Reviews test construction strategies used in the development of many current questionnaire measures of temperament and critiques these measures. Shows the selection of coefficient alpha as sole criterion for inferring unidimensionality to be insufficient, and suggests improvements for construction of temperament measures. (SKC)

Examined the relationships among measures designed to assess two important aspects of family functioning: cohesion and control. Included these measures: Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales-II (FACES-II), Family Environment Scale (FES), family sculpture task, and social desirability scale. Found preliminary convergent and discriminant validity…

Analyses of college admissions aptitude test scores of 795 applicants for admission to major Northern Israeli university were undertaken to test for age bias in the predictive validity of scholastic aptitude test scores. Subjects were put into four age groups ranging from 18 to 49 years. Results support the differential predictive validity of…

Investigated the concurrent validity of the diagnostic components of the Boder Test of Reading-Spelling Patterns with the reading and spelling measures of the Stanford Achievement Reading Test (SAT) in 87 reading-disabled elementary school students. Results indicated the relationship between the reading components of the Boder and SAT were…

Whether alternative scoring strategies result in improved measurement properties of patient management problems (PMPs) was studied. Nine scoring systems (proficiency, efficiency, select, omit, data gathering, therapy, absolute, goal-oriented, and empiric expert score) were applied to 16 PMPs used in a certifying examination taken by 4,590…

Reviews the Sucher-Allred Group Reading Placement, used to determine the instructional reading level for students in grades 2-12. Concludes that the test correlates well with other standard tests and is useful as an informal reading inventory. (RS)

Coefficient alpha reliability estimates and interscale correlations were obtained for five locus of control scales administered to 267 undergraduates: the Rotter Internal-External Scale; the 18-item version of the Reid and Ware scale; the Levenson scale; the Nowicki-Strickland adult internal/external scale; and the Duttweiler Internal Control…

Compared stage acting items of Snyder's Self-monitoring Scale with face-valid measure of social acting devised to measure ability to regulate one's self-presentation in everyday social situations. Results from 224 college students showed that the two measures had little in common, pointing to necessity of distinguishing between contingent and…

Mandatory drug testing of workers will create problems due to the low predictive ability of urinalysis. The predictive value of drug testing in populations of low drug incidence is illustrated using Bayes' Theorem. (MT)

Conducted study to examine validity of Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Form 14 (ASVAB-14) composites and validity of new ASVAB-14 Job Cluster Scales developed by American College Testing Program for use in computer-based career planning system, DISCOVER. Found ASVAB-14 had serious limitations for career counseling. (NB)

Examined the counselor response skill measured by the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory. Inventories completed by 457 paraprofessional counselors from five suicide and crisis intervention services were factor-analyzed to yield their simple structure. Results suggest that the instrument is multifactorial, with four component factors…

Introduces a new procedure for assessing communication style, the Communication Style Q-Set. The measure consists of a deck of 100 items describing communication orientations and behaviors. These may be sorted by subjects or raters to describe an individual's unique style. Presents evidence to support the measure's face, concurrent, and…

Critiques the Beavers-Timberlawn Family Evaluation Scale (BT), a measure designed to be used in conjunction with other scales to more fully identify the health/competence of a family. Reviews the assessment tool's strengths and limitations. Finds the BT to be an important contribution to clinical work. (ABB)

Examined the relationship between child abuse, as measured by the Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory, and authoritarianism, as measured by the Public Opinion Scale (POS). Results indicated a nonsignificant relationship between abuse scores and authoritarianism. However, significant relationships were found betwen the CAP abuse factor rigidity…

Compared scores of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients, psychiatric patients who did not meet PTSD criteria, and normals on the Keane et al PTSD scale and Penk Combat Scales for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Results confirmed the validities of the PTSO scale and, to a lesser degree, Penk Combat Intensity Scales as…