Increasing attention is being given to the psychometric adequacy of recently published structured child interviews. Three published child interviews, The Child Assessment Schedule (CAS), The Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents (DICA), and The Interview Schedule for Children (ISC) were evaluated in terms of the available evidence of…

To verify assumptions concerning content validity and to qualify relationships between tests and criteria, three validation studies of the United States Employment Service Dictation, Spelling, and Typing Tests were carried out in cooperation with 18 State Employment Services. Study I, validation of the Spelling and Dictation Tests, revealed a…

Data from five separate samples were weighted using the vertical percent method (England) and the rare response method (Telenson, Alexander, and Barrett) to investigate their relative effectiveness for scoring biographical information blanks. Vertical percent scoring yielded significant validity coefficients for all samples, while rare response…

The abstinence violation effect (AVE) proposed in Marlatt and Gordon's model of smoking relapse was operationalized as a combination of internal, stable, and global causal attributions for smoking following the attainment of abstinence from smoking. Smoking cessation program participants who relapsed following a slip reported significantly higher…

This paper summarizes much of the available information concerning the reliability and validity of the Tests of General Educational Development (GED Tests). The data suggest that the results are sufficiently reliable for continued use and that the validity evidence generally supports the intended uses of the tests. (Author/LMO)

To provide cross-validation data for the Child Abuse Potential Inventory, classification rates were determined for 220 physical child abusers and matched control subjects. Using all protocols, a discriminant analysis indicated the Abuse scale correctly classified 85.4% of the subjects, with 82.7% of the abusers and 88.2% of the control subjects…

First graders (N=26) completed the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, McCarthy Scales, and Woodcock-Johnson Scales of Cognitive Ability. Two years later, their academic achievement was determined by Wide Range Achievement Test and teacher ratings. Results suggest that all three intellectual measures are appropriate for predicting…

First-Grade Screening Test scores of 72 kindergarten children were compared with end-of-year kindergarten performance and midyear achievement testing in first grade. Results suggested moderate predictive utility. Strong relationships with concept-learning and direction-following tasks indicated that the test's construct validity needs to be…

Investigated the predictive and construct validity of six experimental measures of career maturity among high school students. Data provide some support for the construct and predictive validity of four of the six career maturity scales. Some technical issues and possible sources of invalidity are discussed, and recommedations are made for future…

The low predictive validity of infant tests is discussed in light of current issues in developmental psychology. Considers continuity and discontinuity in the development of early cognitive competence, intellectual heterogeneity problems, and individual-environment transactions. Provides suggestions for increasing predictive validity and indicates…

Tested the validity of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) with accused murderers (N=96) undergoing pre-trial evaluations. Results indicated four predictors of MMPI elevated scores: low intelligence, history of drug abuse, suspiciousness observed on the ward, and the fact that the accused was a stranger to the victim. (LLL)

Examined the predictive validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Revised) in 64 Mexican-American children. All the correlations among the WISC-R factor scores and academic achievement were low. In contrast, significant relationships were observed between IQ scores and achievement measures, suggesting utility of the WISC-R IQs in…

In testing the Academic Achievement scale, no relationship was found to persistence or between entering first-year Academic Achievement scale scores and 4-year grade point average. Comparisons with a scholastic ability test were unfavorable, other results ambiguous, and caution seems indicated in using the scale. (Author)