The Goodenough technique for determining scale error is compared to the Guttman technique and demonstrated to be more conservative than the Guttman technique. Implications with regard to Guttman's evaluative rule of thumb for evaluating a reproducibility are noted. (Author)

Parameter estimation for Keats generalization of the Rasch model that takes account of guessing behavior is investigated. It is shown that no minimal sufficient statistics for the ability parameters independent of the difficulty parameters exist. (Author/JKS)

A FORTRAN program for maximizing and cross-validating split-half reliability coefficients is described. Externally computed arrays of item means and covariances are used as input for each of two samples. The user may select a number of subsets from the complete set of items for analysis in a single run. (Author/JKS)

Describes some of the theoretical bases for the Affective Sensitivity Scale and reports research data on revisions that have been added since 1970. Proposes theoretical constructs to explain the role of affective sensitivity in the process of empathy. (Author/ABB)

The proposed coefficient is derived by assuming that the average Goodman-Kruskal gamma between items of identical difficulty would be the same for items of different difficulty. An estimate of covariance between items of identical difficulty leads to an estimate of the correlation between two tests with identical distributions of difficulty.…

Interviews can provide valuable information for social researchers, but problems that may affect the quality of the information gathered should be addressed. These include subject-researcher reactivity, role relations, truth telling, reporting of the information collected, and researcher characteristics. A profile of effective interviewer…

Examined test retest stability of the Maternal Perinatal Scale in 41 mothers. Item stability found over a two-day period and intercorrelations between specific information assessed by items support the clinical and research potential of a systematic self-report format in the assessment of perinatal histories. (Author/NB)

Anonymous reports (n=155) of child physical abuse in Baltimore (MD) were compared with reports made by professionals (n=588) and nonprofessionals (n=262) in terms of substantiation rate, seriousness of substantiated incidents, and severity of allegations. While anonymous reports were more likely to be unfounded, those that were substantiated were…

Investigated psychometric properties of three methods of scoring a Mixed Standard Scale performance evaluation: a patterned procedure, simple nonpatterned scoring procedure and procedure assigning differential weights to statements on the basis of scale values provided by subject matter experts. Found no differences in the score distribution…

Reports series of studies investigating reliability and validity of the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD). Results indicated that the FAD has: (1) adequate test-retest reliability, (2) low correlations with social desirability, (3) moderate correlations with other self-report measures of family functioning, and (4) differentiates…

Presents a brief clinical test, derived from earlier neuropsychological instruments, with evidence for its reliability, interscorer agreement, and validity. The latter is based upon correlations with both CAT scan measures of cortical atrophy and ventricular enlargement, as well as correlations with seven other previously validated cognitive…

Describes paper and pencil predictions of employee theft and examines studies of validity, reliability, and adverse impact of these tests. Results showed consistently positive correlations, but identified a variety of methodological differences which make the direct comparison of test validities suspect. (LLL)

The study examined test-retest reliability of three subtests of the Goldman-Fristoe-Woodcock Auditory Skills Test Battery (Diagnostic Auditory Discrimination Test, Auditory Selective Attention Test, and Auditory Memory Tests) with 20 five-12 year olds. The only test-retest significant differences noted were on the Selective Attention subtest.…

A reliability study on the public school version of the American Association on Mental Deficiency Adaptive Behavior Scale (ABS) calculated three different reliability estimates: exact agreeement, kappa, and weighted average. Results demonstrated that while the ABS may be useful in making placement decisions, lack of exact reliability raises…

Presents a cross-validation of Reynolds' short form of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (N=233). Researchers administered 13 items as a separate entity, calculated Cronbach's Alpha for each sex, and computed test-retest correlation for one group. Concluded that the short form is a viable alternative. (Author/NRB)