Essentials of Psychological Testing (Essentials of Behavioral Science)
Susana Urbina
Language: English
Pages: 400
ISBN: 1118680480
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
An easy-to-understand overview of the key concepts of psychological testing
Fully updated and revised, the second edition of Essentials of Psychological Testing surveys the basic principles of psychometrics, succinctly presents the information needed to understand and evaluate tests, and introduces readers to the major contemporary reference works in the field.
This engaging, practical overview of the most relevant psychometric concepts and techniques provides the foundation necessary for advanced study in the field of psychological assessment. Each clear, well-organized chapter includes new examples and references, featuring callout boxes highlighting key concepts, bulleted points, and extensive illustrative material, as well as “Test Yourself” questions that help gauge and reinforce readers’ grasp of the information covered. The author’s extensive experience and deep understanding of the concepts presented are evident throughout the book, particularly when readers are reminded that tests are tools and that, like all tools, they have limitations.
Starting with a basic introduction to psychological tests, their historical development, and their uses, the book also covers the statistical procedures most frequently used in testing, the frames of reference for score interpretation, reliability, validity and test item considerations, as well as the latest guidelines for test selection, administration, scoring and reporting test results. Whether as an orientation for those new to the field, a refresher for those already acquainted with it, or as reference for seasoned clinicians, this book is an invaluable resource.
SUSANA URBINA, PHD, is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of North Florida, where she taught courses in psychological testing and assessment. A Diplomate of the American Board of Assessment Psychology and a licensed psychologist, Dr. Urbina practiced in the field of psychological assessment for over a decade. She coauthored the seventh edition of Psychological Testing with Anne Anastasi and has published numerous articles and reviews in the area of psychological testing.
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placement—nobody is rejected, but individuals must be differentially assigned to distinct categories or treatments on the bases of multiple criteria. This means that multiple predictors are required and their relationships with each criterion have to be determined independently, through separate regression equations. The most appropriate tool for classification decisions is a battery of tests or predictors whose results are validated against the various criteria to be predicted and then combined
ipsativeness presented by multidimensional forced-choice questionnaires (A. Brown & Maydeu-Olivares, 2013). Advantages of Selected-Response Items Objective items are by far the most popular and frequently used type of test item. Their advantages derive from the ease and objectivity with which they can be scored, which result in significant time savings and enhance test score reliability; the issue of scoring error is virtually inapplicable to items of this type, except through clerical
able to disclose pertinent information in a conscientious and thorough manner. Those who receive the references are most often unaware of factors that may impinge on their trustworthiness. Similarly, over the past few decades, grade inflation at all levels of schooling has eroded the meaning of many academic credentials to the point that grade point averages, and even some degrees and diplomas, can no longer be taken at face value with regard to the competencies they signify. Searching for and
from Mean to z Area in Larger Portion Area in Smaller Portion y at x/σX (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) 0.00 .0000 .5000 .5000 .3989 0.01 .0040 .5040 .4960 .3989 0.02 .0080 .5080 .4920 .3989 0.03 .0120 .5120 .4880 .3988 0.04 .0160 .5160 .4840 .3986 0.05 .0199 .5199 .4801 .3984 0.06 .0239 .5239 .4761 .3982 0.07 .0279 .5279 .4721 .3980 0.08 .0319 .5319 .4681 .3977 0.09 .0359 .5359 .4641 .3973 0.10 .0398 .5398 .4602 .3970 0.11 .0438 .5438 .4562 .3965 0.12 .0478 .5478 .4522 .3961 0.13 .0517 .5517 .4483 .3956
Anne Anastasi and wrote the study guides for the sixth and seventh editions of that text. In addition, she has published numerous articles and reviews in the area of psychological testing, has conducted test validation research, and has consulted with test publishers on various test development projects. Dr. Urbina is a fellow of Division 5 (Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics) of the American Psychological Association (APA) and of the Society for Personality Assessment. She has been a member