Compared relative efficacy of three drinking indices (quantity, frequency, quantity x frequency) in predicting presence of drinking problems in college students (n=55 males; 64 females). Although drinking frequency was as good a predictor as quantity x frequency for predicting such problems in males, it was best predictor of female drinking…

When adult versions of tests of spatial ability were modified and administered to 94 boys and 99 girls in Norway, results indicated that spatial ability is a more unified trait in boys than in girls, in whom spatial abilities are more heterogeneously organized. (SLD)

Analysis of results of the Skills Confidence Inventory completed by 1147 employed adults and 706 college students revealed minimal gender differences in self-efficacy within 21 occupations and 6 Holland job families. (SK)

Reports the reliability and concurrent validity of both the trait and state forms of the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List (MAACL) with a high school population, age range of 14-16 years and educational range of 9th and 10th grades (N=403). Findings indicate the MAACL is sufficiently reliable and valid to warrant additional use with an…

Investigates the discriminant validity of a measure of attitudes toward male roles, the Male Role Attitude Scale, using data from the 1988 National Survey of Adolescent Males. Results support the argument that attitudes toward male roles are conceptually different from other gender-related attitudes. (SLD)

A number of explanations have been offered for the differences in test performance among various population subgroups. This paper begins with a discussion of these explanations including the psychometric explanation that group differences are due to bias in the test. An overview of bias research argues that results to date are inconclusive. A…

Scores on the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT), the Diagnostic Achievement Battery (DAB-2) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III), were compared for 58 students assessed for placement in exceptional education. Primary questions concerned (a) the relationships among WIAT, DAB-2, and WISC-III scores, (b) similarities…

This paper provides preliminary findings on the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) Test given to all Texas public college and university freshman, particularly regarding minority student performance. Of all students, 81% passed all three sections of the test, mathematics, reading, and essay. The passing group represented 87% of Anglos, 59% of…

Examined the attitudes of 360 students in grades 6 through 9 toward standardized achievement tests. Results showed scores on the Stanford Achievement Test were significantly related to students' perceptions of individual effort, test importance, and the use schools make of test results. (JAC)

The psychometric properties of the Body Esteem Scale (BES) were studied with 255 girls and boys in grades 5 through 12. Internal consistency was found for the gender-specific subscales. Results provide preliminary evidence that the BES may be a psychometrically defensible assessment of body esteem among adolescents. (SLD)

Concerns about using interest inventories with men and women are whether they do have different interests and how these differences are interpreted. With ethnic groups, interpretation must take place within a cultural context and is dependent on counselor knowledge of culture. (SK)

Reviewed 25 studies, involving total of 4,024 adolescents from 9 states, which used Adolescent Life Change Event Questionnaire. Findings included gender and age differences in number of events experienced and perceived stressfulness, and relationship between events experienced and suicidal ideation. (Author/NB)

Provides psychometric information on the second edition of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) (A. Beck, R. Steer, and G. Brown, 1996) for internal consistency, factorial validity, and gender differences. Results indicate that the BDI-II is a stronger instrument than its predecessor in terms of factor structure. (SLD)

Past research has suggested that the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale (KMS) is a brief, reliable, and valid measure of marital satisfaction. This study was conducted to: (1) examine responses on the KMS from a national sample of couples; (2) assess the construct validity of the KMS through a comparison with the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment…

Using participants in a continuing education conference, an experiment was conducted to examine: (1) the consistency of self-ratings of ability across four different measurement conditions; and, (2) the relative leniency of retrospective pretest self-ratings compared to pretest self-ratings. Implications for evaluators are discussed. (Author/BS)