Goldberg (Goldberg, L. R. (1999). "A broad-bandwidth, public-domain, personality inventory measuring the lower-level facets of several five-factor models." In: I. Mervielde, I. Deary, F. De Fruyt, & F. Ostendorf (Eds.), "Personality psychology in Europe" (Vol. 7, pp. 7-28). Tilburg, The Netherlands: Tilburg University…

Lissitz and Samuelsen (2007) have proposed an operational definition of "validity" that shifts many of the questions traditionally considered under validity to a separate category associated with the utility of test use. Operational definitions support inferences about how well people perform some kind of task or how they respond to some kind of…

This paper reviews 20 studies that investigated the internal or external validity of various subtypes of autistic spectrum disorders. At least three groups could be distinguished from autism on clinical grounds: an Asperger syndrome subtype, and two atypical subtypes characterized by either low intelligence quotient or high intelligence quotient.…

This article describes the strengths and weaknesses of different models of classification (primarily monothetic and polythetic) and then focuses on cluster analysis as a method of pursuing a polythetic model. Design features that need to be incorporated in a cluster analytic study are discussed in relation to theory formulation, internal validity,…

Adopting the position, expressed by A. P. Bochner in his critique of small group communication research, that placing measurement in a secondary role increases the danger of accepting the claims of experiments with excessive error, this paper examines nine current quantitative small-group communication studies. Using a schema developed by J. F.…

This paper reviews whether Rett syndrome is a subtype of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). The paper analyzes internal and external diagnostic validity and discusses whether Rett syndrome is a neurological disorder or a mental disorder. The paper concludes that data support the idea of classifying Rett syndrome as a subtype of PDD.…

This paper presents evidence regarding the validity of the diagnostic concept of "autistic-like" childhood disintegrative disorder, also known as Heller syndrome or as disintegrative psychosis. Its inclusion in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) is supported, and proposed criteria and narrative description are provided.…

This paper assesses to what extent the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases) criteria differ from other diagnostic systems for Asperger syndrome. The paper concludes that the variety of criteria in use makes interpretation of research findings difficult and that the ICD-10 criteria are the most stringent and closest to Hans Asperger's…

Utterances from stuttering and normally speaking children, aged two through four years, were analyzed by clinicians specializing in stuttering, general clinicians, and university students (total n=25). Results indicated that the validity of the data language used by researchers to describe stuttered and normal speech in early childhood may be…

For successful classification of children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, major issues include (1) the need for explicit studies of identification criteria; (2) the need for systematic sampling strategies; (3) development of hypothetical classifications; and (4) systematic assessment of reliability and validity of hypothetical…

Examination of 53 children with autism supported the validity of the subtypes "aloof" and "active-but-odd" as predictors of behavior across language/communication, reciprocal social interaction, and stereotyped behavior/restricted interest domains. Partial support for an intermediate, "passive" subtype was garnered. (Author/JDD)

This commentary responds to a critique (EC 601 711) of a paper (EC 211 387) concerning use of cluster analysis to develop a taxonomy of lifestyles of families with severely mentally retarded children. The commentary considers the model to be useful in social science inquiry, and properly validated when using cluster analytic techniques. (JDD)

Provides a framework for understanding the concept of validity and how it applies to simulation research. Extant tests of validity are discussed in terms of this framework, and a general schema for testing validity is proposed. (MBR)

Two instruments and instructional activities were pilot tested to determine if they could be used in a later evaluation study of a Domain of Cognition model, developed by Robert J. Stahl as an alternative to Bloom's Taxonomy. The model, intended to help educators more effectively plan for, implement, monitor, and evaluate instruction, was proposed…