Showing papers in "Psychological Bulletin in 1955"

Construct validity in psychological tests.

Abstract: Validation of psychological tests has not yet been adequately conceptualized, as the APA Committee on Psychological Tests learned when it undertook (1950-54) to specify what qualities should be investigated before a test is published. In order to make coherent recommendations the Committee found it necessary to distinguish four types of validity, established by different types of research and requiring different interpretation. The chief innovation in the Committee's report was the term construct validity.[2] This idea was first formulated by a subcommittee (Meehl and R. C. Challman) studying how proposed recommendations would apply to projective techniques, and later modified and clarified by the entire Committee (Bordin, Challman, Conrad, Humphreys, Super, and the present writers). The statements agreed upon by the Committee (and by committees of two other associations) were published in the Technical Recommendations (59). The present interpretation of construct validity is not "official" and deals with some areas where the Committee would probably not be unanimous. The present writers are solely responsible for this attempt to explain the concept and elaborate its implications.

Antecedent probability and the efficiency of psychometric signs, patterns, or cutting scores

Abstract: In clinical practice, psychologists frequently participate in the making of vital decisions concerning the classification, treatment, prognosis, and disposition of individuals. In their attempts to increase the number of correct classifications and predictions, psychologists have developed and applied many psychometric devices, such as patterns of test responses as well as cutting scores for scales, indices, and sign lists. Since diagnostic and prognostic statements can often be made with a high degree of accuracy purely on the basis of actuarial or experience tables (referred to hereinafter as base rates), a psychometric device, to be efficient, must make possible a greater number of correct decisions than could be made in terms of the base rates alone. The efficiency of the great majority of psychometric devices reported in the clinical psychology literature is difficult or impossible to evaluate for the following reasons: a. Base rates are virtually never reported. It is, therefore, difficult to determine whether or not a given device results in a greater number of correct decisions than would be possible solely on the basis of the rates from previous experience. When, 1 From the Neuropsychiatric Service, VA Hospital, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Divisions of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology of the University of Minnesota Medical School. The senior author carried on his part of this work in connection with his appointment to the Minnesota Center for the Philosophy of Science.

Review of Theories of Perception and the Concept of Structure.

Abstract: A condition responsive electrical switch is provided with a housing, and means is movable in the housing between opposite positions for controlling the flow of power through the switch. Means is pivotally movable in the housing for effecting actuation of the controlling means between its opposite positions, and means is operable generally in response to a certain condition for driving the actuation means to pivot it and conjointly move the controlling means toward one of its opposite positions. Means is selectively operable for biasing the actuation means against the driving means to also pivot the actuation means and effect conjoint movement of the controlling means toward the other of its opposite positions.

Language in culture.

Abstract: The term \"Igbo\" often denotes community or the inhabited world as in the expression \"Igbo bi.a lere\" (World or whole community, come see). Igbo language belongs to the Niger-Congo family/ \"Benue-Congo\" group of languages. It has dozens of geographical dialects and is also surrounded by yet other dozens of closely related Niger-Congo languages. These related language subgroups are: Edoid (in the west), Defoid (in the west and northwest), Idomoid (in the north), Lower Cross (in the east and south), and Ijo (in the south). Igbo is the second most populous indigenous language of southern Nigeria. It is spoken by about 20-25 million people in spite of the fact that about 1 million Igbo speakers died after the two coup d'etat of 1966 and during the civil war of 1967-1970. Culturally speaking, the Igbo have adopted education as part of their culture because they saw it as their only \"ladder\" for survival/prominence in a highly competitive Nigeria and the world. Before 1990, almost every family/extended family had a number of university graduates. Today, almost every family/extended family has a son or daughter overseas. Another important cultural point is that the yam and the kola-nut are two of the most important ingredients in Igboland-both in the motherland and in the Diaspora. The yam signifies the hard-working Igbo who do whatever it takes to earn their living honorably while the kola-nut demonstrates the desire of the Igbo to maintain oneness no matter how far away they are from their homeland. Wherever the Igbo gather, the kola-nut is always used as a symbol of brotherhood and togetherness as signified by their proverb which asks where the fingernail went that one would say that the kola-nut was not enough to go around (Mbo o gara ole ebe e ji si na oji e zughi?). Also concerning the kola-nut, there is a common saying in Nigeria that the Yoruba grow it, the Hausa eat it, and the Igbo celebrate it!

Some perspectives on the attenuation paradox in test theory.

Abstract: Four points relating to Dr. Loevinger's “attenuation paradox” have “been brought forward: The usual product-moment “validity” coefficient is inadequate for any discussion of the paradox. A curvilinear correlation coefficient must be used. The “region of paradox” is still found when the correct coefficient is used, although its size is reduced. A greatly magnified notion of the extent to which the “paradox” occurs in actual achievement and aptitude testing is frequently encountered. Some numerical values are tabled so as to clarify this point. It is pointed out that any over-all “validity” coefficient for a group of examinees can be no more than an average of heterogeneous information. It is not surprising if this inhomogeneity produces so-called paradoxes. Such a composite coefficient is not basic to psycho-metrics. The discriminating power of the test for a specified decision problem regarding a specified examinee is the truly basic concept. A very simple index for describing this discriminating power is defined. One instance where a consideration of the discriminating power of a test at a particular ability level leads to some practical conclusions (irrespective of the “region of paradox”) is mentioned, and a common misconception is corrected. A table is given showing the optimum item-difficulty level for the peaked tests required when the examiner's purpose is merely to classify a group of examinees as successful or unsuccessful.

The adaptation and use of Kendall's coefficient of concordance (W) to sociometric-type rankings.

Abstract: Suppose the members of a group are asked to rank all the members including themselves according to some criterion such as social influence or cooperativene ss. It may be desirable to know how much agreement is present in the rankings. Rho's could be computed for the n(n —l)/2 pairs of rankings and an average rho would represent the extent of agreement. This becomes time consuming when the N of the group gets large. Kendall's W (2, 3) is an ideal measure for this situation and it is relatively rapid to compute. To obtain W, the ranks received by each individual are summed and the squared deviations of these sums from the mean computed. This quantity is then divided by the sum of the squared deviations which would result from perfect agreement among the rankers. W requires that all members be ranked. But in sociometric situations this would mean that the rank a member assigns to himself would have to be included or that he be assigned some rank. If either of these procedures were followed, the index of agreement would be difficult to interpret. It would, therefore, be desirable if a W could be computed which would omit the ranker's selfrank.