Teaching professionals (n=29) who shared the same classroom for a minimum of one hour per day provided independent ratings of the same child (ages 7-17) on the Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents (ASCA). Results indicated that statistically significant interrater agreement was achieved across all 22 syndromic profile classification…

This study tested the interrater reliability of the Modified Ashworth Scale in measuring upper and lower limb spasticity in 34 hemiplegic adult patients examined by 2 physiotherapists and 2 doctors. Findings indicated satisfactory reliability for upper limb spasticity but less satisfactory results for lower limb spasticity. (DB)

Standardization data based on responses of 616 Puerto Ricans to the Spanish version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (D. Wechlser, 1981) reveal reliability data and base rates to assist in evaluating the clinical significance of differences between Performance Intelligence Quotient (PIQ) and Verbal Intelligence Quotient (VIQ).…

This study assessed the psychometric properties of two subscales of the Adelaide Behaviour Disorder Scale that have been hypothesized to describe conduct problems and emotional problems of adults with intellectual disability. Criterion scores for identifying individuals needing clinical intervention were established and validated against…

This study assessed the psychometric properties of the Environmental Rating Scale, a measure specifically designed to assess residential treatment programs for individuals with autism. The measure's reliability was demonstrated by assessments of the internal consistency, stability, and interrater reliability. Preliminary analysis of validity…

Previous studies have compared the accuracy of parent, teacher, and clinician ratings of children behavior, especially in diagnostic analysis. However, many have questioned the validity of the tests and the value of each rater. While some research has found differences among raters, few had looked at samples of non-referred children. We wanted to…

We studied 205 low-income families, using the Family Needs Scale (FNS). Factor analysis of the FNS data resulted on a 7-factor solution with high internal consistency within the various subscales. We provide normative scores based on the factor structure of the FNS. A total of 53 parents completed the FNS on two occasions with an average of four…

Problem behavior is a primary barrier to successful community inclusion for people with developmental disabilities and therefore a major priority for intervention efforts. Recently, researchers and clinicians have begun to focus on the systematic assessment of a broad range of contextual variables that purportedly affect problem behavior. In the…

This study examined the reliability and validity of a Korean-translated version of the Gifted Rating Scales--School Form (GRS-S) and explored the effect of gender, rater, and grade. Data were collected from elementary schools in a metropolitan area and a midsize town in South Korea. In all, 49 elementary school teachers and 272 parents…

The reliability of the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) has not been reported since ACTFL revised its speaking proficiency guidelines in 1999. Reliability data for assessments should be reported periodically to provide users with enough information to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the assessment. This study provided the most…

The general use of the Spearman-Brown formula for calculating the reliability of parallel tests with different lengths is reviewed. The importance of the assumption that the component tests be parallel is noted and the property that parallel tests must be non-negatively correlated is derived. (Author)

A novel use of periodic functions, called the periodic procedure, was recently introduced to make practical the use of certain physical measurement ideas in psychology. This paper reports a successful attempt to apply the periodic procedure to an important psychological measurement problem, the measurement of aptitude test item difficulties. The…

Bounds are obtained for a coefficient proposed by Kaiser as a measure of average correlation and the coefficient is given an interpretation in the context of reliability theory. It is suggested that the root-mean-square intercorrelation may be a more appropriate measure of degree of relationships among a group of variables. (Author)

Randomization should be employed whenever possible but the use of carefully controlled nonrandomized data to estimate causal effects is a reasonable and necessary procedure in many cases. (Author/BJG)