CNL-523 Topic 3: Short Answer Questions

CNL-523 Topic 3: Short Answer Questions

 Directions: Provide short answers of 75-150 words each for the following questions/statements. Do not exceed 250 words for your response. Use the textbook and any other scholarly resources to support your responses. Include at least three to four scholarly journal articles beyond the textbook and course readings.

5. What does the term reliability mean in testing and assessment?
6. What does the term validity mean in testing and assessment?
7. Why is it important to have both validity and reliability?
8. In testing and assessment, what is norming?
9. Utilize your textbook to briefly explain each of the following concepts as they relate to psychological assessments/tests:
   1. Standardized testing:
   2. Non-standardized testing:
   3. Norm-referenced assessments:
   4. Criterion-referenced assessments:
   5. Group assessments:
   6. Individual assessments:
   7. Scales of measurement:
   8. Measures of central tendency:
   9. Indices of variability:
   10. Shapes and types of distribution:
   11. Correlations:

References:

CNL-523 Topic 3: Short Answer Questions

 

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 What does the term reliability mean in testing and assessment?

Reliability in testing and assessments refers to the consistency of a psychological assessment tool which is the precision with which a specific tool measures what it was intended to measure and the degree of error that occurs in the measurements (Hall et al., 2015). A perfectly reliable assessment test provides consistent measurements all through regardless of the time which the test is taken (test-retest reliability) and the individual conducting the test (inter-rater reliability). Perfectly reliable tests also demonstrate internal consistency which is the degree of homogeneity of test items (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2018).

1. What does the term validity mean in testing and assessment?

Validity refers to the extent to which a specific assessment or test measures the concept it was intended for. High validity in a test implies that it produces results that align with the characteristics, properties, and variations in the test (Shepperd et al., 2016). The main types of validity include the face, construct, content, and internal validity. Face validity focuses on how a test appears to be effective in measuring its described aims; construct validity is the accurate measurement of a specific construct; content validity refers to whether all aspects of a construct are represented in the test; internal validity is the ability of a test to establish an accurate cause-and-effect association (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2018).

1. Why is it important to have both validity and reliability?

Validity and reliability are interconnected concepts in that tests must be both reliable and valid for them to provide accurate representations of specific attributes or concepts. Reliability is essential when assessing for validity. It is impossible to make valid conclusions about the results of rest or assessment if the test is not reliable. In some cases, reliable tests may not demonstrate validity. Knowledge of reliability and validity is critical in psychological testing since these concepts promote accurate and consistent results (Bolarinwa, 2016).

1. In testing and assessment, what is norming?

Norming refers to the process by which norms are derived. Norms refer to the data obtained from specific tests and assessments conducted on specific groups of people. The data is used as a reference when making interpretations of individual test scores or evaluating them. The groups of people who complete the tests or assessments can also be referred to as a normative sample and usually comprises of people with similar traits, characteristics, or lived experiences such as those from the same social group (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2018).

5. Utilize your textbook to briefly explain each of the following concepts as they relate to psychological assessments/tests:
   1. Standardized testing:

Standardized tests refer to psychological tests that comprise of clearly-defined procedures to be followed when administering, scoring, and interpreting them. These tests often include manuals that are just as important as the test items. The purpose of the manual is to provide users with the information required to administer the test responsibly. In standardized testing, there should be a minimal deviation in the manner in which the test is administered by different people hence all test users must be adequately trained and prepared (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2018).

1. Non-standardized testing:

Non-standardized testing is a method that does not follow formal procedures and is also referred to as informal testing. The main focus of the testing method is to assess individual characteristics, behavior, and performance. Since there is no scoring, the results of the tests cannot be compared to other people’s results. Examples of methods used in non-standardized testing include interviews which provide psychologists with a chance to communicate with the interviewee and assess both verbal and non-verbal cues (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2018).

1. Norm-referenced assessments:

These are types of assessments that are developed to compare test takers and rank them about each other. The assessments focus on particular areas or characteristics which are common to all the people taking the test to provide room for comparison of test scores. The group of test takers is referred to as the norming group and the scores are often presented as percentages. The tests usually contain multiple choices and may include short-answer and open-ended questions (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2018).

1. Criterion-referenced assessments:

These assessments refer to evaluation methods that evaluate test scores by comparing them to a set standard as a way of deriving meaning from them. Data interpretations focus on the performance of the test taker including what they can or cannot do, whether they meet certain criteria, or what they have or have not learned. In most cases, criterion-referenced tests are used to assess mastery or achievement and are commonly used in education programs, licensing tests, and driving tests (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2018).

1. Group assessments:

These assessments focus on evaluation specific factors within groups. These assessments are usually administered to several individuals at the same time. The assessments are usually designed to measure specific traits, abilities, or characteristics among groups of people in situations where there is a large number of test takers or when the time frame is limited. Generally, group tests contain simple tests formats which can be easily scored using machines or computers. They promote efficient use of resources and time and allow test takers to work independently (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2018).

1. Individual assessments:

Individual assessment refers to the process of obtaining information about an individual’s skills, aptitude, personal characteristics, abilities, or knowledge using tools administered to the person. These assessments provide an opportunity to access detailed information about a person and may include the use of standardized tests and other informal testing methods such as interviews. Information obtained in such tests is useful in making decisions about the person based on their characteristics. Unlike group assessments, individual assessments can be expensive to administer and may also require a lot of time (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2018).

1. Scales of measurement:

Scales of measurement refer to the definition and categorization of variables based on their characteristics and empirical properties. There are four scales of measurement; nominal, ordinal, ratio, and interval scales. Nominal scales involve categorizing variables according to their characteristics and in assessment tests, they usually include yes/no responses. Ordinal scales classify variables based on their rank order. Interval scales maintain equal intervals between numbers and include variables such as temperature, while ratio scales have the properties of interval scales but must also have an absolute or true zero (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2018).

1. Measures of central tendency:

This refers to a statistic that evaluates the midmost or average score of the values in a distribution. The most common measure is the mean which refers to the arithmetic average of specific values. When calculating the mean, all values in the distribution are accounted for. Other measures of central tendency include mode and median. The median is the middle score obtained after arranging the values in descending or ascending order. The mode is the score that occurs most frequently within a distribution (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2018).

1. Indices of variability:

Variability refers to how specific scores are dispersed or scattered. Measures of central tendency do not indicate variability in the values of a distribution hence it is important to use other indices such as range, standard deviation, variance, and interquartile range. The range is the difference between the maximum and minimum value while the interquartile range measures variability between quartile points. The average deviation measures the variability amount in distribution while the standard deviation focuses on deviation from the mean. The variance is the square of the standard deviation (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2018).

1. Shapes and types of distribution:

Distributions refer to the set of scores that have been arrayed for study. In statistics, the main types of distributions are probability and frequency distributions. Frequency distributions provide a list of scores as well as the frequency of occurrence or each score. Probability distributions list scores alongside their corresponding probability values. Distributions can take various shapes including symmetric shapes or may be skewed to the right or left based on the location of the score values within the distribution (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2018).

1. Correlations:

Correlation refers to the direction and degree of association between two things. The correlation coefficient is a value that provides information on the strength and direction of correlation. The direction of correlation can either be perfect, negative, or positive while the strength can either be weak or strong based on the value. A positive correlation means that an increase in one variable results in an increase in the other variable while a negative correlation is where an increase in variable results in a decrease in the other variable. A perfect positive correlation means that the variables move together in the same direction and with the same percentage. The main methods used to determine the correlation coefficient includes Spearman’s Rho and the Pearson correlation coefficient (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2018).

References

Bolarinwa, O. (2016). Principles and methods of validity and reliability testing of questionnaires used in social and health science researches. Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal, 22(4), 195. https://doi.org/10.4103/1117-1936.173959

Cohen, R. J., & Swerdlik, M. E. (2018). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Hall, B. J., Puffer, E., Murray, L. K., Ismael, A., Bass, J. K., Sim, A., & Bolton, P. A. (2015). The importance of establishing reliability and validity of assessment instruments for mental health problems: An example from Somali children and adolescents living in three refugee camps in Ethiopia. Psychological injury and law, 7(2), 153–164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12207-014-9188-9

Shepperd, J. A., Emanuel, A. S., Dodd, V. J., & Logan, H. L. (2016). The reliability of psychological instruments in community samples: A cautionary note. Journal of health psychology, 21(9), 2033–2041. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105315569859