Chapter 9

Question 1

Major Uses of Group Administered Tests

Answer 1

• Predicting success in future schooling
• Job selection/placement in business and military settings
• Research in the social or behavioral sciences

Question 2

8 Common Characteristics of Group Administered Tests

Answer 2

• Given to large groups
• Content similar to individual tests
• Multiple choice, machine scored
• Fixed time limit and number of items
• Bimodal distribution of administration times (45 to 60 minutes or 2.5 to 3.5 hours)
• Total score plus several subscores
• Normative samples are very large (200K to 400K)
• Principle purpose is prediction

Question 3

OLSAT8

Answer 3

• Created by Arthur Otis
• Otis-Lennon School Ability Test
• Measures verbal quantitative and figural reasoning skills most related to scholastic achievement
• Jointly normed with the Stanford Achievement Test

Question 4

OLSAT8 Structure

Answer 4

• 7 levels (A through G)
• School grade and age determine selection of level
• Time of about one hour
• Test levels overlap in their coverage to assess students who are of lower and greater ability within a level

Question 5

OLSAT8 Framework

Answer 5

• Adopts Vernon’s Hierarchical Model
• Specific factors > minor group factors > 2 major factors
• Measures the v:ed portion of the model
• Clusters of items including verbal comprehension, verbal reasoning, pictorial reasoning, figural reasoning, and quantitative reasoning

Question 6

OLSAT8 Scores

Answer 6

• Total score, verbal subscore, and nonverbal subscore
• All converted to School Ability Index (SAI)
• Mean = 100
• SD = 16
• Ages grouped from 5 to 19 separated into three month intervals

Question 7

Anticipated Achievement Comparisons (AACs)

Answer 7

OLSAT8 is used to predict performance on the Stanford Achievement Test

Question 8

OLSAT8 Norms

Answer 8

• Derived empirically for grades K-12
• Stratified by SES, geographical region, and ethnicity
• Fall and spring periods within each grade

Question 9

Two Cautions of OLSAT8 Norms

Answer 9

• Do not know percentage of students excluded from normative testing
• Know little about motivational level of students in the norming program

Question 10

Culture-Fair Tests

Answer 10

• Aim to create a test that is equally fair to individuals from different cultural backgrounds
• Example: Raven’s Progressive Matrices
• Good nonverbal measure of ‘g’
• Each item: pattern with a part missing, examinee selects the option that completes the pattern

Question 11

Culture-Fair Test Generalizations

Answer 11

• Not measuring general intelligence the same as other tests (mainly figural, spatial items)
• Predictive validity is less than verbal tests for school and job settings
• Still have group differences

Question 12

Six Generalizations of Group Administered Mental Ability Tests

Answer 12

• Same content as individual intelligence tests (vocabulary, reading, verbal relations, quantitative, and spatial)
• Reliability (total scores are very reliable, but sub-scores are less reliable)
• Predictive validity (0.3 to 0.6 range)
• Differential validity (generally poor because various combinations of subtests to not yield validity coefficients with higher than those obtained with total scores)
• Two special statistical issues (range restrictions and imperfect reliability in the criterion)
• Culture-free tests (elusive so far)