Lagged dependent variables (LDVs) are often used as predictors in ordinary least squares (OLS) models in the social sciences. Although several estimators are commonly employed, little is known about their relative merits in the presence of classical measurement error and different longitudinal processes. We assess the performance of four commonly…

The use and validity of the Graduate Record Examination General Test (GRE) to predict the success of graduate school applicants is heavily debated, especially for its possible impact on the selection of underrepresented minorities into science, technology, engineering, and math fields. To better identify candidates who would succeed in our program…

This study further examined the reliability and validity of the Learning Alliance Inventory (LAI), a self-report measure designed to assess the working alliance between a student and a teacher. The LAI was found to have good internal consistency and test--retest reliability, and it demonstrated the predicted convergence with measures of immediacy…

After an extensive review of relevant research, this paper describes a study concerning the relationship between the American College Test (ACT) and the Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST). Specifically, the study assessed the extent to which ACT scores predict PPST scores. Subjects included 169 Harding University students (42 males and 127…

The method of Instrumental Variables is suggested as an alternative to traditional methods for estimating the reliability of test scores which avoids certain drawbacks of these methods. The use of the Instrumental Variables method is illustrated with a data set involving reading and math tests. (Author/JKS)

This study investigated correlations between the Qualitative score of the Porteus Maze Test and age and rates of recidivism of correctional institution inmates. In addition, the study was structured to provide answers to the following questions: (1) Is there a relationship between age and rates of recidivism and the Conformity-Variability score of…

This paper is concerned with the accusations made by such groups as the Association of Black Psychologists in their call for a moratorium on testing, that standardized tests are biased. A biased test measures one trait in one group of people but a different trait in a second group. Evidence about the amount of bias in tests is thin. Bias must be…

The reliability of derived measures from 4 cognitive paradigms was studied using 19 Navy enlisted men (aged between 18 and 24 years). The paradigms were: graphemic and phonemic analysis; semantic memory retrieval; lexical decision making; and letter classification. Results indicate that derived scores may have low reliability. (SLD)

Three tables are provided to aid in the clinical interpretation of factor scores for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R; 1981). The factor structure of the WAIS-R has proven to be robust across samples, tests, time, statistical analyses, measurement scales, and distortions of the distribution. Information necessary to make…

A procedure which may be used to project the frequency distribution of one test onto that of another test is described and illustrated. The procedure is useful when a test developer wishes to construct an alternate form with preferred distributional characteristics. For example, the test developer may wish to construct a new test form with a…

This study examined the need to develop reliable and valid procedures for screening large populations for possible speech and language problems and the use of the Fluharty Preschool Speech and Language Screening Test (FPSLST) as such a device. The test was administered to 260 preschool children, ages three to six. There were 166 Blacks and 94…

Discussions of any test must focus on reliability, content validity, and interpretation of results. In this critique of On Further Examination--the report of the Advisory Panel on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) Score Decline--the National Education Association (NEA) finds no fault with the reliability of the SAT. Its content validity, however,…

The stability and change of verbal, non-verbal, and total IQ scores from group tests were investigated for students tested at Grades 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, and 11. Conclusions are discussed in detail, and the following recommendations are made: (1) Group intelligence tests should not be routinely administered in Grades 1 and 2 unless the users and…

Appropriateness indexes (statistical formulas) for detecting suspiciously high or low scores on aptitude tests were presented, based on a simulation of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) with 3,000 simulated scores--2,800 normal and 200 suspicious. The traditional index--marginal probability--uses a model for the normal examinee's test-taking…

There are both strengths and weaknesses of using standardized test scores as a criterion for admission to institutions of higher education. The relative importance of scores is dependent on the institution's degree of selectivity. In general, decision processes and admissions criteria are not well defined. Advantages of test scores include: use of…