Three studies investigating the psychometric and conceptual properties of the self-report Survey of Ethical Attitudes inventory indicated that the scale is clearly susceptible to response dissimulation through role playing and impression management and is also confounded with sources of stylistic variance in the form of social desirability.…

In comparing educated, adjusted male homosexuals to educated, adjusted heterosexuals, no differences were found between the groups using the traditional index of homosexuality on the Rorschach. Results suggest the traditional index is not valid and should not be used in clinical settings as a measure to assess homosexuality. (Author)

Two achievement tests in French are critically examined: one on the students' vocabulary after three years of French, and one designed for student placement. Both are found to be reliable. The validity of their content and construction is discussed. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Continuous observational recording over 57 hours evaluated behavior states of three adults with profound and multiple disabilities. Two independent observers also recorded for 22 hours. Although overall percentage agreement was satisfactory (above 80%), agreement on occurrence was unsatisfactory (mean of 65%). Agreement data were superimposed on…

The reliability and validity of the positive and negative mood scales of the trait version of the State Trait--Depression Adjective Check Lists (D. Watson and others, 1988) were supported with 269 college students, 197 adolescents, and 165 older adults. Results provide evidence of the equivalence of the positive and negative scales. (SLD)

Discusses concerns and research about college student peer evaluation, particularly with regard to gender bias. Reports a study using blind marking, and examines results in relation to task and other contextual variables. Concludes that the blind marking technique contributes to the reliability of peer assessment, and outlines additional…

Results of a study of the reliability of student ratings of academic advising from 15 postsecondary institutions show that generalizability theory is an appropriate and accurate way to estimate reliability. Advantages and disadvantages of the generalizability theory approach in comparison with coefficient alpha are discussed. (SLD)

WISC-III IQs and subtest scaled scores of 440 students with specific learning disabilities were examined for gender differences. Boys exhibited statistically higher Full Scale, Verbal, and Performance IQs than did girls, as well as higher scores on six of seven subtests. Girls outperformed boys only on the Coding subtest. (Author/CR)

Investigates divorced mothers' (N=119) perceptions of family cohesion and adaptability in relation to children's self-reports of behavioral problems. Results indicate that most mothers believed their children had the fewest behavior problems when family cohesion and adaptability were perceived as high and the most behavioral problems when these…

Fifty adults with mild mental retardation and their staff in supported living residential settings were interviewed to examine the reliability of self-reports of social support compared with staff ratings. Self-report ratings had moderate internal consistency, were consistent across rating scales, and were significantly correlated with staff…

Argues that language tests employing methods not fair to all test takers are unethical. Ways of reducing sources of unfairness in language testing is discussed. (15 references) (Author/CK)

Presents findings of a study comparing respondents, involuntary nonrespondents (due to inaccurate addresses) and voluntary nonrespondents to a mailed survey for former students of a large northeastern community college. Results suggest that respondents were more dissimilar to the nonrespondent groups than the two nonrespondent groups were to each…

Evaluated five intelligence test instruments for use with Malaysian children: Raven's Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), WISC-R, School Failure Tolerance (SFT), Scale for Rating Behavior Characteristics of Superior Students (SRBCSS), and Parent Checklists. Found that Raven's SPM was an effective screening test, and the WISC-R the best measure to…

Some 1,620 Australian high school students responded to 68 items that measure adolescent stressors. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to develop and test a model leading to the High School Stressors Scale. This scale, which has sound construct and predictive validity and adequate reliability, can be a useful instrument for studying…

Investigated the relationship between Chinese character recognition and production by second-language learners. Subjects were 47 first-year Chinese language students in the United States. (15 references) (Author/CK)