Prelim Prep Flashcards
What is the difference between testing and assessment?
- Assessment: gathering and integrating data for purpose of making an evaluation
- Testing: process of measuring variables through procedures designed to obtain a sample of behavior
What are the steps from start to finish of an assessment?
Referral, information gathering, meet with client, score report, give feedback
Name and describe several different types of assessments.
What are some factors for consideration when defining constructs like happiness or anxiety?
What questions should we ask when we are wondering if a test is useful?
?
What are some of the tools of psychological assessment?
2
What are some of the ways in which tests can be presented?
What are some advantages and disadvantages of using portfolios?
What can be learned during a clinical interview and behavioral observations?
What are role play tests and when would they be used?
How can virtual reality be used in evaluations?
Why are tests administered in a standardized way?
What are some variables to consider that might affect how someone performs on a test?
3
What are some of the settings where tests are administered?
What is rapport? How is it established? Why is it important in the assessment process?
What are some examples of alternative assessment?
What are some educational policies that affect assessment in schools?
What is the truth-in-testing legislation and what privileges did it grant?
Gave test takers way to learn criteria by which they were being judged, answers made public in 30 days, people have to be informed of a test’s purpose and subject matter, disclose knowledge and skills test purports to measure, procedures for accurate scoring, notifying test takers of scoring errors, ensuring confidentiality
Who can purchase tests and use them?
What are some limits of confidentiality in testing/therapy?
4
When can deception be used in psychological research?
What are the rights of test takers?
Who can purchase/use psychological tests?
What are some considerations when using computerized testing?
What is the Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education?
Outlines obligation of professionals in terms of standards for educational test developers in four areas:
- Developing and selecting tests
- Interpreting scores
- Striving for fairness
- Informing test takers
What is the role of bias in psychological assessment?
5
What are culture-free tests and some examples of their characteristics?
Stimuli easily understood by all, more diverse norm groups, not just individualist values
Name and describe the four different types of scales.
Nominal- categorical, yes/no, Distinct Categories
Ordinal- ranking, never/sometimes/always, Ordered Categories
Interval- differences are meaningful, but not equal, no zero point, IQ, Meaningful Distances
Ratio- differences are exactly the same, true zero point, Absolute Zero
Know these terms: distribution, frequency distribution
Distribution- set of test scores arranged
Frequency distribution- All scores listed alongside number of times each score occurs
Name and describe the three measures of central tendency. Why would you use median vs mean?
Use median when relatively few scores hall at high or low end
What are some measures of variability and why are they useful?
Range, IQR, SD, describes amount of variation in a distribution
Understand skewness and what you can learn about data with that knowledge.
Measures symmetry, could tell too difficult/easy
What is kurtosis?
Steepness of distribution at center
What is the normal curve and how does knowing a standard score help you understand more about your score on a test?
Simplifies interpretation, can just know if you are above/below average and how much
What are some types of standard scores? Understand a person’s standing on a test by knowing these scores.
Z: mean 0 SD 1
T: mean 50 SD 10
What is a correlation coefficient? Pearson r? Coefficient of determination?
Correlation coefficient: tells strength of relationship, -1 to 1
Pearson r: represents strength of relationship when linear and continuous variables
Coefficient of determination: square CC, how much variance accounted for/shared by variables, rest is error
What is a meta-analysis and why is it useful?
Replicable, more reliable and precise conclusions, more focus on effect size not just significance, evidence-based practice
What are the assumptions of psychological testing discussed in the book and in class?
- Psych traits and states exist
- These can be quantified and measured
- Test related behavior predicts non test related behavior
- Tests and other measurement techniques have strengths and weaknesses
- Various sources of error are part of the assessment process
- Testing and assessment can be conducted in a fair and unbiased manner
- Testing and assessment benefit society
What are some of the qualities that make up a good test?
What is error variance? Reliability? Validity?
EV: component of test score attributable to sources other than what is being measured
Reliability- consistently measures things the same way
Validity- measures what it’s trying to
How are tests normed?
What are some different norms used to report data?
What is reliability? How does true variance and error variance inform it?
8
Reliability- consistency in measurement, the proportion of variance that is attributed to true variance alone and NOT error variance, the greater the proportion of the total variance (CHECK) attributed to true variance, the more reliable the test
What are different sources of error in test construction and item sampling?
- Item sampling (MEANS?)
- Content sampling (?)
- Item wording
- Item inclusion
- Test administration: environment, test taker variables, examiner variables
- Test scoring and interpretation (?)
What is test/retest reliability?
Correlation between pairs of scores from the same people on two different administrations, if characteristic is stable the coeff should be high, low if unstable
Coefficient of stability??
What are parallel and alternate forms of a test?
Parallel forms of a test- means and variances of two forms of tests are equal
Alternate forms- different versions of a test constructed so as to be parallel
?
What is split-half reliability and how do you estimate it?
Internal consistency of test, correlate two pairs of scores obtained for equivalent halves of a single test administered once, divide test into two equivalent halves, compute pearson r between scores on each half, adjust using spearman brown formula
