Understanding Test Formats and Psychometric Properties, Exams of Sociology of Health and Illness

Download Understanding Test Formats and Psychometric Properties and more Exams Sociology of Health and Illness in PDF only on Docsity! Encyclopedia of Counseling Assessment and Testing (NCE) 100 Questions & Answers with Rationale. Appraisal can be defined as (a) The process of assessing or estimating attributes (b) Testing which is always performed in a group setting (c) Testing which is always performed on a single individual (d) A pencil and paper measurement of assessing attributes - Correct answer (a) the process of assessing or estimating attributes Appraisal could include a survey, observations, or even clinical interviews Appraisal is a VERY BROAD term Can also be referred to as an assessment or an evaluation A test can be defined as a systematic method of measuring a sample of behavior. Test format refers to the manner in which test items are presented. The format of an essay test is considered a (n) _________ format. (a) Subjective (b) Objective (c) Very precise (d) Concise - Correct answer (a) subjective A "subjective" paradigm relies mainly on the scorer's opinion In an "objective" test the rater's judgment plays little or no part in the scoring process The National Counselor Exam (NCE) is a (n) ______ test because the scoring procedure is specific (a) Subjective (b) Objective (c) Projective (d) Subtest - Correct answer (b) objective A short answer test is a __________ test (A) objective (b) culture-free (c) Forced choice (d) Free choice - Correct answer (d) free choice Sometimes also called "free response" The individual can respond in any manner he or she chooses Page 1 of 24 Although free choice response patterns can yield more information, they often take more time to score and increase subjectivity in scoring (and therefore bias) The NCE and CPCE would be examples of a _________ test (a) Free choice (b) Forced choice (c) Projective (D) Intelligence - Correct answer (b) forced choice Forced choice items are sometimes known as "recognition items" The ______ index indicates the percentage of individuals who answered each item correctly (a) Difficulty (b) Critical (c) Intelligence (d) Personal - Correct answer (a) difficulty The higher the number of people who answer a question correctly, the easier the item is. A 0.5 difficulty index (also called a difficulty value) would suggest that 50% of those tested answered the question correctly, while 50% did not. Short answer tests and projective measures utilize free response items. The NCE and the CPCE uses forced choice or so-called ______ items. (a) Vague (b) Subjective (c) Recognition (d) Numerical - Correct answer (c) recognition A true/false test has _________ recognition items (a) Similar (b) Free choice (c) Dichotomous (d) No - Correct answer (c) dichotomous When a test gives the person taking the exam three or more forced choices, then psyshometricians call it a "multipoint item" A test format could be normative or impassive. In the normative format (a) Each item depends on the item before it (b) Each item depends on the item after it (c) The client must possess an IQ within the normal range Page 2 of 24 (b) A vertical test (c) A valid test (d) A reliable test - Correct answer (a) a horizontal test In a test battery, several measures are used to produce results that could be more accurate than those derived from merely using a single source Horizontal tests measure various factors (e.g., math and science) during the same testing procedure Vertical tests would have versions for various age brackets or levels of education (e.g., a math achievement test for preschoolers and a version for middle school children) In a counseling research study, two groups of subjects took a test with the same name. However, when they talked with each other they discovered that the questions were different. The researcher assured both groups that they were given the same test. How is that possible? (a) The researcher is not telling the truth (b) The test was horizontal (c) The test was vertical (d) The researcher gave parallel forms of the same test - Correct answer (d) the researcher gave parallel forms of the same test When a test has two versions or forms that are interchangeable, they are termed "parallel forms" or "equivalent forms" of the same test. They must have the same mean, standard error, and other statistical components The most critical factors in test selection are (a) The length of the test and the number of people who took the test in the norming process (b) Horizontal versus vertical (c) Validity and reliability (d) Spiral versus cyclical - Correct answer (c) validity and reliability Validity—whether the test measures what it says it measures Reliability—how consistent a test measures an attribute? Which is more important, validity or reliability? (a) Reliability (b) They are equally important (c) Validity (d) It depends on the test in question - Correct answer (c) validity Page 5 of 24 Validity is almost always considered the NUMBER ONE factor in the construction of a test. A test must measure what it purports to measure Reliability is the second most important concern. In the field of testing, validity refers to (a) Whether the test really measures what it purports to measure (b) Whether the test gives consistent measurement (c) The degree of cultural bias in a test (d) The fact that numerous tests measure the same traits - Correct answer (a) whether the test really measures what it purports to measure A test which is valid for one group may not necessarily be valid for another. A counselor peruses a testing catalog in search of a test which will repeatedly give consistent results. The counselor (a) Is interested in reliability (b) Is interested in validity (c) Is looking for information that is not available (d) Is magnifying an unimportant issue - Correct answer (a) is interested in reliability NOTE: A test can be highly reliable but not valid at all. Reliability places a ceiling on validity but validity does not set the limits on reliability. Which measure would yield the highest level of reliability? (a) A TAT, a projective test popular with psychodynamic counselors (b) The WAIS-IV, a popular IQ test (c) The MMPI-2 a popular personality test (d) A very accurate postage scale - Correct answer (d) a very accurate postage scale In the real world, physical measurements are more reliable than psychological ones Construct validity refers to the extent that a test measures an abstract trait or psychological notion. An example would be (a) Height (b) Weight (c) Ego strength (d) The ability to name all US presidents - Correct answer (c) ego strength Any trait that cannot be "directly" measured or observed must be considered a construct Face validity refers to the extent a test (a) Looks or appears to measure the intended attribute (b) Measures a theoretical construct Page 6 of 24 (c) Appears to be constructed in an artistic fashion (d) Can be compared to job performance - Correct answer (a) looks or appears to measure the intended attribute A job test which predicted future performance on a job very well would (a) Have high criterion/predictive ability (b) Have excellent face validity (c) Have excellent construct ability (d) Not have incremental validity or synthetic validity - Correct answer (a) have high criterion/predictive ability If the question asked about CURRENT job performance, that could only be criterion validity A new IQ test which yielded results nearly identical to other standardized measures would be said to have (a) Good concurrent validity (b) Good face validity (c) Superb internal consistency (d) All of the above - Correct answer (a) good concurrent validity Criterion validity could be concurrent or predictive When a counselor tells a client that the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) will predict her ability to handle graduate work, the counselor is referring to (a) Good concurrent validity (b) Construct validity (c) Face validity (d) Predictive validity - Correct answer (d) predictive validity The GRE, ACT (American College Test), SAT (scholastic aptitude test) and public opinion polls are effective only if they have high predictive validity REMEMBER, predictive validity is one of the two subtypes of criterion validity. The other subtype is concurrent validity. A reliable test is _________ valid (a) Always (b) 90% (c) Not always (d) 80% - Correct answer (c) not always valid However, reliably sometimes determines the upper level of validity Page 7 of 24 Although .70 is generally acceptable for most psychological attributes, for admissions for jobs, schools, and so on should be at least .80 and some experts want .90 The same test is given to the same group of people using the test-retest reliability method. The correlation between the first and the second administration is .70. The true variance is (a) 70% (b) 100% (c) 30% (d) 49% - Correct answer (d) 49% To demonstrate the variance of one factor accounted for by another tour merely square the correlation. .70 * .70 = .49 Your exam could refer to this as the Coefficient of Determination IQ means (a) Query of intelligence (b) Indication of intelligence (c) Intelligence quotient (d) Intelligence questions - Correct answer (c) intelligence quotient A quotient is the result when you perform division. The early ration formula for the Benet IQ score was: mental age \ chronological age x 100 The score indicated his you compared to those in your age group ______ did research and concluded that intelligence was normally distributed like height or weight and that it was primarily genetic. (a) Spearman (b) Guilford (c) Williamson (d) Galton - Correct answer (d) Galton Francis Galton felt that intelligence was a single or so-called unitary factor Francis Galton felt intelligence was (a) A unitary factor (b) Best explained via a two factor theory (c) Best explained via the person's environment (d) Fluid and crystallized in nature - Correct answer (a) a unitary factor J.P. Guilford isolates 120 factors which added up to intelligence. He is also remembered for his (a) Thoughts on convergent and divergent thinking (b) Work on cognitive therapy Page 10 of 24 (c) Work on behavior therapy (d) Work to create the first standardized IQ test - Correct answer (a) thoughts on convergent and divergent thinking These were two of his 120 factors convergent thinking occurs when divergent thoughts and ideas are combined into a singular concept Divergent thinking is the ability to generate a novel idea A counselor is told by his supervisor to measure the internal consistency reliability (i.e., homogeneity) of a test but not to divide the test in halves. The counselor would need to utilize (a) The split half method (b) The test retest method (c) The Kidder-Richardson coefficients of equivalence (d) cross-validation - Correct answer (c) the Kidder-Richardson coefficients of equivalence Often called the KR-20 or the KR-21 The Cranach’s alpha coefficient also is used to test for homogeneity The first intelligence test was created by (a) David Wechsler (b) J.P. Guilford (c) Francis Galton (d) Alfred Benet and Theodore Simon - Correct answer (d) Alfred Benet and Theodore Simon In 1905 they created a 30 question test with school related items of increased difficulty. Benet used his own daughters as test subjects and he is considered one of the pioneers in projective testing based on his work with ink blots Lewis M Term an published an American version in 1916 at Stanford University The test is now called the Stanford-Benet IQ test Today, the Stanford-Benet IQ test is (a) A no standardized measure (b) A standardized measure (c) A projective measure (d) B and c - Correct answer (b) a standardized measure Because the s owing and administration procedures are formal and well delineated Tests which are not standardized lack procedural guidelines for scoring or administration and do not include quantitative information related to "standards" of performance Page 11 of 24 IQ stands for intelligence quotient, which is expressed by (a) CA/MA x 100 (b) CA/MA x .10 (c) MA/CA x 50 (d) MA/CA x 100 - Correct answer (d) MA/CA x 100 This equation was created by William Stern The formula produces what is known as a "ratio IQ" Today, a "deviation IQ" is utilized which compares the individual to a norm So although we still use the term IQ the Benet today actually relies on a standard age score (SAS) with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 16 The Benet stressed age-related tasks. Utilizing this method, a 9-year old task would be one which (a) Only a 10-year old child could answer (b) Only an 8 year-old child could answer (c) 50% of the 9 year olds could answer correctly (d) 75% of the 9 year olds could answer correctly - Correct answer (c) 50% of the 9 year olds could answer correctly Half could answer Simon and Benet pioneered the first IQ test around 1905. The test was created to (a) Assess high school seniors in America (b) Assess US military recruits (c) Discriminate children without and intellectual disability from children with one (d) Measure genius in the college population - Correct answer (c) Some believe the Wechsler is a better test for those who fall in the average range while the Stanford Benet is better for assessing extremes of intellect (low or high) Today the Stanford-Benet is used from age 2 to adulthood. The IQ formula has been replaced by the (a) SAS (b) SUDS (c) Entropy (d) KR-20 formula - Correct answer (a) SAS Standard age score Most experts would agree that the Wechsler IQ tests gained popularity, as the Benet Page 12 of 24 (B) Raymond B Castell (c) Arthur Jensen (d) Robert Williams - Correct answer (c) Arthur Jensen Choice "b" Raymond B Castell is responsible for the fluid (inherited neurological intelligence that decreases with age and is not very dependent on culture) and crystallized intelligence (intelligence from experiential, cultural, and educational interaction) Choice "d" Robert Williams made the Black Intelligence Test of Cultural Homogeneity (BITCH) to demonstrate that African Americans often excel when given a test laden with questions whose answers would be familiar to members of the black community. He believed other IQ tests were part of scientific racism The MMPI-2 is (a) AN IQ test (b) A neurological test (c) A projective personality test (d) A standardized personality test - Correct answer (d) a standardized personality test Originally created in 1940. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory is a self-report personality test. The client can respond with true or false or cannot say to 567 questions Very useful for assessing emotional disturbance. The version 2 is intended to help clinicians diagnose and treat patients Suitable for those over 18 and a 6th grade reading level is required. Takes 60-90 minutes MMPI-A is a 478 question version suitable for 14-18 year olds The word psychometric means (a) A form of measurement used by a neurologist (b) Any form of mental testing (c) A mental trait which cannot be measured (d) The test relies on a summated or linear rating scale - Correct answer (b) any form of mental testing Choice "d" is used to describe answer scales in which various values are given to different responses (like a Liker scale) where the client's score is a "sum" of their responses In a projective test the client is shown (a) Something which is highly reinforcing (b) Something which is highly charged from an emotional standpoint (c) A and b Page 15 of 24 (d) Neutral stimuli - Correct answer (d) neutral stimuli The idea is that the client will "project" his or her personality Examiner bias is common with these tests The 16 PF reflects the work of (a) Raymond Castell (b) Carl Jung (c) James McKean Castell (d) Oscar K. Burros - Correct answer (a) Raymond Castell 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire Suitable for persons 16 and older. Measures key personality factors such as assertiveness, emotional maturity, and shrewdness Castell coined the term "mental test" The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator reflects the work of (a) Raymond Castell (b) Carl Jung (c) William Glaser (d) Oscar K. Burros - Correct answer (b) Carl Jung The counselor who favors projective measures would most likely be a (a) Rogation (b) Strict behaviorist (c) TA therapist (d) Psychodynamic therapist - Correct answer (d) psychodynamic therapist An aptitude test is to____ as an achievement test is to _____ (a) What has been learned; potential? (b) Potential; what has been learned (c) Profit from learning; potential (d) A measurement of current skills; potential - Correct answer (b) potential; what has been learned Aptitude tests measure potential and predict. (Predictive validity is especially important with these tests) An achievement test examines what you know or how well you currently perform Page 16 of 24 Both the Rorschach and the TAT are projective tests. The Rorschach uses 10 inkblot cards while the TAT uses (A) a dozen inkblot cards (b) Verbal and performance IQ scales (c) Pictures (d) Incomplete sentences - Correct answer (c) pictures 31 cards and is intended for ages 4 and up. Uses up to 20 of the cards when administered. The pictures on each card are intentionally ambiguous and the client is asked to make up a story for each of them Test bias primarily results from (a) A test normed solely on white middle class clients (b) The use of projective measures (c) Using whites to score the test (d) Using IQ rather than personality tests - Correct answer (a) a test normed solely on white middle class clients This should be communicated to the client when the results are explained A counselor who fears the client has an organic, neurological, or motorized difficulty would most likely use the (a) Bender Gestalt II (b) Rorschach (c) MMPI-2 (d) TAT - Correct answer (a) Bender Gestalt II An expressive projective measure that was originally created to determine if brain damage is evident For ages 4 and beyond, the client is instructed to copy 16 geometric figures which the client can look at while constructing his or her drawing An interest inventory would be least valid when used with (a) A first-year college student majoring in philosophy (b) A third-year college student majoring in physics (c) An eighth grade male with an IQ of 136 (d) a 46-year white old male construction worker - Correct answer (c) an eighth grade male with an IQ of 136 Interest inventories work best with individuals who are of high school age or above and interests are no very stable before that time Interests becomes quite stable around age 25 Page 17 of 24 (c) Be at least 10 points higher or lower (d) Be lower than .82 - Correct answer (d) be lower than .82 Increasing a test's length raises reliability. Shortening it decreases reliability. The Spearman Brown formula is used to estimate the impact of shortening or lengthening a test on its reliability A counselor can utilize psychological tests to help secure a _______ diagnosis if third-party payments are necessary (a) CPT (b) DSM or ICD (c) Percentile (d) Standard error - Correct answer (b) DSM or ICD Choice "a" CPT is Current Procedural Terminology Codes. They are used to let insurance companies etc. know which service you’re provided (like family therapy for example) A colleague of yours invents a new projective test. Seventeen counselors rated the same client using the measure and came up with nearly identical assessments. This would indicate (a) High validity (b) High reliability (c) Excellent morning studies (d) Culture fairness - Correct answer (b) high reliability This example demonstrates inter-rater reliability Counselors often shy away from self-reports since (a) Clients often give inaccurate answers (b) ACA ethics do not allow them (c) Clients need a very high IQ to understand them (d) They are generally very lengthy - Correct answer (a) clients often give inaccurate answers Putting answers that are swayed and not accurate is called a "reactive effect" of self-reporting In most instances, who would be the best qualified to give the Rorschach Inkblot Test? (a) A counselor with NCC after his or her name (b) A clinical psychologist (c) A D.O. psychiatrist (d) A social worker with LCSW after his or her name - Correct answer (b) a clinical psychologist They have the most training in projective measures. The social worker would have the least Page 20 of 24 Your client, who is in an outpatient hospital program, is keeping a journal of irrational thoughts. This would be (a) An unethical practice (b) Considered a standardized test (c) An informal assessment technique (d) An aptitude measure - Correct answer (c) an informal assessment technique Self-reports, case notes, checklists, sociograms, interviews, and professional staffing all fall into this category You are uncertain whether a test is intended for the population served by your agency. The best method of researching the dilemma would be to (a) Contact a local APA clinical psychology graduate program (b) E-mail the person that created the test (c) Read the test manual included with the test (d) Give the test to six or more clients at random - Correct answer (c) read the test manual included with the test The manual should specify the target population Clients should know that (a) Validity is more important than reliability (b) Projective tests favor a psychodynamic theory (c) Face validity is not that important (d) A test is merely a single source of data and is not infallible - Correct answer (d) a test is merely a single source of data and is not infallible One major testing trend is (A) computer assisted testing and computer interpretations (b) More paper and pencil measures (c) To give school children more standardized tests (d) To train pastoral counselors to do projective testing - Correct answer (a) computer assisted testing and computer interpretations One future trend which seems contradictory that experts are pushing for (a) A greater reliance on tests while others want to rely on them less (b) Social workers to do most of the testing (c) Psychiatrists to do most of the testing (d) Counselors to ban all computer-assisted tests - Correct answer (a) a greater reliance on tests while others want to rely on them less Most counselors would agree that (a) More preschool IQ testing is necessary (b) Teachers need to give more personality tests Page 21 of 24 (c) More public education is needed in the area of testing (d) The testing mystique has been beneficial to the general public - Correct answer (c) more public education is needed in the area of testing The public needs to know the limitations of testing. Negative test scores easily become a self- fulfilling prophecy _____ would be an informal method of appraisal (a) IQ testing (b) Standardized personality testing (c) GRE scores (d) A checklist - Correct answer (d) a checklist An informal method does NOT use standard administration or scoring procedures The WAIS-IV is given to 100,000 individuals in the US who are picked at random. A counselor would expect that (a) Approximately 68% would score between 85 and 115 (b) Approximately 68% would score between 70 and 130 (c) The mean IQ would be 112 (D) 50% of those tested would score 112 or above - Correct answer (a) approximately 68% would score between 85 and 115 Remember— the mean of the WAIS-IV is 100 and the SD is 15. 68% is one SD both ways on the bell curve. Hence, 100-15 = 85 100+15 = 115 And therefore the range is 85-115 A word association test would be an example of (a) A neuropsychological test (b) A motor is test (c) An achievement test (d) A projective test - Correct answer (d) a projective test Sometimes also referred to as "self-expressive" tests Infant IQ tests are (a) More reliable than those given in later life (b) More unreliable than those given in later life (c) Not related to learning experiences (d) Never used - Correct answer (b) more unreliable than those given in later life Page 22 of 24