Psychological Testing and Assessment Quiz

Assumptions, Norms, and Correlations in Psychological Testing and Assessment

• There are 12 assumptions in psychological testing and assessment, including the existence and quantifiability of psychological traits and states, the usefulness of various approaches to measurement, and the benefits of testing for society.
• Norms are derived from test performance data of a particular group of test takers and are used for reference when evaluating or interpreting individual test scores.
• Normative samples are representative subsets of the broader target population, typically obtained through large random sampling techniques.
• There are different types of norms, including developmental norms, norm-referenced (within group) norms, and individual performance norms.
• Correlation is an index of linear association between two variables and is measured using the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (r).
• Coefficient values range between -1 and +1, with the closer the coefficient value is to 0, the weaker the association between two variables.
• The coefficient of determination (r2) indicates the proportion of the variation in Y scores that is a function of the X scores.
• Correlation coefficients can be displayed in a scatterplot, with positively correlated variables showing a positive slope and negatively correlated variables showing a negative slope.
• Other correlation coefficients include Spearman rho, point biserial, phi, biserial r, and tetrachoric.
• Correlations are used in testing for test-retest reliability, criterion validity, convergent validity, and regression.
• Sampling techniques are used to develop norms, including percentile norms, age norms, grade norms, and national anchor norms.
• There are two types of evaluation methods in testing and assessment: norm-referenced and criterion-referenced.