Discusses the role and use of achievement tests with particular reference to industry. It describes concepts of validity and reliability, looks at problems, and generally gives helpful hints on use. Contains figures illustrating the process of developing instruction and an example of a simple performance test. (CT)

Investigated construct validity of the Social Interest Index (SII) with 140 male alcoholics. Hypothesized that the SII would relate positively with measures of mental health, intelligence, education, and internal locus of control and would relate negatively with measures of MMPI "pathology" scales. The hypotheses generally were…

Related the Barron Ego Strength Scale to the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, the Tolerance Scale of the California Psychological Inventory, and the Practical Outlook Scale of the Omnibus Personality Inventory, using 80 female subjects. Results showed significant correlations between ego strength and abasement, dominance, tolerance, and…

Undergradautes responded to role-played scenarios involving heterosocial interactions. Later they were surreptitiously observed while they interacted with an opposite-sex student, an experimental confederate. Videotapes were rated for component responses. Role-play behavior was moderately correlated with behavior in naturalistic situations for…

Results established the indicator's technical adequacy and further defined the self-concept/level of aspirations relationship as supporting evidence of construct validity. (Author)

It is shown that the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) significantly predicted standing in a specialized course at the college level, lending credence to its criterion-related validity. The paper is based on a study of accelerated students pursuing a combined baccalaureate and professional program of medicine. (CE)

Presented for 64 subjects a replication of the Family Environment Scale's maximum likelihood factor structure for which the two-factor, Varimax-rotated solution was found to be stable when the correlations among the subscales were corrected for the effects of social desirability response bias. (Author)

Research indicates that the use of volunteer subjects in experiments involving motor performance may result in a selection bias and treatment interaction on certain tasks. (CJ)

Analyzed 400 Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Revised) (WISC-R) protocols to determine whether an abbreviated form could be identified that would be cost-effective. Results indicated that the derived prediction equation could be applied to the results of five designated WISC-R subtests to predict range of intellectual functioning with…

Concludes that the Slosson Intelligence Test and the Leiter International Performance Scale measure only limited aspects of reading disabled students' abilities as measured by the Weschsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised. (FL)

Ten item discrimination indices, across a variety of item analysis situations, were compared, based on the validities of tests constructed by using each of the indices to select 40 items from a 100-item pool. Item score data were generated by a computer program and included a simulation of guessing. (Author/CTM)

Evaluations of experimental interventions which employ self-report measures are subject to contamination known as response-shift bias. Response-shift effects may be attenuated by substituting retrospective pretest ratings for the traditional self-report pretest ratings. This study indicated that the retrospective rating more accurately reflected…

A test measuring the teachers' Spanish proficiency was developed as part of a battery of tests for teachers in bilingual education programs--the CERAS Teacher Tests for Spanish/English Bilingual Education. Two independent studies indicated that the relationship between pupils' achievement in Spanish and English and their teachers' Spanish…

Three of Guilford's tests of divergent thinking were scored for ideational fluency and originality. The originality scores were reliable, but when the effects of ideational fluency were partialed out of the originality scores, all reliabilities showed substantial decrements; interest correlations dropped to zero or showed a substantial decrement.…

Comments are offered on a recent article by Leonard on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) as a suicide predictor. Her appraisal of former studies and her consideration of the differences among individuals with different suicidal behaviors are critically evaluated. A response from Leonard follows. (Author/BEF)