Multiple observer ratings of 424 families were obtained across 2 observational task situations using the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales. Observer ratings and family member reports were assessed simultaneously through structural equation modeling. Findings support the reliability of the global assessments of warm/supportive marital…

Describes an investigation of the relationship between the levels of interlinker consistency obtained among a group of full-text databases in which internodal links were inserted, and the effectiveness of searches carried out in those databases. Topics include interindexer consistency and retrieval system evaluation. (Author/LRW)

A study of 187 internists, evaluated by peers they recommended, found the highest rating was for integrity, and lowest was for psychosocial aspects of patient care. Peer raters' response rate and analysis of the ratings suggest this rating process is acceptable to physicians and that it is feasible to obtain reliable, multidimensional peer…

Evaluation of two meta-analyses of sociometric research on children with learning disabilities notes differences in their findings. Differences are attributed to effects of gender, ethnicity, and type of measurement on effect size; inadequate reporting of coding reliability; failure to include similar articles for analysis; and poor…

A self-report, paper-and-pencil version of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Hamilton Depression Inventory, was developed and tested with 140 depressed adults, 99 adults with anxiety disorders, and 118 nonreferred adults. Overall, data support the reliability and validity of the new measure. (SLD)

Guidelines are offered that make it more likely that high-quality information will be extracted and coded from primary research reports in meta-analyses. It is also noted that the methodology of meta-analysis results in pressure to change the type of information that appears in primary research reports. (SLD)

Outlines the conceptual background and development of the Leisure Competence Measure, a behavior-anchored rating scale which documents current levels of leisure functioning and change over time. Validation with a geriatric rehabilitation population supports it as an instrument from which researchers can draw dependable inferences regarding leisure…

This paper reports the psychometric properties of each of the subscales of the Youth Health Survey and results of a pilot study with 205 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students. The eight subscales assess health habits and attitudes of the adolescent as well as peer and family influences. Data for internal consistencies, test-retest…

A study of 331 elementary school children tested the reliability of a computer resident interactive arithmetic test and found high levels of reliability, using single sitting and parallel forms methods. The study also tried to determine the validity of the interactive test by comparing it with arithmetic subtests of the Key Math Test (KMT). (PEN)

A 13-month study of preschoolers' conversations with friends examined development of understanding of mind and emotion and mental-state talk. Findings indicated significant and related improvements in theory-of-mind task performance and affective perspective-taking. There were qualitative and quantitative changes in mental-state references in…

Describes procedures for calculating conditional standard error of measurement (CSEM) and reliability of scale scores and classification of consistency of performance levels. Applied these procedures to data from the American College Testing Program's Work Keys Writing Assessment with sample sizes of 7,097, 1,035, and 1,793. Results show that the…

Studied the stability of rater severity over an extended rating period by applying multifaceted Rasch analysis to ratings of 16 raters of writing performances of 8,285 elementary school students. Findings cast doubt on the practice of using a single calibration of rate severity as the basis for adjustment of person measures. (SLD)

Outlines ways to make online searching more efficient. Highlights include starting with printed materials; online reference libraries; subject directories such as Yahoo; search engines; evaluating Web sites, including reliability; bookmarking helpful sites; and using links. (LRW)

Introduces the College Student Social Support Scale (CSSSS) and presents initial psychometric data. Six-hundred and seven college students ranging in age from 18 to 31, across three studies, participated in the development and validation of this new self-report measure. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggest that the CSSSS is a…

Statistical analysis tools in language testing are described, chiefly classical test theory and item response theory. Computer software for statistical analysis is briefly reviewed and divided into three tiers: commonly available; statistical packages; and specialty software. (Author/VWL)