Chapter 8 Psychological Tests and Measurement Scales

Question 1

Likert

Answer 1

Scale using a response format where respondents select responses to an item from an ordered range and a ranked score is given to the response

Question 2

Semantic differential

Answer 2

Scale measuring meaning of an object for the respondent by having them place it between the extremes of several bi-polar adjectives

Question 3

Thurstone

Answer 3

Scale in which raters assess the relative strength of each item and respondents agreeing with that item receive the average ‘scale value’ for it

Question 4

Visual analogue

Answer 4

Scale where respondents mark their position on a line between two polar opposites and the distance of their make from one extreme is measured and becomes a score

Question 5

Diagnostic item

Answer 5

Scale item not obviously or directly connected to the attitude objects, yet which correlates well with overall scores and therefore has discriminatory power and predictive power

Question 6

Discriminatory power

Answer 6

Extent to which an item, or the test as a whole, separates people along the scoring dimension

Question 7

Disguise

Answer 7

Feature of questioning approach that keeps respondents ignorant of the aims of the questioning

Question 8

Factor analysis

Answer 8

Statistical technique, using patterns of test or sub-test correlations, that provides support for theoretical constructs by locating correlational ‘clusters’ and identifying explanatory factors

Question 9

Psychometric test

Answer 9

Test the attempts to quantify through measurement psychological constructs such as skills, abilities, character etc.

Question 10

Psychometrist/psychometrician

Answer 10

Person who creates and is a specialist with psychometric tests

Question 11

Psychometry

Answer 11

The technology of test creation for the quantification of psychological constructs

Question 12

Reliability

Answer 12

Consistency of a psychological scale

Question 13

Cronbach’s alpha

Answer 13

A measure of scale reliability using the variance of respondents’ scores on each item in relation to the overall variance on the scale

Question 14

Item analysis

Answer 14

Checking each item in a scale by comparing its relationship with total scores on the scale

Question 15

Kuder-Richardson

Answer 15

A special form of Cronbach’s alpha performed on a test with dichotomous items

Question 16

Split-half

Answer 16

Correlation between scores on two equal parts of a test

Question 17

External

Answer 17

Consistency of a test with itself when administered more than once

Question 18

Test-retest

Answer 18

Testing of the same group of respondents twice on separate occasions in order to estimate external reliability

Question 19

Internal

Answer 19

Consistency between the items of a scale or test. Tendency for people to score at the same strength on similar items.

Question 20

Response (acquiescence) set

Answer 20

Tendency for people to agree with test items as a habitual response

Question 21

Scale value

Answer 21

On a Thurstone scale, the average of judges’ ratings of an item; respondent is given this score if they agree with it

Question 22

Spearman-Brown correlation

Answer 22

In split-half reliability testing, provides an estimate of the true split-half reliability value from the correlation between two test halves, recognising that the raw split-half correlation is based on a set of items only half the length of the actual scale

Question 23

Standardisation

Answer 23

Setting up of measurement norms for the populations for whom a psychometric test is intended

Question 24

Test norms

Answer 24

Test statistics for known and identifiable groups who have taken the test. These can be used to make a fair comparison for individual test takers.

Question 25

Validity

Answer 25

Extent to which a test measures the construct that is was intended to measure

Question 26

Concurrent validity

Answer 26

Extent to which test results conform with those on another test assumed to measure the same construct and taken at the same time

Question 27

Construct validity

Answer 27

Extent to which the existence of a construct is established through an interlinked set of diverse research findings. The theoretical establishment of a psychological construct through concerted and logically related psychological research.

Question 28

Content validity

Answer 28

Extent to which test covers the whole of the relevant topic area, as assessed by experts

Question 29

Criterion validity

Answer 29

Extent to which test scores can predict phenomena such as difference between groups

Question 30

Face validity

Answer 30

Extent to which the purpose of a test is self-evident

Question 31

Known groups

Answer 31

Test of criterion validity involving groups between whom scores on the test should differ

Question 32

Predictive validity

Answer 32

Extent to which test scores can be used to make a specific prediction on some other variable