Describes the development of a 20-item measure of irrational belief that asks only about irrational belief and not about anxiety reactions. Two studies of the scale produced evidence that it has good internal consistency and good test retest reliability. Three additional studies of the scale found evidence of validity. (Author/NB)

This second validation study of the Parent Opinion Questionnaire (POQ) compared the unrealistic expectations of child abusing mothers (N=16) with mothers whose partners perpetrated the abuse (N=14). Significantly greater unrealistic expectations of child behavior were found for abusing mothers than for control mothers. A discriminant function…

Factor analysis of the Bell Object Relations Inventory items produced four subscales interpreted to be underlying dimensions of object relations. The implications of the subscales, and the potential of the instrument for empirical examination of theoretical assumptions about the object relations ego function and its components, are discussed.…

Using samples of psychiatric, medical, and chronic pain patients, the effectiveness of the Hysteria scale and of various combinations of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory scales as predictors of the simultaneous occurrence of two characteristics was evaluated: denial of psychological problems and admission of physical problems. The value…

Describes the applicability of the Facts on Aging Quiz in the Canadian context, and provides documentation for quiz items. Potential problems of misinterpretation of items relating to the rate of institutionalization and income levels are noted. The usefulness of the quiz in identifying differences in knowledge levels is confirmed. (Author/CT)

Discusses the importance of construct validation in the behavioral sciences, suggesting that it be extended to all relevant domains including cultural, philosophical, temporal, and theoretical frameworks. (Author/BL)

A theoretical explanation, in terms of a two-factor approach to a Person-Other-Issue (POX) Situation is offered, in an attempt to fill the void that exists in the face of the Heider-Newcomb controversy about POX balance. Validity and parsimony is demonstrated by applying it to some of the POX data reported in earlier studies. (Author/BL)

Convergent and discriminant validity of the Mental Processing Scales of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC) were examined using 51 first-grade children. Results supported the convergent validity of the K-ABC; correlations with reading achievement were fairly large. The discriminant validity received only partial support. (Author)

Evaluated correlations between Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, Woodcock-Johnson (W-J) Achievement clusters, Woodcock-Johnson Aptitude clusters, and Broad Cognitive Ability Score in 60 Behavior-Disordered male adolescents. Aptitude cluster scores had insufficient validity to justify computation for population; Broad Cognitive…

The situational specificity hypothesis predicts that, if the setting does not vary, validity will not vary. Using data from a large-sample validity study numerous small-sample studies were generated for which the setting was held constant. Results indicate variability across studies in observed validity coefficients, significance levels, and…

Distilled versions of Beck's cognitive and Lewinsohn's behavioral treatments for depression were crossed in a 2 x 2 design that included combined and high-demand control treatments. The obtained pattern of convergent and divergent outcomes indicates considerable construct-valid strength for cognitive therapy applied to a moderately depressed…

Investigated the dimensions and external validity of the Compulsive Eating Scale (CES), an instrument used for the assessment of bulimia. (Author/ABB)

Examines the construct of "market wage" and the process by which it is measured. Argues that both the construct and the measurement of the market wage have not been sufficiently examined by either academics or the courts. Implications for pay administration and future research are noted. (Author/BL)

Recent work with the F-K index of the MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) has reaffirmed its usefulness for identifying dissimulation. Presents normative tables for the F-K index based on a contemporary normative sample of 335 normal women and 304 normal men. (Author/ABB)

Reports on a study in the development of content-fair essay topics that provide the majority of examinees with the chance to write on a subject about which they know a great deal, and that reduce opportunities for linguistic misinterpretation. (HTH)