A development study involving 498 supervisors and a series of validity studies involving 531 adults identified primary dimensions, psychometric characteristics, and construct validation evidence for internal ability, internal propensity, and external propensity as domain-specific measures of feedback. Theoretical and practical extensions of the…

This empirical study of undergraduates compared the psychometric properties, i.e., reliability and validity, of four computer attitude measures and their subscales. Results are analyzed that indicate all measures tested were essentially equal in terms of reliability and validity, and attempts to empirically derive improved scales were…

Reviews psychometric approaches to problems of modeling student achievement (the student model) within intelligent tutoring systems (ITS). A number of cognitively oriented psychometric approaches, including latent-trait models, statistical pattern recognition methods, and causal probabilistic networks are described and discussed within the current…

The Response to Conflict Scale, a 24-item measure of maladaptive responses to marital conflict, was evaluated psychometrically with 420 couples. The inventory showed high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct and discriminant validity, and classification efficiency. Clinical utility is discussed. (SLD)

This study investigated the psychometric characteristics of the Family Empowerment Scale (FES) with 228 families having children with severe emotional disturbance or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Factor analyses provided a four-factor solution (systems advocacy, knowledge, competence, and self-efficacy) and supported the use of the…

This paper considers key properties of behavioral phenotypes of mental retardation syndromes, including within-syndrome variability and between-syndrome similarities and qualitative differences. The "new genetics" research requires combining data from three strategies: (1) a psychiatric approach, (2) psychometric methods, and (3) syndrome-specific…

Four studies on the psychometric properties of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS), involving 682 adults and 1,592 college students, investigated factor structure and construct and content validities. Overall, results suggest that the CISS is a valid and reliable measure of basic coping styles. (SLD)

The Passage Comprehension Test of the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery--Revised was administered to 77 elementary and middle school students and scored according to ceiling criteria in the manual. Relaxing the ceiling criteria reduced the number of items needed to establish a ceiling without negatively affecting psychometric properties.…

Analysis of the 1991 Law School Admission Test (LSAT) shows that the testlet structure of the reading comprehension and analytic reasoning sections has a significant effect on the statistical characteristics of the test. The testlet-based reliability of these two sections is lower than had been previously calculated. (SLD)

Reviews the development and psychometric analyses of the Suicide Assessment Checklist (SAC), a 21-item, 2-part instrument constructed for use as a standardized component of a comprehensive suicide risk assessment and documentation strategy in the emergency evaluation of risk for suicidal behavior. Results suggest SAC is psychometrically sound.…

This paper critiques the following tests of creativity: (1) the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking; (2) the Creativity Assessment Packet; (3) subtests of the Structure of the Intellect Learning Abilities Test; (4) Thinking Creatively with Sounds and Words; (5) Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement; and (6) the Khatena-Torrance Creative…

Describes Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) and its junior versions, the High School Personality Questionnaire and the Children's Personality Questionnaire. Briefly describes development of the tests. Covers reliabilities and validities of the tests, with attention to applications in educational, clinical, and occupational settings.…

First- and second-round commentaries on an article by L. Guttman are presented. The following authors responded, with two articles each: (1) E. E. Roskam and J. Ellis; (2) P. H. Schonemann; (3) A. R. Jensen; (4) J. C. Loehlin; and (5) J.-E. Gustafsson. (SLD)

Details the setting up of a battery of psychometric tests for selecting student interpreters for the Graduate Institute of Translation and Interpreting in Taiwan. Argues that the rigid screening (which leads to a nearly 100 percent pass rate) compares favorably with the high drop-out rate in traditional schools of interpreting. (NKA)

The analysis or modeling of Piagetian and psychometric measures of mental ability is discussed. An application of structural modeling procedures allowing the testing of hypotheses in this domain is presented. Such a model is illustrated through a study of numerical functional relations tasks with 77 elementary school students. (SLD)