Objective: Psychologists have a responsibility to conduct standardised assessment according to instructions in test manuals and guidelines in assessment texts. In practice, circumstances arise that are not addressed in manuals and texts. The aim of this study was to explore the ways in which experienced psychologists manage some of these issues.…

This article examines interpreters' dilemmas and choices in the case of home-based aged care assessments of elderly migrants in Australia. Based on one-on-one interviews with professional interpreters, it specifically explores tensions between power, norms and interpreters' own positionings on intercultural communication problems. Data analysis…

Recent decades have brought growing interest in understanding and measuring psychological well-being. Although multiple measures of well-being exist, most were developed with Western populations. The current study tested the factor structure of a Chinese translation of the engagement, perseverance, optimism, connectedness and happiness (EPOCH)…

This study examined the effect of age-correction on IQ scores among preterm school-aged children. Data from the Flinders Medical Centre Neonatal Unit Follow-up Program for 81 children aged five years and assessed with the WPPSI-III, and 177 children aged eight years and assessed with the WISC-IV, were analysed. Corrected IQ scores were…

The study objectives were to develop, trial and evaluate a cross-cultural adaptation of the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-Second Edition Teacher Form (ABAS-II TF) ages 5-21 for use with Indigenous Australian students ages 5-14. This study introduced a multiphase mixed-method design with semi-structured and informal interviews, school…

The issue of test user competency arises from the question of restrictions on the use of psychological tests. The only justifiable basis for restricting test use is one that reflects the skills and competencies of the user. Ultimately, only professional judgment determines whether a test is properly used. (SLD)

The following issues in psychological testing in Australia are reviewed: (1) commercialization of testing; (2) test user qualifications; and (3) computerization of testing. Proposed solutions include development of user guidelines, accreditation standards, test standards, and a network of test data information; and regulation by a professional…

The development of insight in medical students is considered a fundamental component of psychiatric undergraduate education. The use of an insight test at the beginning and end of a six-week teaching program in clinical psychiatry showed a significant increase in insight as measured by this test. (Author/LBH)

Two memory tests for neuropsychologists--the Denman Neuropsychology Memory Scale and the Recognition Memory Test--are reviewed, with attention to test administration and technical features. Both tests are considered useful additions to the repertoire of tests of memory function. Implications of and cautions concerning their use in Australia are…

This book is a biography of Dr. K. S. Cunningham, founding director of the Australian Council for Educational Research. Cunningham is considered one of the most influential figures in the development of education, psychology, and the social sciences in Australia. The biography examines Cunningham's early family life, his educational experiences,…

Examined the possibility that individuals may confound measures of temperament and behavior problems because of the conceptual overlap between the measures. The psychologists involved in the study considered temperament items to be better measures of temperament than of behavior problems. (Author/BB)

This study of modeling behavior in Aboriginal and White Australian boys examines the ways that racial characteristics may intervene in cross-cultural research as factors contributing to performance on experimental and standardized psychological tests. (Author/EB)

Educational and psychological measurement has been a main area of work for the Australian Council for Educational (ACER) since its inception. The theoretical and practical contributions of latent trait measurement and commentary on the relatively recent use of these models in Australia were the focus of a seminar celebrating the 50th anniversary…

Individual differences in confidence judgments made by subjects on the accuracy of their answers to psychological test items were studied with 271 Australian college students. Findings suggest that confidence ratings, like the accuracy scores from the tests of human abilities, are stable and reliable measures of between-subjects variability. (SLD)

The differences in raw scores between two versions of the Standard Progressive Matrices Test (SPM) and differences in available norms for one version and the currently studied population were investigated. The SPM was originally designed to measure the general factor of intelligence unrestrained by language. Scores for the untimed SPM version…