Download chapter 13: psychological testing

Reliability: ability of a
test to give the same
results under similar
conditions
 3 ways to determine:
 1) Retesting: approx.
score must be
maintained
 2) test yields same
results from various
people
 3) Split-half: divide test
items in half and score
each separately
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Validity: ability of a
test to measure what
it is intended to
measure
Best way to measure
validity: predictive
validity (finding out
afterwards)
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Tests that are
administered and
graded in the same
way
Must est. a norm
(avg score) made by
a large group
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Percentile system:
ranking of test scores
that indicates the
ratio of scores lower
and higher than a
given score
Norms: standard of
comparison for test
results developed by
giving the test to a
large, well-defined
group of people
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Def: the ability to
acquire new ideas
and new behavior,
and to adapt to new
situations
Varying views…
Charles Spearman
 2 factors contribute to
intelligence
 1) g—general
intelligence (complex
mental work)
 2) s—specific mental
abilities (verbal/math)
 Critics: g does not
measure other mental
abilities
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L.L. Thurstone
Opposed 2-factor
theory
Proposed 7 primary
mental abilities
Verbal
comprehension,
numerical ability,
spatial relations,
perceptual speed,
word fluency, memory,
inductive reasoning
Howard Gardner
 8 types of intelligence
 Verbal,
logical/mathematic,
spatial, musical, bodykinesthetic,
interpersonal,
intrapersonal,
naturalist
 Critics: most of these
are skills, not
intelligences
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Robert Sternberg
 Triarchic Theory:
intelligence can be
divided into 3 ways of
processing info
 1)Analytical—problem
solving
 2)Creative—dealing
with new things
 3)Practical—adjusting
and coping with
environment
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Includes 4 major
aspects of
intra/interpersonal
intelligences
1)accurately and
appropriately
perceive and
express emotions
2) Uses emotions
while thinking
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3) Understand
emotions and use
the knowledge
effectively
4) Regulate one’s
emotions to promote
personal growth
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Groups test items by
age level
Standardized
Intelligence Quotient
(IQ): standardized
measure of
intelligence based on
a scale in which 90-109
is average
Otis-Lennon Ability
Test: measures
cognitive abilities
related to school
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Wechsler Adult
Intelligence Scale
(WAIS-R)
Wechsler
Intelligence Scale for
Children (WISC-III)—
6-16 yr olds
Wechsler Preschool
and Primary Scales
of Intelligences
(WPPSI-R)—4-7 yr olds
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Identical twins have
similar IQs
Those raised in the
same environment
have similar IQs
Both heredity and
environment impact
intelligence

Def: an aspect of an
intelligence test in
which wording in
questions may be
more familiar to
people of one social
group than to
another group
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Def: estimates the
probability that a person
will be successful in
learning a specific new skill
Assessed with predictive
validity
General Aptitude Test
Battery (GATB): most widely
used---9 different tests
ranging from vocabulary to
manual dexterity
SAT and ACT (American
College Test): predict
student’s success in college
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Def: measures how
much a person has
learned in a given
subject area
Assessed with
content validity
Adaptive testing:
computer testing
that responds to your
performance
Def: measure of a
person’s preferences
and attitudes in a
wide variety of
activities to identify
areas of likely success
 Answer patterns will
correspond with
occupations
 Kuder Preference
Record and the
Campbell Interest and
Skill Survey
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Def: assesses an
individual’s
characteristics and
identifies problems
Some are objective
and some are
projective
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Def: a limited-orforced-choice test in
which a person must
select one of several
answers
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Minnesota Multiphasic
Personality Inventory
Current version: MMPI-2
No right or wrong
answers
10 clinical scales
Answers reveal habits,
fears, delusions, sexual
attitudes, and symptoms
of psych disorders
Best for diagnosing
psych disorders
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California
Psychological
Inventory
Measures traits like
responsibility, selfcontrol, and
tolerance
Used to assess the
“normal” person
Does NOT reveal
psychiatric illnesses
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Focuses on how we take
in info, make decisions,
and approach day-today tasks
4 scales:
1) Extraversion v.
Introversion
2) Intuition v. Sensing
3) Feeling v. Thinking
4) Judging v. Perceiving
Personality is a
combination of these
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Def: an unstructured
test in which a
person is asked to
respond freely,
giving his/her own
interpretation of
various ambiguous
stimuli
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Best known and most
widely discussed
Hermann Rorschach
(1921)
Theory: A person’s
response will reveal
an aspect of that
person’s personality
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Thematic
Apperception Test
Developed by Henry
Murray (1943)
Participants are asked
to tell a story about a
picture (20 pictures
total)
Used to assess
motivation and
personality
characteristics