Psychometrics

Question 1

What is psychometrics?

Answer 1

Branch of psychology that deals with the design, administration and interpretation of quantitative tests for the measurement of psychological variables (intelligence, personality etc)

Question 2

What are the different ways in which a test score in psychometrics can be interpreted

Answer 2

• cut off of scores: passing or not reaching the cut off score
• can be tested repeatedly to see if there is a change in scores
• can be compared to many others to see if they are average, above average etc

Question 3

What is a norm in psychometrics?

Answer 3

refer to the performances by defined groups on particular tests

Question 4

What does it mean to standardise a test?

Answer 4

The process of administering a test to a representative sample for the purpose of establishing norms

Question 5

What are age norms

Answer 5

Average performance of different samples of testtakers who were at various ages at the time of testing

Question 6

What are grade (educational) norms?

Answer 6

Average performance of a person who has completed a specific level of education

Question 7

What is a subgroup norm

Answer 7

Derived from groups of people identified by specific factors

Eg. Differences in ethnic groups

Question 8

What are some things to think about when testing

Answer 8

Is the test appropriate
Is it a good test
Are you using it appropriately
Is the person administering it appropriately
Are they qualified or trained
Is it ethical
Have all details been appropriately recorded and have the results been clearly explain to the person

Question 9

What does being culturally fair mean

Answer 9

No systematic differences in the way people from different cultures interpret the test

there might be a different typical score for people of a given culture So it is Important to gather normative data from different cultures

Question 10

What are the steps in creating a test or questionnaire

Answer 10

Defining the test

Selecting a scaling method

Constructing the items

Testing the items

Revising the test

Publishing the test

Question 11

What kind of things are included with defining the test

Answer 11

Using existing theory as a guide where is possible

Need to develop clear ideas of the attributes

The development is time consuming and costly so it is good to check if there has been one developed already

Question 12

Kaufman and Kaufman model of test definition process?

Answer 12

Measure attribute/construct from a strong theoretical and research basis

Must have the capacity to distinguish between different attributes

Yield scores that are translatable to an intervention

Include novel tasks or questions

Be easy to administer and objective to score

Be sensitive to the diverse needs of the groups being assessed

Question 13

What is categorical data

Answer 13

Numbers collected into groups or categories

Things like gender age and political party

Question 14

What is numerical data

Answer 14

Numerical data is measurable

Can be divided into discrete or continuous data

Question 15

What is discrete data

Answer 15

Whole numbers.
Number of children
Assignment mark

Question 16

What is continuous data?

Answer 16

Data that consistently changes with no end point

Question 17

What are the different levels of measurement?

Answer 17

Nominal: named variables

Ordinal: named and ordered variables

Interval: named, ordered and proportionate interval between variables

Ratio: named, ordered, proportionate interval between variable and can accomodate exact 0

Question 18

What are floor effects?

Answer 18

Everyone says no to a particular question

Question 19

What are ceiling effects?

Answer 19

Everyone says yes to a particular question.

Question 20

What is item format with constructing the items

Answer 20

Item format should be related to scaling method of choice with dozens of choices available.

Multiple-choice true or false false choice or likert scale

Question 21

Multiple choice?

Answer 21

They are easy to administer and complete. Common for student exams to test knowledge or ability they are sometimes used for psychological tests

However it is difficult to construct items and they provide cues for the correct response

Question 22

True/false questions?

Answer 22

Often used in personality tests. Easy to understand and answer.

However, answers may reflect social desirability more than personality traits and it doesn’t permit much variability

Question 23

Forced-choice methodology?

Answer 23

Often used in personality test overcomes the problems of true or false questions in social desirability

However sometimes people don’t fit into either category

Question 24

Likert scales?

Answer 24

Can account better for individual differences good for assessing attributes and perceptions and reduces social desirability bias

However assumes the strength and intensity of an attitude is linear and people don’t always fit into specified options social desirability can still occur

Question 25

How to go about testing the items?

Answer 25

You should conduct a pilot study 1st to ensure the items are clear and can easily be answered if not they can be refined

Question 26

Revising the test?

Answer 26

Using the new developed test collect data in a new Sample

Repeat previous steps in testing the items

Make necessary refinements

Cross validate

Obtain feedback from participants

Question 27

Percentiles?

Answer 27

When we have a group of scores we can work out where one particular score fits into a distribution

Question 28

What is validity

Answer 28

Reflects a tests ability to access the construct it was designed to measure

Question 29

What are the different types of validity

Answer 29

Content construct and criterion related

Question 30

What is content validity?

Answer 30

Content validity means the test measures appropriate content

Question 31

What is construct validity?

Answer 31

means the test measures the skills/abilities that should be measured.

Question 32

What is factor analysis?

Answer 32

Statistical technique to determine the pattern of correlations or variability amongst the items.

Question 33

What is criterion validity?

Answer 33

Is the extent to which the test predicts or is related to an outcome

Question 34

What is reliability?

Answer 34

Concerns measurement consistency or the ability of a test to produce consistent results

Question 35

What are the two types of reliability?

Answer 35

Internal and external

Question 36

What is internal reliability?

Answer 36

Concerns the extent to which a measure is consistent within itself

Question 37

What is external reliability?

Answer 37

Concerns the extent to which a measure varies from one use to another

Test-retest reliability: stability over time

Inter-rater reliability: the degree to which different eaters give consistent estimates of the same behaviour