1. Reliability or Validity
Reliability gets more attention:
Easier to understand
Easier to measure
More formulas (like stats!)
Base for validity
2. Need for validity
Does test measure what it claims?
Can test be used to make decisions?
4. Validity: a definition
“A test is valid to the extent that inferences
made from it are appropriate, meaningful,
and useful”
Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, 1999
13. Evidence of Construct Validity
Upholds theoretical predictions
Changes (?) over time, gender, training
Homogeneity of questions
(internal consistency, factor or item analysis)
Convergent/discriminant
Multitrait-multimethod matrix
14. Decision Making
How well the test can be used to help in
decision making about a particular criterion.
18. Two ways to establish
Criterion Validity
A) Concurrent validity
B) Predictive validity
19. Determining Concurrent validity
Assess individuals on construct
Administer test to lo/hi on construct
Correlate test scores to prior identification
Use test later to make decisions
20. Determining Predictive validity
Give test to group of people
Follow up group
Assess later
Review test scores
If correlate with behavior later can use later
to make decisions
21. Incremental validity
Value of including more than one predictor
Based on multiple regression
What is added to prediction not present with
previous measures?
23. Unified Validity - Messick
“Validity is not a property of the test, but
rather the meaning of the scores.”
Value implications
Relevance and utility
26. Example 1
Dr. Heidi considers using the Scranton
Depression Inventory to help identify
severity of depression and especially to
distinguish depression from anxiety. What
evidence should Dr. Heidi use to determine
if the test does what she hopes it will do?
27. Example 2
The newly published Diagnostic Wonder Test
promises to identify children with a
mathematics learning disability. How will
we know whether the test does so or is
simply a slickly packaged general ability
test?
28. Example 3
Ivy College uses the Western Admissions Test
(WAT) to select applicants who should be
successful in their studies. What type of
evidence should we seek to determine if the
WAT satisfies its purpose?
29. Example 4
Mike is reviewing a narrative report of his
scores on the Nifty Personality
Questionnaire (NPQ). The report says he is
exceptionally introverted and unusually
curious about the world around him. Can
Mike have any confidence in these
statements or should they be dismissed as
equivalent to palm readings at the county
fair?
30. Example 5
A school system wants to use an achievement
battery that will measure the extent to which
students are learning the curriculum
specified by the school. How should the
school system proceed in reviewing the
available achievement tests?
31. Example 6
Super sun computers needs to hire three new
employees. They have decided to administer
the Computer Skills Assessment (CSA) to
their applicants and use the results as the basis
of their decision. How can they determine if
that measure is a good fit for their hiring
practice?
32. Project homework question
What content or construct is your measure
assessing? (explain your answer)
What do you think congruent and discriminate
constructs would be to the one in your measure?
How would you determine the content or construct
validity of your measure?
How would you determine the criterion validity of
your measure?
Why would you use those approaches?
33. Project homework question
Select a standardized instrument from
MMY to use as a comparison for your
measure?
Copy the relevant data.
Why did you select that instrument?
How would you use it to help standardize
your measure?