Psy 310 Week 2

Front 1

consists of a sample of examinees who are representative of the population
for whom the test is intended.

Back 1

norm group

Front 2

What approach can alleviate norms becoming outmoded in just a few years

Back 2

periodic renorming of tests should be the rule, not the exception.

Front 3

The most basic level of information provided by a psychological test is

Back 3

raw score.

Front 4

What are raw scores in personality testing? Ability testing?

Back 4

in personality testing, the raw score is often the number of questions answered in the keyed direction for a specific scale.

In ability testing, the raw score commonly consists of the number of problems answered correctly, often with bonus points added
for quick performance.

Front 5

raw scores, in isolation, are...

Back 5

absolutely meaningless

Front 6

How are norms empirically established?

Back 6

norms are empirically established by
administering a test to a large and representative sample of persons. An examinee’s score is then compared to the distribution of scores obtained by the
standardization sample. In this manner, we determine from the norms whether an obtained score is low, average, or high.

Front 7

The vast majority of psychological tests are
interpreted by consulting norms, these are called...

Back 7

norm-referenced tests.

Front 8

These types of tests help determine whether a person can accomplish an objectively defined criterion such as adding pairs of two-digit numbers with 97 percent accuracy.

Back 8

criterion-referenced tests

Front 9

In the case of criterion-referenced tests, norms are...

Back 9

not essential.

Front 10

There are many different kinds of norms, but
they share one characteristic:

Back 10

Each incorporates a statistical summary of a large body of scores.

Front 11

A very simple and useful way of summarizing data is to tabulate a

Back 11

frequency distribution

Front 12

A frequency distribution is

Back 12

prepared by specifying a small number of usually equal-sized class intervals and then tallying how many scores fall within each interval. The sums of the frequencies for all intervals will equal N, the total number of scores in the sample.

Front 13

It is common for frequency distributions to include

Back 13

between 5 and 15 class intervals.

Front 14

A __________ provides a graphic representation of the same information contained in the frequency distribution

Back 14

histogram

Front 15

A _________ is similar to a histogram, except that the frequency of the class intervals is represented by single points rather than columns. The single points are then joined by straight lines

Back 15

frequency polygon

Front 16

Can we designate a single, representative score for the 100 vocabulary scores in our sample?

Back 16

Yes. The mean (M), or arithmetic average, is one such measure of central tendency.

Front 17

How do you compute the mean?

Back 17

We compute the mean by adding all the scores up and dividing by N, the number of scores.

Front 18

Another useful index of central tendency
is the median which is...

Back 18

the middlemost score when all the scores have been ranked.

Front 19

the mode is...

Back 19

simply the most frequently occurring score.

Front 20

The mean is sensitive to extreme values and can be misleading if a distribution has a few scores that are unusually high or low. If the mean is skewed what do you use?

Back 20

the median is a better index of central tendency
than the mean.

Front 21

The most commonly used statistical index
of variability in a group of scores is the...

Back 21

standard deviation

Front 22

What is standard deviation?

Back 22

the standard deviation reflects the degree
of dispersion in a group of scores. If the scores are tightly packed around a central value, the standard deviation is small. In fact, in the extreme case in which all the scores are identical, the standard deviation is exactly zero. As a group of scores becomes more spread out, the standard deviation becomes larger.

Front 23

The standard deviation is symbolized how?

Back 23

S, it is simply the square root of the variance, designated as S2.

Front 24

The formula for the variance is...

Back 24

where g designates “the sum of,” X stands for each
individual score, X is the mean of the scores, and N is
the total number of scores. As the name suggests, the
variance is a measure of variability.

Front 25

the variance and the standard
deviation convey ____________

Back 25

interchangeable information

Front 26

What is the difference between the variance and the standard deviation?

Back 26

one can be computed from the other by squaring (the standard deviation to obtain the variance) or taking the square root (of the variance to obtain the standard deviation). The standard deviation is nonetheless the preferred measure of variance in psychological testing because of its direct relevance to the normal distribution

Front 27

the normal distribution is...

Back 27

the distribution of scores that closely resemble a symmetrical, mathematically defined, bell-shaped curve

Front 28

Why would a normal distribution look skewed or asymmetrical?

Back 28

Small sample size

Front 29

Normal distribution is preferred because...

Back 29

1) the normal curve has useful mathematical features that form the basis for several
kinds of statistical investigation

2) mathematical precision

3) the normal curve often arises spontaneously in nature

Front 30

________ refers to the symmetry or asymmetry of a frequency distribution

Back 30

Skewness

Front 31

If test scores are piled up at the low end of the scale, the distribution is said to be _____________

Back 31

positively skewed

Front 32

when test scores are piled up at the high end of the scale, the distribution is said to be___________

Back 32

negatively skewed

Front 33

skewed distributions usually signify

Back 33

that the test developer has included too few easy items or too few hard items.

Front 34

A test has __________ validity if it looks valid to test users, examiners, and especially the examinees.

Back 34

face

Front 35

The proportion of examinees in a large tryout sample who get a specific item correct is called

Back 35

item-difficulty index

Front 36

For which of the below is it LEAST likely that we would find proportionate representation of race, social class, age groups, etc.?

Back 36

testing a small random sample

Front 37

When tests are used for purposes of ____________, it is necessary to develop a regression equation.

Back 37

predicting outcomes

Front 38

A(n) _____________ scale has a conceptually meaningful zero point.

Back 38

ratio

Front 39

A graphical display of the relationship between the probability of a correct response and the examinee's position on the underlying trait measured by the test is called

Back 39

item-characteristic curve

Front 40

According to the functionalist perspective on test validity, a test is valid if

Back 40

the test serves the purpose for which it is used

Front 41

Renorming of tests should

Back 41

be the rule, not the exception

Front 42

A factor loading is actually a(n)

Back 42

correlation

Front 43

In a frequency distribution, the sums of the frequencies for all intervals will ____________ the total number of scores in the sample.

Back 43

equal

Front 44

If the number of scores is even, the median

Back 44

is the average of the middlemost two scores

Front 45

The expression _____________ refers to the practice of using the original regression equation in a new sample to determine if the test predicts the criterion as well as it did in the original sample.

Back 45

cross-validation

Front 46

A(n) _____________ scale has a conceptually meaningful zero point.

Back 46

ratio

Front 47

Which of the following is NOT usually true of a norm group?

Back 47

it is homogeneous

Front 48

A factor loading is actually a(n)

Back 48

correlation

Front 49

An individual takes a new test for a medical disease, and the results indicate that she does not have the disease. In fact, it turns out that she did have the disease. This is an example of a

Back 49

false negative

Front 50

From a psychometric standpoint, _____________ questions are the weakest.

Back 50

matching

Front 51

The distribution of mental test scores in standardization samples typically

Back 51

approximates a normal curve

Front 52

Which coefficient has been used to gauge the degree to which a test measures a single factor?

Back 52

coefficient alpha

Front 53

Which scale construction method guarantees that all scale items correlate positively with each other and also with the total score for the scale?

Back 53

rational scale construction

Front 54

It is common practice in test development that the prepublication version of a new instrument might contain _____________ the number of items desired on the final draft.

Back 54

double

Front 55

Which of the following necessarily has a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10?

Back 55

T-score

Front 56

In a ______________ validation study, test scores and criterion information are obtained simultaneously.

Back 56

concurrent

Front 57

T score scales are especially common for __________ tests.

Back 57

personality

Front 58

The distribution of mental test scores in standardization samples typically

Back 58

approximates a normal curve

Front 59

Unsystematic measurement errors behave like __________ variables.

Back 59

random

Front 60

In a sample of adults, correlations between reaction time and weight would most likely be

Back 60

close to zero

Front 61

A C scale consists of ____ units.

Back 61

11

Front 62

The standard error of the estimate is an index of the error of measurement caused by the ______________ of a test.

Back 62

imperfect validity

Front 63

When are expert judges needed to determine the content validity of a test?

Back 63

when the trait being measured is ill-defined

Front 64

In his initial investigations, Wechsler considered the belief that mental measures must distribute themselves according to the normal curve to be

Back 64

mistaken

Front 65

What concept is best summed up by the question, "Does use of this test result in better patient outcomes or more efficient delivery of services?"

Back 65

test utility

Front 66

For which type(s) of scores are negative values possible?

Back 66

standard score

Front 67

_______________ validity is particularly relevant for entrance examinations and employment tests.

Back 67

Predictive

Front 68

If an examinee obtains a verbal score higher than his/her performance score, then the underlying true scores for verbal and performance abilities

Back 68

may or may not show the same pattern

Front 69

What statement best characterizes a "raw score"?

Back 69

it is useless by itself

Front 70

The item-discrimination index can vary from

Back 70

-1.0 to +1.0

Front 71

Errors of measurement are

Back 71

positive or negative

Front 72

As noted by FairTest, what determines whether or not criterion-referenced tests are fair?

Back 72

how the cut-off scores are determined

Front 73

A construct possesses the following characteristic(s):

Back 73

A construct is a theoretical, intangible quality or trait in which individuals differ.

1. There is no single external referent sufficient to validate the existence of the construct; that is, the construct cannot be operationally defined
2. Nonetheless, a network of interlocking sup-
positions can be derived from existing theory
about the construct

Front 74

For true-false items, the optimal level of item difficulty is

Back 74

.75

Front 75

________________ are the most common type of raw score transformation encountered in psychological testing.

Back 75

Percentiles

Front 76

To know how well each preliminary test item contributes to accurate prediction of the criterion, we would use

Back 76

item-validity index

Front 77

Suppose the standard error of the estimate for predicted grade point average (GPA) is 0.2 grade units. Suppose a student has a predicted GPA of 2.90. Approximately what is the probability that the student will achieve a GPA of 3.3 or higher?

Back 77

2.5%

Front 78

primary goal of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children?

Back 78

1. Measure intelligence from a strong theoretical and research basis
2. Separate acquired factual knowledge from the ability to solve unfamiliar problems
3. Yield scores that translate to educational
intervention
4. Include novel tasks
5. Be easy to administer and objective to score
6. Be sensitive to the diverse needs of preschool, minority group, and exceptional children

Front 79

Suppose that a college freshman earned 125 raw score points on a vocabulary test where the normative sample averaged 100 points (with SD of 15 points). Suppose, in addition, he earned 110 raw score points on a spatial thinking test where the normative sample averaged 90 points (with SD of 20 points). In which skill area does he show greater aptitude, vocabulary or spatial thinking?

Back 79

vocabulary

Front 80

Errors of measurement are

Back 80

positive or negative

Front 81

Percentile ranks, age equivalents, grade equivalents, and standard scores are all examples of

Back 81

norms

Front 82

The Glasgow Coma Scale was developed by the method of

Back 82

expert rankings

Front 83

Factor loadings can vary between

Back 83

-1.0 and +1.0

Front 84

A ________________ uses the standard deviation of the total distribution of raw scores as the fundamental unit of measurement.

Back 84

standard score

Front 85

Unsystematic measurement errors behave like __________ variables.

Back 85

random

Front 86

In a frequency distribution, the sums of the frequencies for all intervals will ____________ the total number of scores in the sample.

Back 86

equal