The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the reliability of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence and to measure whether this reliability is affected when subjects are from a disadvantaged group. The subjects were 25 male and 24 female 5 1/2-year-old poor Mexican-Americans. Generally, the Wechsler Preschool Scale showed high…

IQ tests were viewed solely as predictors in this investigation. The results revealed equal but very low within-ethnic-group correlations between IQ and achievement measures administered concurrently prior to desegregation and for tests administered one and two years following desegregation. (Author)

A 10-YEAR LONGITUDINAL STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO DETERMINE HOW CHANGE IS AFFECTED BY CURRICULUM, COMMUNITY, AND SCHOOL, AND BY THE STUDENTS' ABILITY, SEX, OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES, HOME LIFE, AND READING HABITS. IN 1961, A NATIONWIDE SAMPLE OF 32,000 CHILDREN IN GRADES 5, 7, 9, AND 11 TOOK A BATTERY OF TESTS. THERE HAVE BEEN PERIODIC RETESTINGS, TO BE…

This paper discusses college admissions tests and their tendency to discriminate against blacks and Chicanos. Evidence to support this thesis is presented from two perspectives--the level of reading difficulty of the tests and the restricted dialectal characteristic of the language used in the tests. The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)-Verbal…

IN THE FALL SEMESTER 1961 AT GRAND RAPIDS JUNIOR COLLEGE, MICHIGAN, ALL FRESHMEN WHOSE HIGH SCHOOL GRADE AVERAGES WERE BETWEEN 1.5 AND 2.5 WERE ENROLLED IN A GENERAL STUDIES CURRICULUM. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE RECORDS OF 398 SUCH STUDENTS SHOWED LOW CORRELATIONS BETWEEN FIRST SEMESTER COLLEGE GRADES AND SCORES ON MEASURES OF SCHOLASTIC…

This project used six environmental variables identified by Dave (1963) and Wolf (1964) and three additional variables (identification with models, range of social interaction, and perception of practical value of education) to predict academic achievement in six-year-old Mexican-American children from an economically depressed area. The children…

Intelligence tests, particularly the Stanford-Binet, have been much abused and unintelligently misused. If the results of such testing are used for the purpose for which they were designed and are interpreted carefully and accurately, then the results can be used to indicate what kind of teaching methods should be utilized; what kind of cognitive…

Examined the usefulness of self-assessments of typing ability. Self-assessment of straight copy typing ability emerged as the best predictor of tested typing ability. Minority group members were generally less accurate in self-assessment of their typing ability. Presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Toronto,…

The McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) appears to be an effective predictor of school achievement for 31 English-speaking second-grade Mexican-American children. High Pearson product-moment correlations were obtained between MSCA and the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills. (Author/PN)

Achievement assessment has recently become an issue of major public concern. Concurrent with demands which have placed increased reliance on measurement and assessment have been criticisms of present testing practices. The effects of sociocultural and motivation variables on achievement patterns of 7,000 Illinois school children were investigated.…

The focus of the Abraham Jacobs Memorial Symposium was the rehabilitation of the mentally retarded. In "Predictive Studies of Vocational Adjustment," Henry V. Cobb and Shirley Epir discuss (1) the history of treatment of the retarded in the United States, (2) problems in predictive research with the retarded, and (3) difficulties in the…

Highlights difficulties inherent in applying existing models of attitude-behavior relationships to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) risk behavior of African Americans. The relevant determinants of African-American risk behaviors may not be captured by these social psychological models that may ignore uniquely African-American issues.…

This paper presents a model of college choice that suggests that students' choice of college can be related to perceived "capital conversion" benefits. The model was tested on an evenly distributed sample (n=22,109) of students; one group attending elite colleges (with average freshman Scholastic Assessment Test scores of 1200 or higher)…

This paper uses ordinary least squares regression to obtain probabilities for the post-graduation choices of high school seniors, and it presents an illustration of the use of these probabilities in calculating future income. Problems raised by the use of the least squares regression are discussed. The benefits of higher education and ways in…