The reliabilities of various observational measures were determined, and the influence of both the number and the length of the observation periods on reliability was examined, both separately and jointly. A single simplifying assumption leads to a variant of the Spearman-Brown formula, which may have wider application. (Author/CTM)

Evaluated the technical aspects of three Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) administrations of five psychology graduate students using the WISC-R Administration Observational Checklist (WAOC) to evaluate interrater agreement. Students performed significantly better on the second than on the first observation, with…

In order for individualized review in college admissions to be fair, issues of consistency and reliability must be considered. There are a number of ways to assess interrater reliability, including calculating the composite reliability of readers, computing the proportion of times that readers make consistent ratings, and evaluating reader…

This is an examination of the structural stability of affective characteristics relevant to education over a period of approximately seven months. Results indicated that the six interpretable factors were differentially stable over the time intervals. (Author)

A study of 10 children (ages 3-6) with pervasive developmental disorders investigated the interrater reliability of the Psychoeducational Profile (PEP). Results show good interrater reliability for the developmental items, indicating that the PEP can be used to evaluate progress in development of children with pervasive developmental disorders.…

This study assessed the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the Motivation Assessment Scale as used with 20 adults with mental retardation, expanding the results of previous research by evaluating across additional time and administrations. Results from 19 raters indicated variable moderate-to-low intra-rater and inter-rater reliability.…

A study evaluated and compared four methods of assessing reliability on one discourse analysis procedure--a modified version of Damico's Clinical Discourse Analysis. The methods were Pearson product-moment correlations; interobserver agreement; Cohen's kappa; and generalizability coefficients. The strengths and weaknesses of the methods are…

A study examined the responses of 89 physical child abusers and 108 comparison subjects to the Child Abuse Potential Inventory to determine whether the inventory's response inconsistency scale could be used for screening for physical child abuse. The scale was rejected as a reliable or valid measure. (Author/MSE)

Preselected colposcopic photographs of the anogenital area of 16 patients were shown to 170 medical examiners, who rated their level of suggestion or indication of penetrating injury. Agreement between the participants and experts was higher on the abnormal cases than on the normal cases, and higher on genital findings than on anal findings.…

Eighteen adolescents and adults with severe/profound intellectual disability were rated by two staff members using the Motivation Assessment Scale to identify variables maintaining their aggressive behaviors. Analysis of interrater reliability indicated that for some individuals the scale may not represent a feasible alternative to more formal…

The reliability of visual inspection in single-case research was investigated by determining agreement among 5 judges visually inspecting 44 graphs depicting behavior from baseline to intervention. Agreement between visual inspection and statistical procedures was determined. Implications for single-case research are discussed. (SLD)

Four studies investigated reliability and validity of the Theory of Mind (TOM) test, an instrument for assessing theory-of-mind ability in typical children and children with pervasive developmental disorders. The TOM test was found to be a reliable and valid instrument for measuring various aspects of theory of mind. (Author/CR)

Three studies are reported addressing the reliability of the Scale for Assessing Emotional Disturbance (SAED), a standardized, norm-reference measure linked to the federal definition of emotional disturbance (ED). Results indicate the SAED possesses acceptable test-retest reliability and reasonable interrater reliability and can assist in the…

The development of the Asperger Syndrome (and high-functioning autism) Diagnostic Interview (ASDI) is described. Preliminary data from a clinical study of 20 individuals (ages 6-55) suggest that interrater reliability and test-retest stability may be excellent, with kappas exceeding 0.90 in both instances. The validity appears to be relatively…

Reliability analysis of the Motivation Assessment Scale was conducted on subscales completed by staff members working with 47 institutionalized adults with severe to profound mental retardation and self-injurious behavior problems. Internal consistency was found to be superior to interrater reliability. The instrument's internal consistency…