Responses to various fixed test-response formats were examined for "reliability" due to systematic error; Cronbach's alphas up to .67 were obtained. Of formats tested, four-point Likert Scales were least affected while forms of lines and faces were most problematic. Possible modification in alpha to account for systematic bias is…

The psychometric characteristics of the revised UCLA Loneliness Scale in Iranian groups correlated significantly with measures of other conceptually-related variables such as depression, anxiety, and neuroticism. Factorial structure supported the multidimensionality of the scale. (Author/PN)

Two response formats and request for reason-for-choice on a traditional cognitive preference test (CPT) and an open-ended CPT were used to test for consistency across methods of observation at individual/population levels. Results indicate that validation of CPT constructs has not reached state of unequivocality necessary for their application in…

Surveyed college admissions offices (N=236) to determine the current status and perceived usefulness of letters of recommendation. Results show 87% of respondents required or considered letters of recommendation. They were considered useful in revealing personal qualities, particularly of handicapped and minority applicants, which could offset…

Concludes that the usefulness of reading interest assessment is not impaired by the change in students' reading interests across a 36-week interval. (FL)

Using random selection of citations from journal articles, two specific permutations of the citation checking approach to university library collection evaluation are tested on political science collections in five university libraries in the Washington, D.C. area. The history of the citation checking approach is reviewed. Forty-three references…

Studied interviewer reliability, validity, and strategy for information integration. Candidates (N=412) for selection to a military division were interviewed and assessed. Results indicated that interviewers functioned in a similar fashion. Analyses of individual interviewers indicated higher reliability and individual differences among…

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (Dunn and Dunn) is described as a convenient, quick test, possessing improvements over the original. It measures a subject's receptive (hearing) vocabulary for Standard American English. However, the validity information for the test is less than adequate, since no validity studies are presented for it.…

The psychological and linguistic foundations of the cloze procedure are outlined, and standard approaches and terms used are reviewed. Notes are given on cloze in testing, in relation to language structure, and as a teaching device, focusing on the manipulation of the technique for a variety of purposes and situations. (MSE)

This study was concerned with the reliability and validity of subjective judgments about five characteristics of multiple-choice test items from an introductory college-level astronomy test: (1) item difficulty, (2) language complexity, (3) content importance or relevance, (4) response set convergence, and (5) process complexity. (Author)

Describes a variety of ways to create cloze blanks and discusses how the reader's task differs in the various types of exercises. (FL)

In a study of tests on diagnosis it was found that confidence measures of knowledge adjusted for reasoning were more reliable than conventional measures of knowledge, supporting the idea that knowledge enhances the ability to recognize the diagnostic entities, and realism is associated with fewer premature closures. (MSE)