance 74

Norm Groups 76

Summary 83

Key Terms 84

Exercises 84

4 Reliability 86

Introduction 86

Four Important Distinctions 87

Review of Statistics: Part 2—Correlation and Prediction 88

Major Sources of Unreliability 96

Conceptual Framework: True Score Theory 99

Methods of Determining Reliability 101

Reliability in Item Response Theory 113

Generalizability Theory 114

Factors Affecting Reliability Coefficients 115

How High Should Reliability Be? 115

Summary 116

Key Terms 117

Exercises 117

5 Validity 119

Introduction 119

Content Validity 124

Criterion-Related Validity 129

Decision Theory: Basic Concepts and Terms 141

Construct Validity 145

Consequential Validity 149

Test Bias as Part of Validity 150

The Practical Concerns 151

Summary 152

Key Terms 153

Exercises 153

6 Test Development and Item Analysis 155

Introduction 155

Defining the Test’s Purpose 156

Preliminary Design Issues 157

Origin of New Tests 158

Item Preparation 159

Types of Test Items 160

Item Analysis 169

Standardization and Ancillary Research Programs 183

Preparation of Final Materials and Publication 184

Summary 185

Key Terms 185

Exercises 185

7 Fairness and Bias 187

Fairness: Gaining Perspective 187

Methods of Studying Test Fairness 190

Accommodations and Modifications 197

Summary 200

Key Terms 201

Exercises 201

Part 2

8 Cognitive Abilities: Individual Tests 205

Some Cases 205

Introduction to Cognitive Ability Tests 206

Some Terminology 206

Real-World Correlates of Cognitive Abilities 207

Structure of Cognitive Abilities 208

Uses and Characteristics of Individual Cognitive Ability Tests 211

Typical Items in an Individual Intelligence Test 213

The Wechsler Scales: An Overview 215

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Fourth Edition 216

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Fifth Edition 223

The Stanford-Binet 225

Brief Individually Administered Tests of Mental Ability 227

A Test of a Specific Cognitive Ability: The Wechsler Memory Scale 231

Intellectual Disability 235

Infant and Early Childhood Tests 241

Other Areas for Cognitive Ability Tests 241

Trends in Individually Administered Cognitive Ability Tests 242

Summary 244

Key Terms 244

Exercises 244

9 Cognitive Abilities: Group Tests 246

Some Cases 246

Uses of Group-Administered Cognitive Ability Tests 247

Common Characteristics of Group Cognitive Ability Tests 248

Cognitive Ability Tests in School Testing Programs 250

College Admissions Tests 257

Graduate Record Examinations: General Test 265

Military and Business Selection Tests 269

Culture-Fair Tests of Cognitive Ability 273

Generalizations About Group Cognitive Ability Tests 276

Summary 277

Key Terms 278

Exercises 278

10 Neuropsychological Assessment 279

Case Examples 279

Focus on the Brain: The Road to Clinical Neuropsychology 280

Two Main Approaches to Neuropsychological Assessment 284

Fixed Battery Approach 284

Flexible Battery Approach 287

Supplementary Information 298

Case Examples Revisited 301

Summary 305

Key Terms 305

Exercises 306

11 Achievement Tests 307

Introduction 307

The Ability-Achievement Continuum 308

The Psychologist’s Interface with Achievement Tests 308

A Broad Classification of Achievement Tests 309

A Typical School Testing Program 310

The Accountability Movement and Standards-Based Education 310

Trends in Achievement Testing in the Schools 311

Achievement Batteries 312

Single-Area Achievement Tests 316

Licensing and Certification Tests 318

A Primer on Establishing Cutoff Scores 320

State, National, and International Achievement Tests 321

Individually Administered Achievement Tests 323

Curriculum Based Measures 327

Some Nagging Questions About Achievement Tests 329

Summary 330

Key Terms 331

Exercises 331

12 Objective Personality Tests 333

Introduction 333

The Special Problems of Response Sets and Faking 339

Strategies for Dealing with Response Sets and Faking 340

Major Approaches to Personality Test Development 343

Examples of Comprehensive Inventories 347

Specific Domain Tests 353

Trends in the Development and Use of Objective Personality Tests 357

Summary 358

Key Terms 359

Exercises 359

13 Clinical Instruments and Methods 360

Introduction 360

The Clinical Interview as Assessment Technique 361

Examples of Comprehensive Self-Report Inventories 365

Examples of Specific Domain Tests 380

Behavior Rating Scales 385

Behavioral Assessment 387

Trends in the Development and Use of Clinical Instruments 391

Summary 392

Key Terms 392

Exercises 393

14 Projective Techniques 394

General Characteristics of Projective Techniques and the Projective Hypothesis 394

Uses of Projective Techniques 395

The Rorschach Inkblot Test 398

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) 406

Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank (RISB) 408

Human Figure Drawings 411

The Future of Projective Techniques 413

Summary 415

Key Terms 415

Exercises 415

15 Interests and Attitudes 417

Introduction 417

Orientation to Career Interest Testing 418

Strong Interest Inventory 422

Kuder Career Interests Assessments 427

Self-Directed Search (SDS) 428

Some Generalizations About Career Interest Measures 431

Attitude Measures 432

Summary 437

Key Terms 438

Exercises 438

16 Ethical and Legal Issues 439

Ethics versus Law 439

Ethical Issues 440

Generalizations About Ethical Use of Tests 444

Legal Issues 447

Illustrative Court Cases 456

Forensic Application of Tests 461

Some Generalizations About the Interface of Testing and the Law 463

Summary 464

Key Terms 465

Exercises 465

Appendix A. Test Reviewing and Selection 467

Appendix B. How to Build a (Simple) Test 473

Appendix C. Contact Information for Major Test Publishers 479

Appendix D. Sample Data Sets 480

Appendix E. Answers to Selected Exercises 481

Glossary 485

References 501

Name Index 523

Subject Index 529