Sketches a plan for an ideal profile analysis system as a model against which to evaluate the five articles included in this special issue of "School Psychology Quarterly." Offers brief comments on the profile analysis procedures used in each article. Argues that these procedures, although competent and acceptable, are far short of…

The Jastak System of obtaining scores on "personality" dimensions is currently widely promoted. It is shown to be totally spurious, based on hereditarian doctrines long in disrepute, and dangerous in use. The promotional techniques used are also described. (Author)

Discusses the issues surrounding the right to use psychological tests. Examines the American Psychological Association's efforts to restrict test access, the likely impact of restricting use, and the mission of the Fair Access Coalition on Testing, which is devoted to allowing all appropriately trained professionals access to such tests. (RJM)

In an earlier article, Hunt envisions the automation of intelligence testing, but he appears to be overly optimistic. He neglects to mention conceptual and practical difficulties at the interface of measurement and theory that place psychometry not in the dawn of microcomputerization, but rather more nearly in its primordium. (Author)

Responds to an article questioning the construct validity of the Beck Hopelessness Scale. Suggests that social desirability should not be invoked as a potential confound unless the obtained covariation is theoretically inconsistent or is so overlapping as to make the respective scales redundant with respect to factorial content. (Author/RC)

States that the correlation between social desirability (SD) and hopelessness is open to several interpretations, but, in the absence of further data, concern for false-negative rates dictates caution in interpreting hopelessness scores when assessing suicidal behavior. Presents data on the relationship of SD, hopelessness, and prediction of…

Reviews the articles in this issue of "School Psychology Quarterly" and briefly compares their methods for identifying profile patterns. Argues that subtest profile patterns on the existing generation of intelligence tests have modest reliability and weak relationships with achievement and diagnostic categorizations. (Contains 13…

The premise that there are no valid and reliable psychological tests for use with Indochinese refugees is discussed. The history of the use of tests in the United States has been promulgated as being beneficial to the minority group members exposed to them without revealing their underlying discriminatory uses. Only the System of Multicultural…

The present social and political climate is marked by an increasing appreciation of human diversity and of society's need to accommodate such diversity. The social context for testing is thus fundamentally different from that in which standardized testing developed. Testing should now be more concerned with facilitating equal opportunity.…

This article criticizes the generally held assumption that psychological test scores are trait measures. Reasons for the continuing belief in this fallacy, as well as the social consequences of its general acceptance, are discussed. Suggestions for avoiding the test-trait fallacy are made. (EB)

The issue of test user competency arises from the question of restrictions on the use of psychological tests. The only justifiable basis for restricting test use is one that reflects the skills and competencies of the user. Ultimately, only professional judgment determines whether a test is properly used. (SLD)

The following issues in psychological testing in Australia are reviewed: (1) commercialization of testing; (2) test user qualifications; and (3) computerization of testing. Proposed solutions include development of user guidelines, accreditation standards, test standards, and a network of test data information; and regulation by a professional…

This article describes controversies over the use of personality tests with adults with visual impairments in applied occupational testing. It reviews studies of personality profiles of sighted individuals and individuals with visual impairments and studies in which the content of items has been adapted for adults who are visually impaired.…

This essay shows that the adoption of intelligence tests by the schools was a complex development. Tests were adopted during the 1920s as part of the reform program fashioned by the network of applied psychologists and school people. While the network itself often viewed testing as a means to improve the schools and society, immigrants and blacks…

This paper discusses the impact of emerging developmental skills on preschoolers' test performance in reference to preoperational thinking, behavioral controls, and language skills. It is emphasized that some behaviors that occur during the preschool period may suggest pathology when observed in older children but are normal for preschoolers. A…