This paper briefly demonstrates a few of the possibilities of a systematic application of robustness theory, concentrating on the estimation of ability when the true item response model does and does not fit the data. The definition of the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) of ability is briefly reviewed. After introducing the notion of…

Four procedures were used to estimate a criterion-referenced standard for a multiple-choice examination developed by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). Two experimental procedures, the NBME method and a modification of the Guerin method, and the Angoff and Ebel procedures were evaluated on the consistency of the estimates they…

Attributional style as it has been operationalized in the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ) was critically assessed. A sample of 538 senior high school and college students completed the ASQ. The resulting ASQ data were then intercorrelated, factor analyzed, and compared to hypothesized matrices for all items, good outcome items, and bad…

An Attitude Toward Blindness Questionnaire (ATBQ) was developed to assess individual progress through a Veterans Administration blind rehabilitation program. The instrument is also meant to measure attitudes toward blindness for blind persons, rehabilitation workers, and a "naive" group without contact with the blind. A method of…

Several special cases of the general Rasch model, varying in complexity, were investigated to determine whether they could successfully model realistic multidimensional item response data. Whether the parameters of the model could be readily interpreted was also investigated. The models investigated included: (1) the vector model; (2) the product…

DO CHILDREN RAISED IN ENVIRONMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH LATER DEFICITS IN PSYCHOMETRIC INTELLIGENCE SHOW ANY DEFICITS DURING INFANCY AND, IF SO, WHEN DO SUCH DEFICITS APPEAR AND WHAT ABILITIES ARE AFFECTED. ARE THE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF INTELLIGENCE. FIFTY-ONE SLUM INFANTS AND A CONTROL GROUP OF 51 NON-SLUM INFANTS…

MINIMUM EVALUATION OF CHILDREN WITH MENTAL, PHYSICAL, OR EMOTIONAL DISABILITIES WHO ARE BEING CONSIDERED FOR SPECIAL CLASS PLACEMENT SHOULD INCLUDE PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION, PHYSICAL EVALUATION, A FAMILY PROFILE, AND AN ACADEMIC RECORD. REGULATIONS FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION, REFERRAL PROCEDURE FOR THE TEACHER, AND PLACEMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP…

Research related to the multiple choice test item is reported, as it is conducted by educational technologists in Japan. Sato's number of hypothetical equivalent alternatives is introduced. The based idea behind this index is that the expected uncertainty of the m events, or alternatives, be large and the number of hypothetical, equivalent…

It is asserted that Steven's viewpoint on measurement--that scales are nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio--has a limited usefulness for behavioral scientists and researchers, and that it is necessary to develop an alternative. Some limitations of Steven's theory are discussed: (1) its assumptions about the nature and purpose of measurement; (2)…

Rational, defensible guidelines for use in identifying learning disabled children would assist in determining the most efficient use of diagnostic expertise, in specifying learning disabled populations for research purposes, and in assuring equity in the provision of diagnostic and remedial services. One commonly accepted symptom of learning…

As part of a long term project relating individual differences in performance on paper and pencil tests of intellectual aptitude and achievement to differences observed in laboratory studies of cognition, data have been collected comparing test scores with simple choice reaction times. The three studies summarized here suggest that the…

Individual differences in the ordered recall of list of digits are examined experimentally. The resulting evidence argues that neither differences in rehearsal strategies nor differences in the tendency to group and chunk the digits are major determinants of differences in digit span size. Further experiments attempt to pinpoint the source of…

In this study, the data originally used by Hemphill, Griffiths, and Frederiksen in their "Whittman" study of principals' behavior patterns were factor analyzed using psychometric techniques. Results of the analysis substantiated four of the eight originally defined dimensions of administrative behavior, and an additional important factor termed…

This paper reports on two studies that were designed to provide preliminary data on the psychometric properties of a new matrix test of referential communication and to explore the validity of the test as a predictor of both developmental level and socioemotional adjustment of normal and emotionally disturbed children. Referential communication is…

Psychometric characteristics and factor structure of the Reading Comprehension Test (CR) and the Test of Critical Thinking, Form G (CT) were studied in an effort to determine basic dimensions of critical reading and critical thinking and to discover the relationship between these two. The two tests were administered to 57 Florida high-school…