Chapter 6

Question 1

Define the rational-empirical approach to test construction

Answer 1

A way of constructing psychological tests that relies on both reasoning from what is known about a psychological construct to be measured in the test, and collecting and evaluating data about how the test and the items that comprise it actually behave when administered to a sample of respondents

Question 2

Define the empirical approach to test construction

Answer 2

A way of constructing a psychological test that relies on collecting and evaluating data about how each of the items from a pool of items discriminates between groups of respondents who are thought to show or not to show the attribute the test is to measure; also an approach to personality that relates the reports that people make about their characteristic behaviours to their social functioning and thereby provide tools for personality prediction

Question 3

What are the steps involved in test construction?

Answer 3

Specify attributes
Check literature for existing test (end if suitable test available)
Choose a measurement model
Write and edit items
Administer and analyse responses
Select 'best' items for test
Check reliability and validity
Norm
Prepare test manual
Publish test

Question 4

Latent trait involves what strong assumption?

Answer 4

That there is only one dimension underlying the attribute

Question 5

Because more than one person will be involved in the various stages of test construction, the ____ needs to be what?

Answer 5

Test specification; a written one

Question 6

What needs to happen in order to specify the test attribute?

Answer 6

It must include a clear definition of the attribute and the outcome of a literature search that identifies the central theoretical claims about it, and any research findings bearing on it

Question 7

What is the function of the literature search?

Answer 7

To identify if there is already an existing test, the properties of the test, whether it is better to work with an existing test rather than generate a new one, and generally to justify the test development project

Question 8

Psychological tests are developed to measure what?

Answer 8

Psychological attributes

Question 9

What does concatenate mean? What does it mean with regard to physical quantities?

Answer 9

To link together or add together. The addition of numbers and facilitates the use of mathematics to express physical theories

Question 10

With regard to measurement, what was Steven’s view known as, and what did it mean?

Answer 10

Operationism - implies that we cannot really understand something until we can measure it

Question 11

What did Boring define intelligence as?

Answer 11

What intelligence tests measure

Question 12

Operationism gave way to the modern emphasis on what?

Answer 12

Construct validity

Question 13

How did Steven’s argue that it was possible to circumvent the problem of numbers and addition?

Answer 13

By generating 4 categories - nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio

Question 14

What were the two implications of Steven’s classification?

Answer 14

• it fermented a controversy about the appropriate statistical methods to be applied to variables at different levels of measurement
• the use of the classification allowed psychologists to ‘smuggle in’ the idea that most psychological attributes are quantitative

Question 15

What is the type of measurement most likely to be attained in developing a psychological test?

Answer 15

Interval scale

Question 16

What shape did Guttman’s approach to scaling attitudes take?

Answer 16

An inverse Z - the probability of responding in one way is constant at zero until some point on the attribute scale is reached, at which point the probability of responding in the opposite direction becomes 100%

Question 17

What shape did Thurstone’s approach to scaling attitudes take?

Answer 17

A hook - the probability of responding in a particular way increases up to some point on the attribute scale ad then begins to decrease

Question 18

Which ‘curve’ is deemd the most widely used model of item responding?

Answer 18

The ‘S’ shape

Question 19

Classical test theory is sometimes known as what to differentiate it from item response theory (____)?

Answer 19

Weak true score theory; latent trait theory

Question 20

IRT models are ___ complex than CTT models

Answer 20

more

Question 21

IRT approaches promise a better _____, and a means for _____

Answer 21

level of measurement; determining whether this is achieved or only claimed

Question 22

The Rasch model is sometimes referred to as a ____ model, because ____

Answer 22

1PL; it is only concerned with the difficulty parameter of the ICC

Question 23

What is included in the item plan?

Answer 23

• number of items
• types of items
• areas items are to be drawn from

Question 24

In cognitive tests, which type of responding is most common?

Answer 24

Multiple choice

Question 25

In personality tests, which type of responding is most common?

Answer 25

True/false

Question 26

In attitude tests, which type of responding is most common?

Answer 26

Likert scale

Question 27

Which step follows the item writing stage?

Answer 27

Item analysis and selection

Question 28

Which type of analysis is used for item analysis?

Answer 28

Rational-empirical analysis

Question 29

Define item validity

Answer 29

Refers to the correlation between an item and score on an external criterion being used to validate the test

Question 30

What exception is the use of item validity relevant for?

Answer 30

Reducing social desirability

Question 31

Social desirability is what type of bias?

Answer 31

systematic bias

Question 32

When assessing reliability and validity, it is important to collect data using ____ to ensure that ____ are not confounding the conclusions being drawn about the test

Answer 32

independent samples; chance effects

Question 33

What parameters of IRT does the Rasch model specify?

Answer 33

?

Question 34

What is item analysis? What are some of the indices commonly used in item analysis?

Answer 34

the process of studying the behaviour of items when administered to a group of respondents, usually with a view to the selection of some of the items to form a psychological test.
Some common indices are item difficulty, item discrimination, the parameters of the ICC

Question 35

What is the Rasch model?

Answer 35

A model that relates the possibility of response of a particular sort, to the difference between a person’s standing on a latent variable and the difficulty of the item