Imagine you were a human resources professional looking for a published test to use as part of a selection process for sales managers. Using the Mental Measurements Yearbook, you find a possible test. According to your text, what should you do to ensure you make an informed decision about the test?
What will be an ideal response?
• To make informed decisions about tests, you must know how to properly critique a test.
• A critique of a test is an analysis of the test. A good critique answers many of the questions below:
General descriptive information
• What is the title of the test?
• Who is the author of the test?
• Who publishes the test, and when was it published?
• How long does it take to administer the test?
• How much does it cost to purchase the test?
• Is the test proprietary or nonproprietary?
Purpose and nature of the test
• What does the test measure or predict?
• What behavior does the test require the test taker to perform?
• What population was the test designed for?
• What is the nature of the test (e.g., maximal performance, behavior observation, self-report, standardized or nonstandardized, objective or subjective)?
• What is the format of the test (e.g., paper and pencil or computerized, multiple choice or true/false)?
Practical evaluation
• Is there a test manual, and is it comprehensive? (Does it include information on how the test was constructed, its reliability and validity, and the composition of norm groups, and is it easy to read?)
• Is the test easy or difficult to administer?
• How clear are the administration directions?
• How clear are the scoring procedures?
• What qualifications and training does a test administrator need to have?
• Does the test have face validity? Technical evaluation
• Is there a norm group?
• If there is a norm group, who constitutes the norm group?
• If there is a norm group, what types of norms are there (e.g., percentiles, standard scores)?
• If there is a norm group, how was the norm group selected?
• If there is a norm group, are there subgroup norms (e.g., by age, gender, region, occupation, and so on)?
• What evidence exists of test reliability?
• What evidence exists for the validity of the test?
• Is there a reported standard error of measurement, and if so, what is it?
• Are confidence intervals presented, and if so, what are they? Test reviews
• What do reviewers say are the strengths and weaknesses of the test?
• What studies that used the test as a measurement instrument have been published in peer-reviewed journals?
• How did the test perform when researchers or test users, other than the test developer or publisher, used it?
Summary
• Overall, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the test?
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A hypothesis provides a means of ____ a theory
a. testing b. creating c. proving d. generalizing
Early attachment theories state that a mother is rewarding to her infant because she provides the food. This was disproven with Harlow's experiments using _________
a. monkeys b. cats c. humans d. chicks
Gender differences in motor skills appear to be predominantly learned
Indicate whether the statement is true or false