PSYC 545 Test Construction/Validation

Thousands of psychological tests are used in the fields of psychology, counseling, business, and education. However, not all of these tests meet accepted standards of reliability and validity. It is important for the student to be able to evaluate if a particular psychological test meets accepted standards. In addition to identifying proper tests, students must also be aware of the many types of tests used in clinical settings and how these tests are used, the limitations of tests, the information derived from these tests, and how they are used to formulate treatment.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

(CLO: A, B, C, D, E)

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, there will be 2 Discussions throughout the term. The purpose of Discussions is to generate interaction among students in regard to relevant, current course topics. The student is required to post 1 thread of at least 400 words, well as replies of at least 200 words to 2 other students’ threads. For each thread, students must support their assertions with at least one (1) scholarly and at least one (1) scriptural citation. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E)

SPSS Assignments (4)

In these assignments, the student will learn how to go from raw data in SPSS to describing the demographic characteristics of a normative sample. The student will create a table showing the most appropriate descriptive statistics for demographic variables, generate graphs, and develop a descriptive summary. The student will also continue analysis of the data by learning to assess and interpret the reliability and validity of a test. (CLO: A, B, D, E)

Validity Evaluation Assignment

The student will critically evaluate an article for validity evidence supporting the use and interpretation of scores from a scale of your choice. There are several scales that could purport to measure the same construct, and it is imperative the research look for evidence to support a scale’s use before including it in a research study. Given what you have learned about reliability and validity evidence, it is now your turn to look for evidence that would convince you to choose a measure for your research study. The body of the paper must be 2 pages in length. The paper should appropriately utilize in-text citations of all sources (at least 1 article and 1 scriptural citation). You also may include the class textbook as a reference, if you cite information from the textbook when writing your paper. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E)

Quizzes (6)

Each quiz will cover the Textbook material from the assigned module: week. There will be 6 open-book/open-notes quizzes, which each contain 25 multiple-choice questions. The student will have 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete each quiz. (CLO: A, B, E)