This study evaluated the reliability of the Child Behavior Checklist with 42 children and youth with mild mental retardation. Use of kappa coefficients and intra-class correlations at item and syndrome levels indicated that the Child Behavior Checklist may not always represent a reliable checklist for the assessment of psychopathology in this…

Presents data showing that the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory's (CDI) large variability, lack of stability, and insufficient ability to predict early language delay are authentic reflections of individual differences in early language development rather than measurement deficiencies. Responds to critiques regarding sociodemographic…

Outlines the purposes of statistical analysis and types of research questions that can be answered. Defines data types as a guide for choosing statistical tools. Describes a hypothetical research study on teaching computer software to illustrate the use of analytical tools. (SK)

The Math Essential Skill Screener Elementary Version (MESS-E) is a screener devised to identify primary grade students at risk for math difficulties. Item analysis, interitem consistency, test-retest reliability, decision efficiency, and construct validity of the MESS-E were studied using four independent samples of boys and girls grades 1-3. The…

Recognizes the attraction of Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), a technique that uses a scale to measure client's achievement, but suggests that there are concerns about the calculation of its standard scores. Examples show how GAS may be used in service development, whether or not numerical values are attached. (Author/CR)

A protocol for screening the complex verbal, simple verbal, simple visual, and spatial working memory was tested on 125 persons with mild, moderate, and severe mental retardation. Results found the test discriminated well between levels of mental retardation, correlated reasonably well with IQ, and possessed relatively good test-retest…

The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI), a new self-report measure for determining the diagnosis and severity of obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD), was validated with 141 patients with OCD, 58 with social phobia, 44 with posttraumatic stress disorder, and 194 nonpatients. The OCI exhibited satisfactory reliability and validity with all four…

Describes the development of the Life-Skills Development Scale-Juvenile Form, a brief self-report instrument for assessing the life-skills development of juvenile offenders. Presents reliability and validity findings, provides implications for treatment planning, and discusses recommendations for further research. (Contains 26 references and 1…

Twenty-two children with autism were given four tests of false belief understanding: the Sally-Anne task, two variants of the deceptive box task, and the three boxes task. The overall consistency of the children's performance was high, 77 percent either passing or failing all tasks. Convergent validity and reliability are discussed. (Contains…

Describes the development of the Religious Occupations and Stress Questionnaire (ROS), which attempts to fill the need for an appropriate measure of the stress experienced by individuals in religious occupations. Results of reliability and validity studies indicate high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity.…

Explores response styles and sets capable of altering a person's responses in the thinking portion of the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS). Constructs and incorporates into the PICTS validity scales to measure confusion and defensiveness. Results reveal that internal consistency, reliability, and validity of these two…

The Intergenerational Exchanges Attitude Scale was tested by a sample of 36 adult day-care and 300 child-care administrators (227 responses). Both groups had positive attitudes toward the interaction of children and older adults. Reliability and validity of the instrument appeared viable. (SK)

Generalizability theory is used to show that the assumption that reliability for groups is greater than that for persons (and that error variance for groups is less than that for persons) is not necessarily true. Examples are provided from course evaluation and performance test literature. (SLD)

Psychometric data are presented for 223 children and adults with autism, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDDNOS), or nonspectrum diagnoses who took the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic. Within each module, diagnostic groups were equivalent on expressive language levels. Results indicate substantial…

Reviews the articles in this issue of "School Psychology Quarterly" and briefly compares their methods for identifying profile patterns. Argues that subtest profile patterns on the existing generation of intelligence tests have modest reliability and weak relationships with achievement and diagnostic categorizations. (Contains 13…