The author discusses the difficulties that might be encountered in using various assessments and examinations in evaluative exercises. In particular, the discussion focuses on assessments that are presented in the form of examination results. The author also discusses an approach to a more school-based and hence potentially more useful form of…

Administered forms L and M of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) to 39 fourth, 39 fifth, and 38 sixth graders. Results showed that coefficients of correlation between scores of the PPVT-R and academic grades for language, mathematics, reading, spelling, science, and social studies ranged from -.18 to .67. (Author/LLL)

Presents a readaptation of the Social Readjustment Rating Scale for college students (N=176). An initial attempt to validate this new scale indicated significantly higher frequencies of medical illness, seeking of psychological help, and academic failures in individuals with above average life change. (Author/JAC)

Evaluated correlations between the Woodcock-Johnson Test of Cognitive Abilities (WJTCA) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) with 55 behavior disordered adolescent males. Results indicated good concurrent validity for the WJTCA Broad Cognitive Score but suggest that WJTCA is heavily verbal weighted. (JAC)

Examined which memory dimensions deteriorate with increasing age and examines the construct validity of the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) (N=1,264 males and 1,141 females at six age intervals). Visual-spatial memory tasks, remembering stories, and learning pairs of associated words proved more difficult with advanced age. (JAC)

Looks at recent approaches to communicative language testing and to the testing of English for specific purposes (ESP). Contrasts two approaches to language testing research and discusses Oller's unitary competence hypothesis. Examines problems deriving from scoring procedures associated with ESP tests. (SED)

Presents a screening instrument, the HRCA Vulnerability Index, involving 11 items concerning functional deficits in personal care, instrumental care, mobility, and mentation. Data from samples of community elderly, home care clients, and residents in congregate housing facilities (N=7,795) are analyzed to explore the potential usefulness of the…

The Mathematics Attribution Scale (MAS) (Algebra) was designed to assess attributions of success and failure in algebra to ability, effort, task, and environment. This study examined the MAS (Algebra) for a separate dimension of attributes for success and a dimension of attributes for failure. The two hypothesized dimensions did not emerge.…

The relationship between instruction and a test is defined as a parallel content-valid relation. This article describes the PLANA procedure, which approaches the problem of content validity by applying constructional rules for producing or judging the content validity relationship between the instructional objective and the items. (BW)

Conducted two experiments (N=96) to validate the Assertion Inventory (AI) which used a role playing format. Results of experiment one (which were in sharp contrast to the results of experiment two) provided strong support for the validity of the AI. (LLL)

The California Test of Mental Maturity, Short Form (CTMM-SF) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) were compared in a sample of Black and White children (N=155). Results indicated that ethnicity was the only significant effect, with Black children obtaining lower scores than White children. (LLL)

The low predictive validity of infant tests is discussed in light of current issues in developmental psychology. Considers continuity and discontinuity in the development of early cognitive competence, intellectual heterogeneity problems, and individual-environment transactions. Provides suggestions for increasing predictive validity and indicates…

Administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, and Wechsler Preschool Primary Scale of Intelligence in a counterbalanced design to randomly selected elementary school children (N=72). Results indicated that the verbal Intelligence Quotients (IQs) were comparable, but the performance and…

Examined the validity of a rationally developed biographical questionnaire for predicting content valid test performance for electrician applicants (N=221). Results showed that the utility of the questionnaire in screening applicant populations was both statistically and practically significant. (LLL)

Factor analyzed the Counseling Orientation Preference Scale (COS) to investigate its validity. Data from 686 students and two previous samples suggested items were not identified cleanly with the a priori placements used in the original construction. Two major cluster groupings were found, suggesting some support for validity. (Author/JAC)