What is Psych Testing & Why Does it Matter?
What is a psychological test? Hint: Be sure to include the 3 defining characteristics
a measurement tool or technique that requires a person to perform a behavior(s) in order to make an inference(s) about a psychological construct
How would you describe the Marshmallow Test? (include a description of the behavior, construct, and inference involved)
Behavior - stare at a marshmallow without eating it
Construct - delayed gratification (impulse control)
Inference - the child is high/low in delayed gratification
What is the difference between a psychological test and a psychological survey? Is the upcoming exam a psych test or survey?
Psych survey - interested in the group level
The upcoming exam is a psych test.
Provide an example of nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio level data?
nominal - data from Project Stage 1 (selecting a topic)
ordinal - Olympic rankings (1st place, 2nd place, etc.)
interval - temperature (celsius to fahrenheit)
ratio - temperature (Kelvin)
How should you display data collected over time?
line graph
What are the main behavior, psychological construct, and inference involved in the upcoming exam?
Behavior - respond to multiple-choice questions
Psych construct - knowledge of the course material so far
Inference - how well (or poorly) an individual understands the course material so far
How would you describe the Rorschach Inkblot Test? Be sure to describe the main behavior, construct, and inference involved. ALSO, is the test standardized or nonstandardized?
Behavior - identify an image from a blob
Construct - perception
Inference - an individual perceives things like... e.g., someone with a particular mental illness
Initially, the test was standardized. Recently, it has been administered as a nonstandardized test, which has harmed its reputation.
Suppose I want to assess the extent to which students enjoy Psych Tests & Measurement. What is the primary issue with this survey item?
I enjoy learning and participating in this class.
double-barreled
What is nominal data, and what are the 3 ways to analyze nominal data?
categorical data (naming the data)
frequency, mode, chi-square
When would you use a histogram versus a bar graph? What is the difference between the bars of a histogram and the bars of a bar graph?
Histogram- continuous data (interval and ratio)
Bar graph- categorical data (nominal)
The bars touch in a histogram. There is space between the bars in a bar graph.
Suppose that after the upcoming exam, I (Cheryl) send a congratulatory message to the top 10% of the class. That would be a(n)...
individual inference, institutional inference, rational inference, irrational inference, individual decision, institutional decision, rational decision, irrational decision, comparative decision, absolute decision
institutional decision, rational decision, and comparative decision
What are the 3 main characteristics/criteria of good psychological tests? How could I design the upcoming exam so that it meets the 3 criteria?
Representatively sample behaviors thought to measure an attribute (e.g., ask questions from every assigned reading and lecture)
Have standardized conditions (e.g., everyone takes the exam in the same room with the same restrictions)
Have rules for scoring (e.g., rubric for short answers, correct/incorrect for multiple choice)
Name at least 4 criteria of a good survey item
1) The item is purposeful and straightforward.
2) The item is unambiguous and uses correct syntax (e.g., avoid jargon, complete sentences, comfortable reading level, no typos).
3) The item is appropriate for the rating scale.
4) The item does not require additional categorical alternatives.
5) The item asks one and only one question (not double-barreled).
6) The item does not require reverse-coding (debated!)
Name at least 4 analyses can you perform with interval data that you cannot perform with ordinal data?
mean, standard deviation, Pearson correlation, t-test, F-test
When should you use a break in a graph?
when the graph does not have equal intervals in order to avoid empty space
Perhaps you make a 50/50 on the upcoming exam. Based on your score, you decide to pursue a career in psychological testing. That would be a(n)...
individual inference, institutional inference, rational inference, irrational inference, individual decision, institutional decision, rational decision, irrational decision, comparative decision, absolute decision
an individual decision and an irrational decision
What type of test is Exam 1?
Test of maximal performance, Behavior observation test, Self-report test, Standardized test, Nonstandardized test, Objective test, Projective test, Achievement test, Aptitude test, Intelligence test, Interest test, Personality test
Test of maximal performance, nonstandardized test, objective test, achievement test
Suppose I want to assess the extent to which students enjoy this class, so I write the following item:
I enjoy attending office hours.
Response options: strongly disagree to strongly agree
What is the primary issue with this survey item?
The item does not include appropriate categorical alternatives. What about students who never attend office hours? There should be an N/A for such students.
At the end of jeopardy, I could rank the teams in order of their points. Which questions could I answer with the data?
1) What is the average amount of knowledge of the teams?
2) Which team demonstrated the median amount of knowledge?
3) What percentage of the teams did Team 1 beat?
4) How does an individual's jeopardy ranking relate to their ranking on the exam?
5) How much do teams generally vary in their knowledge?
2 (median), 3 (percentile), 4 (rank-order correlation)
If test scores fit a normal curve, what percentage of scores fall within one standard deviation of the mean? 2 standard deviations? 3 standard deviations?
~68%
~95%
~99.7
What does OCEAN stand for? AND what is the difference between "E" and "A"?
Openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism
Extraversion - social and outgoing
Agreeableness - warm and friendly
What are the 6 assumptions of a psychological test?
1.The test measures what it claims to measure and predicts what it claims to predict
2. Test scores will typically remain stable over time (test-retest reliability)
3. Individuals understand items in the same way.
4. Individuals will report accurately.
5. Individuals will report honestly.
6. There will be some error. Observed score = True score + error
What are the 5 steps of preparing a psych survey?
1. Identify the objectives
2. Define the objectives operationally
3. Construct a Plan – identify the necessary steps, costs, and timeline
4. Select the type of survey
5. Write survey questions/items
Perhaps you collect data on a 5-point Likert scale (Strongly disagree, somewhat disagree, neither agree nor disagree, somewhat agree, strongly agree). Is the data ordinal or interval? Present an argument for each. Do we typically treat it as ordinal or interval?
Interval - the distance between scale points is equal-interval (e.g., the distance between strongly disagree and somewhat disagree is the same as the distance between somewhat disagree and neither agree nor disagree)
Ordinal - people may not perceive the scale points as equal-interval
We typically treat it as though it is interval
Class intervals in a frequency table often violate what rule?
class intervals should be exclusive (each data point fits into one and only one class interval)