PSY 341 – spring 2012

Dr. Anderson

Test review project – due 15 March

This project is designed to help you learn the psychometric principles we study by applying them to an actual exemplar (the non-standardized test you select).

In this project you will apply various psychometric concepts we study in class to a test you select. I will assign questions for the project in class and post the questions to this page as well. Each question will contain the date it was posted. If you have questions about that particular question you must see me during my office hours within one week of the assignment – that means, do not wait until the project is due to review all elements with me as I will not discuss those elements which have passed the specified deadline. Since this is a college project and not a K-12 I will not collect your homework daily but will collect the project in its entirety on the 15^th of March, it is your own responsibility to stay on top of the assignments.

The final project is due no later than 1.15 on 15 March. It must be typed according to basic APA format. Double space between questions, but not within the question, also include a title page and running head and page numbers as well as references. Your final project should contain a copy of the test you are using, the pages from MMY with the information about the standardized test you use for comparison and the typed answers to the questions related to your test. The entire packet should be paper clipped and not stapled.

Please answer the question in the order given below. You do not need to provide lengthy essay answers for each question, but the answers must be grammatically correct. Remember that you must justify all of your answers to demonstrate that you understand the concept. This means that if I ask you if the test is individual or group administered, you may not simply say “individual” nor may you say “individual, because it says so” you must explain why it is individually administered. Basically you are demonstrating that you understand each concept.

Select 3 non standardized tests, submit them to me for review and to assign you one test to work with. (26 Jan)

Identify one standardized test in MMY to use as a comparison to the test you were assigned as your exemplar. Copy the relevant information from MMY to use in future questions – you will not locate nor use the actual test from MMY only the information from that source. (31 Jan)

1. Apply the 11 “characteristics of tests” discussed in class to your selected test, be sure you explain and justify each of your answers. (26 Jan)

Standardized vs. non-standardized

Individual vs. group

Speed vs. power

Objective vs. subjective

Written vs. oral

Verbal vs. non-verbal

Cognitive vs. affective

Achievement vs. aptitude

Timed vs. untimed

Criterion vs. norm referenced

Summative vs. formative

2. Which scale is used for your measure? (2 Feb)

Is it appropriate? – why or why not?

Are there alternate scales that could be used to represent the data from your scale? If so how?

3. What sort of graphs would you use to display the data from your measure?

Why would you use that one?

4. Does your test measure a state or a trait?

Explain

5. What sort of norms would be appropriate to collect to standardize your measure?

Why did you select those norms?

6. Which correlation formula would you use when correlating the scores from your measure with another variable?

Why?

7. Which approach(s) would you use to determine the reliability of your measure?

Why did you select those approach(s)?

8. What content or construct is your measure assessing? Explain your answer.

What do you think congruent and discriminant constructs would be to the one in your measure?

How would you determine the content or construct validity of your measure?

How would you determine the criterion validity of your measure?

Why would you use those approaches?

9. What standardized instrument from MMY did you select to use as a comparison for your measure?

Why did you select that instrument?

How would you use it to help standardize your measure?

10. What do you think the factor structure of your test would look like?