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