Tested preassessment screening procedure to evaluate sensory-motor and perceptual encoding processes of children referred for psychoeducational assessment. Compared assessment procedures and outcomes for 18 children screened for encoding deficits and for 23 children whose psychoeducational evalution did not include screening. Results demonstrated…

Multinomial modeling--a methodology that can be used to measure and study cognitive processes--is discussed, and applications are presented. This statistically based technique involves estimating hypothetical parameters that represent the probabilities of unobservable cognitive events and is compatible with computational theories of cognition.…

The dimensionality was assessed of 20 problem score measures derived from a nationally standardized written clinical simulation examination--the National Board for Respiratory Care--for which prior evidence of validity exists. The stability and generalizability of the resulting factor structure across examinee groups and test forms (N=5,679…

Seventeen rating scales to assess parent-infant interactions are reviewed. A table provides identifying information, descriptive information, and psychometric qualities. Discussion includes implications for practice in the assessment of infants with disabilities and directions for future research. (Author/DB)

Internal consistency, convergent, and discriminant validity coefficients and replicability of the factor structure were studied for previously validated locus of control (LOC) and achievement-need scales administered to 192 graduate students. Results indicated adequate internal consistency for the LOC scale and convergent, but not discriminant,…

Studied the structure and psychometric properties of a self-report measure of adolescents' helping behavior within the family. Factor analyses yielded four internally consistent subscales for the Sibling Helping Scale and five for the Parent Helping Scale, all of which were conceptually related to inventories reflecting family support among…

This paper assesses the psychometric features of instruments used in assessing outcomes for survivors of traumatic brain injury, and describes a test development framework based on the principles of construct validity. This approach is seen to avoid common measurement difficulties. Emphasis is on cognitive and social dimensions of recovery.…

An integrative and critical review is provided of the guidance available for conducting validity inquiry in the context of performance assessment. Reviewed studies focus on philosophical underpinnings and practical guidelines for conducting validity inquiry. Sections describe the emerging consensus on validity inquiry, components of validity…

The development and psychometric assessment of a Risk of Hospitalization Scale are described. The scale, designed to help case managers for the seriously mentally ill meet clients' needs, demonstrates satisfactory reliability and validity for 18 vignettes and 60 actual cases. The scale has been adopted for use in New Jersey. (SLD)

This study analyzed the relative efficacy of normative (population relative) and ipsative (person relative) measures for the study of intraindividual and interindividual differences in child ability. Ipsative ability measures were found to be uniformly inferior to their normative counterparts and conveyed no uniquely useful information. (Author/DB)

The development of a short form of the Raven Advanced Progressive Matrices Test is reported. Results from 3 studies with 663 college students indicate that the short form demonstrates psychometric properties similar to the long form yet requires a substantially shorter administration time. (SLD)

The psychometric characteristics of 12 adults with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and a group without PWS but with other similar traits were compared. Results found cognitive, behavioral and educational traits often associated with PWS to be present in both groups, illustrating the importance of control/comparison groups in research establishing…

In their reply to the present author's critique (1991), J. H. Kranzler and A. R. Jensen have still not demonstrated that a factor of general intelligence, "g," depends on, or contains, several independent factors. They have only demonstrated that an estimate of "g" is predictable from several independent components. (SLD)

This paper describes two measurement integrity analyses conducted using data on the Battelle Developmental Inventory, obtained from a sample of 78 children with severe disabilities. Procedures used to conduct internal reliability and construct validity analyses are discussed. Researchers are urged to evaluate a test's construct validity when their…

A method is proposed to combine a relative approach and an absolute approach to performance appraisal by combining graphic rating and ranking. Two studies involving 196 college undergraduates who rated their instructors illustrate the promise offered by the proposed Qualitative Ranking Scale. (SLD)