The ability to convey shared meaning with minimal ambiguity is highly desirable for technical terms within disciplines and professions. Unfortunately, there is no widespread professional consensus over the meaning of the word "validity" as it pertains to educational and psychological testing. After illustrating the nature and extent of…

This study reported the development and validation of the Social Identities and Attitudes Scale (SIAS), a stereotype threat susceptibility measure. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted with college students indicate that the scale possesses strong psychometric properties. The SIAS explained 65% of the variance in the items…

This article describes the development and evaluation of a short form of the 24-item Adaptation to Age-Related Vision Loss (AVL) scale. The evaluation provided evidence of the reliability and validity of the short form (the AVL12), for significant interindividual differences at the baseline and for individual-level change in AVL scores over time.…

A new 22-item measure of an individual's tolerance for ambiguity, the Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance (MSTAT-I), is described. The measure addresses characteristics of ambiguous stimuli and reactions to perceived ambiguity. Evidence from 148 undergraduates for reliability and convergent and discriminant validity is presented in support…

Substitution tests have a long history in psychology because of their simplicity of administration and their sensitivity to individual differences related to complex cognitive performance. Despite their widespread use there is no agreement on what the substitution test measures. The present study approached this question by applying a method of…

Examined psychometric properties of self-perception scales of the Berkeley Puppet Interview (BPI) with children at preschool, kindergarten, and first grade. Found that young children have a multidimensional self-concept that can be reliably measured. The BPI was sensitive to normative change and individual differences. Support for validity was…

It is generally assumed that test administrators are accurate and dependable, and that the psychometric properties of validity and reliability applied to test givers are at acceptably high levels. The test giver is thought to have been standardized through training reinforced by experience. This paper considers validity and reliability in relation…

This paper reviews eight major problem areas concerning testing practices of interest to professionals practicing psychology in the schools. These areas, identified by the Task Force on Psychology in the Schools of the American Psychological Association, include: (1) test use; (2) diagnostic versus placement tests; (3) informed parental consent…