Item response theory (IRT) is currently the dominant methodological paradigm in educational and psychological measurement. IRT models are based on assumptions about the relationship between latent traits and observed responses, so the accuracy of the methodology depends heavily on the reasonableness of these assumptions. This dissertation consists…

The American Bar Association-American Psychological Association (ABA-APA) Working Group on the Assessment of Capacity in Older Adults was established in 2003 under the auspices of the Task Force on Facilitating ABA-APA Relations. This handbook is designed for psychologists evaluating civil capacities of older adults. Contemporary probate law…

Discusses knowledge needed by counselors to help in choosing appropriate tests for particular clients and problems under consideration and in properly interpreting test scores and integrating them into the total assessment process. Focuses on both statistical and technical knowledge about tests and substantive psychological knowledge about…

Discusses method for discussion of psychological tests and psychometric principles underlying the tests. The instructor asked students to predict his T-scale scores for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory which he then compared with his own score. Discrepancies over actual and student assessed scores provided a focus for classroom…

The repeated psychological assessment of 41 high-risk infants during the first 2 years of life using the Mental Scale of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development was investigated. Analyses indicated that the infants' cognitive functioning remained fairly stable over the 2 years, particularly from age 6 months on. (Author/JDD)

Real and perceived misuses of educational tests, errors in test scoring and test use, and incidents of cheating on tests have been widely reported in local and national media. As educational tests take on additional importance for students, teachers, and schools, there is appropriate concern about the quality of assessments and the appropriate use…

A sensitive technique for assessing conformity on a ratio scale was designed and tested in one group of 18 naive subjects and one group of 20 volunteer subjects, 10 of whom were naive and 10 of whom were informed. All subjects were undergraduates from Thomas More College (New York). The experiment required subjects to observe a line briefly…

Describes vocational maturity and assists counselors in identifying what the various career maturity instruments measure. Discusses task variable measures, intervening variable measures, response variable measures, and methods of choosing an instrument. (JAC)

Discusses various methods and procedures for assessing depression in clients. Reviews eight clinician rating and client self-report measures of depression on the basis of their psychometric properties and applied pragmatic utility. (Author)

Many individuals working in education-related professions have a variety of needs for educational and psychological tests results regarding their students or clients. This chapter addresses school counselors' use of tests in educational settings and the right to test as a competency-based issue. Although the subject appears on the surface not to…

Presents a reprint of an article proposing professional preparation guidelines which first appeared in the October 1983 "Measurement and Evaluation in Guidance." Seven response articles offer additional perspectives on the proposed standards. (JAC)

This chapter reviews the findings of a joint committee of the American School Counselor Association and the Association for Assessment in Counseling in the development of a document describing the assessment and evaluation competencies school counselors need. Among the skills universally considered important were making decisions about which…

Reviews findings of a restandardization project which examined the current validity of the Minnesota Multiphase Personality Inventory (MMPI), an instrument used to test for personality and psychological disorders. States that the MMPI has proved to be a remarkably durable instrument over the 45 years of its use. (ML)

This chapter introduces teachers and other education professionals to the assessment of occupational stress. It begins with a brief discussion of what occupational stress is, and overview of the consequences of prolonged stress, and a review of the common causes of teacher stress. Next, it presents methods for reducing occupational stress through…

Three major limiting factors are outlined: the lack of appropriate psychological tests, the dearth of properly trained psychologists, and the failure to obtain complete case histories. Several methods of overcoming these drawbacks are described. (Author/DLS)