Results of a study to determine whether paired-comparisons i intransitivity is a function of intransitivity associated with specific stimulus objects rather than a function of the entire set of stimulus objects suggested that paired-comparisons intransitivity relates to individual differences variables associated with the respondent. (Author/CTM)

Reported are the development and testing of a scale measuring the attitudes of elementary school students toward physical education programs. (GW)

Investigated in a series of experiments with 40 adults (20- to 70-years-old) having bilateral sensorineural hearing impairments was the test-retest reliability of the comfort level method for setting the acoustic gain of hearing aids, and the relationship between the comfort settings utilized in more realistic daily listening situations.…

To fully develop their diagnostic skills, medical students must recognize the limited reliability of the observations on which diagnoses are based. Study of 36 second-year students shows multiple sources of observer variation in readings of systolic and diastolic blood pressures. (LBH)

Problems associated with current expertise in evaluation are discussed. Since evaluators are not always able to reliably achieve all levels of an evaluation project, these tasks are categorized into five levels of complexity. The author suggests a more accurate label for evaluators, "descriptive inquiry specialists," and includes guidelines for…

Studied the degree to which skewed score distributions can affect the interpretation of Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA) Results suggest indices of score variability such as average deviation and standard scores must be interpreted with extreme caution when skewness is a significant factor. (Author)

This article reviews the literature on infants' reactions to strangers, focusing on issues of assessment, reliability, and stability. (JMB)

A literature review suggests a measure of consistency, stability, and validity of student ratings of teacher performance, with specific variables found to have a positive relationship with the ratings. It also appears the use of the ratings can lead to improved instruction under certain circumstances. (Author/MSE)

Assesses the suitability of existing measures of emotional and behavioral disorders among children for use in general populations. Focuses on the definition of emotional and behavioral disorder, measurement approaches, and guidelines for choosing which disorders to study. Seven measurement instruments are evaluated using the folowing criteria:…

Discusses the need to include studies of reliability and maintainability during the design of any system. Topic areas addressed include availability calculations, complex systems and standby redundancy, availability and malfunction levels, design techniques, fault trees, functional maintenance, and others. (DH)

A new system for conceptualizing college students' problems, which is more comprehensive and practical than those based solely on DSM-III psychiatric diagnosis, is proposed. Preliminary reliability and validity data for the Inventory of Common Problems are presented, and advantages of the new system are discussed. (Author/MT)

American graduate schools need to sharpen their techniques when screening the growing group of foreign applicants requiring professional skills. An institution's admissions process can either enhance its overall institutional quality and prestige or seriously harm it in a short time. (MSE)

A study of the effectiveness of ridge regression over ordinary least squares regression as applied to both cognitive and noncognitive admissions data is reported. Separate race equations and a general equation were used. The analysis used did not improve on existing regression analyses. (MSE)

Studied the effects of verbal practice training in teaching counselor trainees to respond consistently to two aspects of client anger: form (passive or aggressive manner) and direction (toward or away from the counselor). Subjects in the experimental conditions, verbal practice with modeling or verbal practice without modeling, were significantly…

Three essay questions were administered to junior education major college students. Factor analysis of the ratings showed that content played a large role in the students' responses, yielding dominant first order factors. Generalizability theory, used to examine the reliability of students' ratings, showed the need for more raters and questions.…