Four essential dimensions of a performance test are detailed: directness of test method, type of criterion, standardization of conditions, and objectivity of scoring. For simplicity these factors are described as if each were dichotomous, when in actuality each is a continuum; a test method may be more or less direct, conditions more or less…

Study supported by Research Grant RT-11 from the Social and Rehabilitation Services, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

The paper describes development of the Minneapolis Preschool Screening Instrument (MPSI), a measure for identifying children needing preschool intervention. The measure was designed to be brief to administer, inexpensive and simple enough so that both professionals and nonprofessionals could quickly learn administration and scoring. A…

A STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE CHANGES IN SCORE CHARACTERISTICS RELATED TO VARIOUS CONDITIONS OF SPEEDEDNESS WHEN A TEST IS PRESENTED VISUALLY BY PROJECTING ONE ITEM AT A TIME. THIS METHOD OF STUDY IS POTENTIALLY USEFUL FOR PRESENTING TEST MATERIALS BY TELEVISION. THE TOTAL SCORE AND PART SCORE DATA REVEALED HIGH RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE…

USING PREVIOUSLY DEVELOPED FORMS OF THE DISCRIMINATION BY IDENTIFICATION OF PICTURES (DIP) TEST AND THE THRESHOLD BY IDENTIFICATION OF PICTURES (TIP) TEST, THE INVESTIGATORS SOUGHT TO IMPROVE THE MATERIAL AND PROCEDURE AND TO STANDARDIZE THE TESTS ON NORMAL HEARING CHILDREN. BOTH TESTS REQUIRED CHILDREN TO IDENTIFY PICTURES UPON HEARING NAMES OF…

OBJECTIVITY IN MENTAL TESTING REQUIRES THAT TEST CALIBRATION BE INDEPENDENT OF WHICH PERSONS ARE USED FOR THE CALIBRATION AND THAT PERSON MEASUREMENT BE INDEPENDENT OF WHICH ITEMS ARE USED FOR THE MEASUREMENT. PRESENT PRACTICE IS NOT OBJECTIVE, BUT COULD BE SO, AS SHOWN BY THE EXAMPLE HERE PRESENTED. DATA COME FROM THE RESPONSES OF 976 LAW…

The experiment described here was designed to find out which of two methods of testing--blank-filling and translation--gave the more accurate guide to linguistic ability. Two tests were devised to elicit identical correct answers using different means (blank-filling and translation). They were administered to two different classes of Guinean lycee…

Issues relevant to the nature of attitudes are discussed. The reader is referred to works indexing a variety of existent attitude scales. The way in which one constructs, administers, scores, interprets, and presents findings of an original attitude measuring device is discussed comprehensively, and yet in a nontechnical fashion for…

The Hill Interaction Matrix-G (HIM-G), a 72 item questionnaire, is a shorter method for the analysis of verbal interaction in small groups. Intended as a substitute for the more precise Hill Interaction Matrix Rating System (HIM-SS) this version can be rated within twenty minutes after observation of the group. A Fortran computer scoring program…

This paper reports on the administration of the Preschool Attainment Record (PAR), which is used to estimate developmental levels in children from 6 months to 8 years of age. The PAR was given to 17 5-year-old disadvantaged boys and girls of average intelligence. To reduce the tendency of evaluators to inflate scores, the test was administered by…

Classical test theory has been rejected for application to criterion-referenced (CR) tests by most psychometricians due to an expected lack of variance in scores and other difficulties. The present study was conceived to resolve the variance problem and explore the possibility that classical test theory is both appropriate and desirable for some…

To compare the reliability of performance on recorded dictation tests with performance on live tests, 216 university students who were nearing completion of an intermediate shorthand course and 26 job applicants seeking stenographic positions were divided into 10 groups, with five receiving live dictation and five receiving recorded dictation. The…