Minimum trace factor analysis has been used to find the greatest lower bound to reliability. This technique, however, fails to be scale free. A solution to the scale problem is proposed through the maximization of the greatest lower bound as the function of weights. (Author/JKS)

Reanalysis of previously published data suggests the Defense Mechanism Inventory can yield a composite measure of reaction to frustration by contrasting linearly the defenses Turning-against-object and Projection against those of Principalization and Reversal-of-affect. Factor-analytic and correlational data support the exclusion of…

Estimating the reliability of measures derived from separate questions on essay tests or individual judges on a rater panel is considered. Cronbach's alpha is shown to underestimate reliability in these cases. Some alternative coefficients are presented. (JKS)

Investigates the effects of varying the placement of blanks and the number of options available in multiple-choice items on the reliability of fifth-grade students' scores. Results indicate that scores on three-choice item tests were not less reliable than scores on four-choice item tests. A similar finding was found regarding the placement of…

College undergraduates were given Zelniker and Jeffrey's modification of the Matching Familiar Figures Test to assess its psychometric credibility and construct validity for adult problem solvers. The modified test has improved internal consistency and stability over the original. The construct's possible correlation with general problem solving…

PANESS total score was reliable and significantly correlated with relevant indices of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised. (Author/CL)

Describes a study investigating the comparative reliability of Form A and Form B of the Moral Judgment Interview when given in written version to high school students. Subjects were 49 juniors and seniors enrolled in a behavioral science class. Findings indicated that alternative forms of the interview are not highly correlated. (AM)

Findings suggest that modestly good predictions can be made between IQ as measured by the Wechsler intelligence scales for children at age five and one-half and scores on group reading tests administered at ages seven and eight years. (FL)

Reports three reliability coefficients for the Beck Depression Inventory using samples of elderly community volunteers and depressed outpatients. All three indexes were reasonably high in the total sample and fall within the accepted range of reliability for a clinical screening instrument. (Author)

Presently available test statistics for the Rasch model are shown to be insensitive to violations of the assumption of test unidimensionality. Two new statistics are presented. One is similar to available statistics, but with some improvements; the other addresses the problem of insensitivity to unidimensionality. (Author/JKS)

The test-retest IQs of 50 patients were correlated. The patients were included in the sample only because they had been given the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale before. The interval between test and retest averaged almost two years. All test-retest correlations were .90 or better. (Author)

This study was concerned with selecting a measure of scorer agreement for use with the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The simple percent of agreement and Cohen's kappa were compared. It was concluded that Cohen's kappa does not add sufficient information to make its calculation worthwhile. (Author/BW)

An important relationship is given for two generalizations of coefficient alpha: (1) Rajaratnam, Cronbach, and Gleser's generalizability formula for stratified-parallel tests, and (2) Raju's coefficient beta. (Author/CTM)

This paper considers some appropriate and inappropriate uses of coefficient kappa and alternative kappa-like statistics. Discussion is restricted to the descriptive characteristics of these statistics for measuring agreement with categorical data in studies of reliability and validity. (Author)