CNL-523 Topic 3: Short Answer Questions Directions: Provide ✓ Solved

CNL-523 Topic 3: Short Answer Questions Directions: Provide

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.

  1. What does the term reliability mean in testing and assessment?
  2. What does the term validity mean in testing and assessment?
  3. Why is it important to have both validity and reliability?
  4. In testing and assessment, what is norming?
  5. Utilize your textbook to briefly explain each of the following concepts as they relate to psychological assessments/tests:
  • a. Standardized testing
  • b. Non-standardized testing
  • c. Norm-referenced assessments
  • d. Criterion-referenced assessments
  • e. Group assessments
  • f. Individual assessments
  • g. Scales of measurement
  • h. Measures of central tendency
  • i. Indices of variability
  • j. Shapes and types of distribution
  • k. Correlations

Paper For Above Instructions

The concept of reliability in testing and assessment refers to the consistency and stability of a measure over time, across different populations, or within the same population under similar conditions. In psychological testing, reliability is crucial as it suggests that the measurement produces stable and consistent results, which enhances the credibility of the test. For instance, a reliable assessment tool may produce similar scores for an individual over repeated testing occasions, demonstrating that the tool effectively captures the same construct (American Psychological Association, 2014).

Validity pertains to the degree to which a test measures what it is intended to measure. For example, a test designed to assess depression should accurately reflect the constructs associated with depression rather than unrelated psychological constructs. It is essential to ensure that valid tests truly capture the intended phenomena to provide meaningful interpretations of the results, which in turn influences both clinical decisions and research findings (Messick, 1995).

Having both validity and reliability is vital in testing because reliability alone cannot assure validity. A test may yield consistent results without measuring the intended construct accurately. For instance, a clock that consistently shows the wrong time is reliable but not valid. Therefore, assessments must be both reliable and valid to ensure that practitioners can trust the scores for diagnostic and evaluative purposes (Haynes, 2012).

Norming in testing and assessment refers to the process of establishing norms or standards for interpreting scores on tests. This process involves administering the test to a large, representative sample from the population for which the test is intended. The purpose of norming is to create a reference point that can be used to compare individual test scores, providing insight into how an individual’s performance compares with that of the normative group (AERA, APA, & NCME, 2014).

Standardized testing refers to assessments administered and scored in a consistent manner, allowing for comparison across different individuals or groups. These tests are designed to measure specific constructs and provide scores indicative of an individual’s performance relative to a normative sample (Anastasi & Urbina, 1997). Non-standardized testing, conversely, does not follow set procedures for administration or scoring, which can lead to varied interpretations of results (Messick, 1995).

Norm-referenced assessments evaluate an individual's performance relative to a normative group, helping determine how a participant ranks compared to peers. On the other hand, criterion-referenced assessments focus on measuring performance against a defined set of criteria or standards, indicating whether or not an individual has met specific learning objectives (Baker, 2004).

Group assessments involve testing multiple individuals simultaneously, often used in educational settings to evaluate student performance on a broad scale, while individual assessments focus on one person at a time, allowing for more detailed feedback and understanding of an individual's abilities (Cohen & Swerdlik, 2018).

Scales of measurement include nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio scales that categorize data and dictate the types of statistical analyses that can be performed (Stevens, 1946). Measures of central tendency, such as the mean, median, and mode, summarize data distributions by identifying a central point of reference (Graham, 2009). Indices of variability, including range, variance, and standard deviation, quantify the dispersion around the central tendency, indicating consistency or variability in scores (Keller, 2016).

The shapes and types of distribution refer to the way data is spread out, commonly illustrated through normal distributions, which depict a bell-shaped curve. Understanding distributions is vital for interpreting data, as they influence the choice of statistical methods (Gravetter & Wallnau, 2017). Correlations indicate the strength and direction of a relationship between two variables, essential for understanding how different constructs may relate in psychological research (Field, 2013).

References

  • AERA, APA, & NCME. (2014). Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. American Educational Research Association.
  • American Psychological Association. (2014). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
  • Anastasi, A., & Urbina, S. (1997). Psychological Testing (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
  • Baker, F. B. (2004). The Basics of Item Response Theory. ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation.
  • Cohen, R. J., & Swerdlik, M. E. (2018). Psychological Testing and Assessment (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
  • Field, A. (2013). Discovering Statistics Using SPSS (4th ed.). London: SAGE Publications.
  • Graham, J. R. (2009). The Mean, Median, and Mode. Statistical Analysis. Journal of American Statistical Association, 104(486), 896-905.
  • Gravetter, F. J., & Wallnau, L. B. (2017). Statistics for The Behavioral Sciences (10th ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning.
  • Haynes, S. N. (2012). Psychometric Properties of Tests of Psychological Assessment. Psychological Assessment, 24(4), 602-610.
  • Keller, I. (2016). Statistics in Psychology: A Step-by-Step Guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Messick, S. (1995). Validity of Psychological Assessment: Validation of Inferences from Persons’ Responses and Performances as Scientific Inquiry. American Psychologist, 50(9), 741-749.
  • Stevens, S. S. (1946). On the Theory of Scales of Measurement. Science, 103(2684), 677-680.

Related Assignments