Chapter 6 Flashcards
Define the rational-empirical approach to test construction
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
Define the empirical approach to test construction
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
What are the steps involved in test construction?
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
Latent trait involves what strong assumption?
That there is only one dimension underlying the attribute
Because more than one person will be involved in the various stages of test construction, the ____ needs to be what?
Test specification; a written one
What needs to happen in order to specify the test attribute?
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
What is the function of the literature search?
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
Psychological tests are developed to measure what?
Psychological attributes
What does concatenate mean? What does it mean with regard to physical quantities?
To link together or add together. The addition of numbers and facilitates the use of mathematics to express physical theories
With regard to measurement, what was Steven’s view known as, and what did it mean?
Operationism - implies that we cannot really understand something until we can measure it
What did Boring define intelligence as?
What intelligence tests measure
Operationism gave way to the modern emphasis on what?
Construct validity
How did Steven’s argue that it was possible to circumvent the problem of numbers and addition?
By generating 4 categories - nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio
What were the two implications of Steven’s classification?
- 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
What is the type of measurement most likely to be attained in developing a psychological test?
Interval scale
What shape did Guttman’s approach to scaling attitudes take?
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%
What shape did Thurstone’s approach to scaling attitudes take?
A hook - the probability of responding in a particular way increases up to some point on the attribute scale ad then begins to decrease
Which ‘curve’ is deemd the most widely used model of item responding?
The ‘S’ shape
Classical test theory is sometimes known as what to differentiate it from item response theory (____)?
Weak true score theory; latent trait theory
IRT models are ___ complex than CTT models
more
IRT approaches promise a better _____, and a means for _____
level of measurement; determining whether this is achieved or only claimed
The Rasch model is sometimes referred to as a ____ model, because ____
1PL; it is only concerned with the difficulty parameter of the ICC
What is included in the item plan?
- number of items
- types of items
- areas items are to be drawn from
In cognitive tests, which type of responding is most common?
Multiple choice
In personality tests, which type of responding is most common?
True/false
In attitude tests, which type of responding is most common?
Likert scale
Which step follows the item writing stage?
Item analysis and selection
Which type of analysis is used for item analysis?
Rational-empirical analysis
Define item validity
Refers to the correlation between an item and score on an external criterion being used to validate the test
What exception is the use of item validity relevant for?
Reducing social desirability
Social desirability is what type of bias?
systematic bias
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
independent samples; chance effects
What parameters of IRT does the Rasch model specify?
?
What is item analysis? What are some of the indices commonly used in item analysis?
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
What is the Rasch model?
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
