Multiple Choice - Test Construction

Question 1

The empirical approach to psychological test development
A begins with a sound theory
B relies on the frequency of endorsement of items by selected groups
C continues to be the major approach to the construction of personality tests
D ensures that all items in the test have high face validity

Answer 1

B relies on the frequency of endorsement of items by selected groups

Question 2

2 The first step in constructing a psychological test is to
A determine the sample size to which the test is administered
B review the relevant literature
C identify a likely publisher for the test
D be clear about the construct or constructs to be assessed with the test

Answer 2

D be clear about the construct or constructs to be assessed with the test

Question 3

3 Psychological tests
A conform to the highest possible form of measurement
B seldom achieve more than a statement about rank order in terms of the
characteristic of interest
C provide for a true zero in terms of the characteristic
D invariably specify equal intervals on their measurement scales

Answer 3

B seldom achieve more than a statement about rank order in terms of the
characteristic of interest

Question 4

4 Because 0°C does not represent the complete absence of heat, the Celsius scale
cannot be considered
A a ratio scale
B a reliable scale
C a random scale
D a representative scale

Answer 4

A a ratio scale

Question 5

5 The Mental Measurements Yearbook is
A a catalogue of test reviews
B a classification scheme for mental disorder
C an encyclopaedia of psychometrics
D a handbook of good practice in assessment

Answer 5

A a catalogue of test reviews

Question 6

6 According to S S Stevens, which of the following is not a type of measurement?
A ordinal
B interval
C dichotomous
D nominal

Answer 6

C dichotomous

Question 7

7 The model of measurement that underlies many commercially available psychological
tests is
A the manifest trait model
B the weak true score model
C S S Stevens’s measurement types
D the Guttman model

Answer 7

B the weak true score model

Question 8

8 A trace line for an item relates
A the outline of the item to the specification of the construct
B the inverse of the strength of the trait to item frequency
C the proportion of items correct to the strength of the underlying trait
D the likelihood of endorsement of the item to the strength of the underlying trait

Answer 8

D the likelihood of endorsement of the item to the strength of the underlying trait

Question 9

9 Item Response Theory is a stricter model for test construction than classical true score
theory in that it
A specifies the parameters of the trace line
B requires more of the items in the test to conform to the model
C uses a steeper trace line
D includes classical true score theory as a special case

Answer 9

A specifies the parameters of the trace line

Question 10

14 Multiple choice tests provide more than two options for each question to overcome the
problem of
A faking
B carelessness
C defensiveness
D guessing

Answer 10

D guessing

Question 11

15 An important step in writing items for psychological tests is to
A pilot test the items with individuals similar to those for whom the test is being
developed
B provide translations into other languages
C compare the content with existing psychological tests
D use item writers who are blind to the meaning of the construct being tested

Answer 11

A pilot test the items with individuals similar to those for whom the test is being
developed

Question 12

16 Test construction
A is a linear process with one stage following the other without variation
B is a relatively inexpensive process
C follows a sequence of steps but these steps may need to be retraced from time to
time
D can be done quite quickly using modern computers

Answer 12

C follows a sequence of steps but these steps may need to be retraced from time to
time

Question 13

17 Items with very high or very low endorsement frequencies generally are
A poor items
B good items
C reliable items
D valid items

Answer 13

A poor items

Question 14

18 In preparing a test for publication we need to spend a good deal of time on
A finding a publisher
B preparing a manual for the test user
C deciding on price
D selecting an attractive packaging

Answer 14

B preparing a manual for the test user

Question 15

19 A good manual for a psychological test
A indicates to the unqualified potential user that they should not be using the test
B is comprehensible to the qualified test user
C is precise enough to satisfy measurement specialists
D all of the above

Answer 15

D all of the above

Question 16

20 In norming a test we need to bear in mind
A how we ensure the sample is normally distributed
B how we ensure everyone in the sample is normal
C what we expect the average response to be
D how the test is to be used

Answer 16

D how the test is to be used

Question 17

21 Although it is useful to include norms for different groups from the population we need
to bear in mind that
A increasing the number of groups decreases the overall sample size required
B increasing the number of groups increases the overall sample size required
C increasing the number of groups increases the overall standard deviation
D increasing the number of groups decreases the overall standard deviation

Answer 17

B increasing the number of groups increases the overall sample size required

Question 18

22 The biserial correlation
A is another name for the point biserial correlation
B is a type of product moment correlation
C can be estimated from the item discrimination index
D can be estimated from the item reliability index

Answer 18

C can be estimated from the item discrimination index

Question 19

23 In conducting item analysis in test construction
A the procedure can be repeated with new samples of items until a satisfactory set
has been found
B the procedure should be used once and once only so as not to capitalise on chance
C the procedure can only be repeated using the same set of items
D the procedure cannot be repeated with the same set of items

Answer 19

A the procedure can be repeated with new samples of items until a satisfactory set
has been found

Question 20

24 Systematic bias in a test can occur when
A people respond to non-essential features of items rather than to item content
B peoples’ responses to items varies greatly from one administration of the items to
the next
C some people do not sustain their attention when answering the items
D items are not easy to understand

Answer 20

A people respond to non-essential features of items rather than to item content

Question 21

25 If a person endorses a substantial number of items in the improbable direction (e.g., ‘I
have never told a lie in my life’), we might infer the person is
A a living saint
B trying to create a favourable impression of himself or herself
C a very truthful individual
D not paying attention

Answer 21

B trying to create a favourable impression of himself or herself

Question 22

27 The term ‘social desirability’ when used with respect to construction of a personality
test refers to the fact that
A people differ in their tendency to create a favourable impression of themselves
when answering test items
B people differ in how strongly they are drawn to the company of others
C people differ in how attractive they find social activities
D people differ in terms of their tendency to agree rather than disagree with
personality statements

Answer 22

A people differ in their tendency to create a favourable impression of themselves when answering test items

Question 23

28 In studying the behaviour of items in a psychological test, one of the item statistics
recommended by some experts is item reliability. This is
A the product of the item–total correlation and the variance of the item
B the product of the item–total correlation and the standard deviation of the item
C the product of the square roots of the item–total correlation and item variance
D the product of the item–total correlation and the square root of the item variance

Answer 23

B the product of the item–total correlation and the standard deviation of the item

Question 24

29 The item validity is the
A correlation of the item score with the total score on the test
B correlation of the item with an external criterion measure of the construct being tested
C average correlation of the item with all other items
D correlation of the item with the average score on all other items

Answer 24

B correlation of the item with an external criterion measure of the construct being tested

Question 25

30 The discriminability of an item refers to the capacity of the item to
A separate those that are high and low on the trait of interest
B distinguish between minority and majority groups
C identify those who get the item correct
D identify those who get the difficult items right

Answer 25

A separate those that are high and low on the trait of interest