U N I T 1 0

TESTING & INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

TOPICS IN TESTING & INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

• Standardization• Reliability and Validity• Types of Tests• Intelligence theories• Testing Bias• Nature vs. Nurture

STANDARDIZATION

• There are a huge number of standardized tests currently in existence. (ACT, SAT, CAHSEE, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, etc)• When you heat the term Standardized, it refers to

the fact that the test has already been tried on a similar population of people for whom the test is intended• When a test has been piloted on groups of

people, Norms are established. (test makers look for trends, good and bad q’s, avgs)

RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY

• For a test to considered legitimate is must be both reliable and valid.• As mention last unit, Reliability refers to

the fact that a test yields consistent, repeatable results, and validity means the results are accurate.• Several subsets of reliability and validity

exist

RELIABILITY

• Reliable=Consistency. If you take an online IQ test and you get an IQ of 110, 88 and 150, its not reliable• Ways to test reliability• Split-half reliability-randomly dividing test in 2

halves, checking for similar scores• Equivalent-form reliability-correlation on scores

between different forms of test• Test-retest reliability-Correlation between a

person’s scores when given the test over again

VALIDITY

• Valid=Measures what it is supposed to measure• A test can be reliable without being valid, but not

the other way around.• Face validity-relevance of test to test takers(you

don’t give a test full of Police q’s to firefighter candidates)• Content validity-How well a test reflects the entire

range of material it means to test (driving tests don’t only have questions about parking)

VALIDITY

Criterion-related validity:• Concurrent validity-measures what a person can do now• Predictive validity-measure of future performance

Construct validity- how well a test matches up to a test that has already been shown to be valid

Once a test has been shown to be reliable and valid, it can be widely used and trusted

TYPES OF TESTS

• Two most common types of tests are Aptitude and Achievement tests.• Aptitude tests-measure ability or potential • Achievement tests-measure what one has learned

or accomplished

• Most tests taken in school are achievement tests.• There are varying formats of tests given in school

and the workplace

TYPES OF TESTS

• Speed tests are generally consists of a large number of questions asked in a short amount of time. Want to see how quickly a person can solve problems• Power tests are given to gauge how difficult a

problem a person can solve. They get increasingly harder as the test goes on. Ample time is given• Group tests- such as SAT, given to large #s of

people at same time. Little interaction between tester and test subject• Individual test-interaction between tester/subject.

Ex. Inkblot test

INTELLIGENCE

• Psychologists have long struggled to find a consensus to define Intelligence.• It can be said that Intelligence is the ability

to gather and use information in productive ways• One way to differentiate types of

Intelligence is to categorize them as:- Crystallized - Fluid

FLUID AND CRYSTALLIZED INTELLIGENCE

• Fluid Intelligence is the ability to solve abstract problems and pick up new skills and information• Crystallized Intelligence involved using

knowledge accumulated over time• Fluid Intelligence has been shown to

decrease with age• Crystallized Intelligence seems to remain

steady or increase as one gets older (Wisdom)

INTELLIGENCE THEORIES

• Debates on Intelligence exist as to whether Intelligence can be expressed as a single ability, small group of abilities or a wide variety of abilities• Charles Spearman believed intelligence could be

expressed as a single factor. • He used factor analysis to to group correlations

between abilities to come up with a single factor “g”• Spearman’s “g-factor” measured a person’s

intelligence

HOWARD GARDNER

• Howard Gardner argued that people have Multiple Intelligences. • Gardner’s list of Intelligences includes

traditional types such as: Linguistic, Logical-mathematical, and spatial.• He furthered his list by adding other

intelligence categories such as: Musical, Bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal and naturalistic.

HOWARD GARDNER

• Musical Intelligence: ability to play an instrument, conduct a symphony, etc.• Bodily-Kinesthetic: Dancers, athletes, craftsmen• Intrapersonal: One’s ability to understand oneself,

perseverance, understanding personal strengths and limitations• Interpersonal: Ability to understand, get along

with and be sensitive to others• Naturalistic: understanding and organizing

elements of the natural environment. Biologists, botanists, ecologists.

DANIEL GOLEMAN

• Daniel Goleman created the notion of Emotional Intelligence (EQ)• Concept is similar to Gardner’s idea of

Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Intelligences • People who tend to have the highest IQs

aren’t always the most successful• EQ and IQ are important for success in the

world, Goleman believed

ROBERT STERNBERG

• Robert Sternberg is a contemporary researcher who has created a non-traditional definition of intelligence• Sternberg argues that humans have 3 types of

intelligence. This is outlined in his Triarchic theory. • He believes that human intelligence falls into the

categories of Componential/analytical intelligence, creative intelligence and practical intelligence.• Componential/analytical intelligence is similar to

the traditional view of intelligence. Ability to compare/contrast, explain and analyze

ROBERT STERNBERG

• Sternberg’s second type of Intelligence is Creative intelligence. This is the ability to use your knowledge and experiences in new and innovative ways• The third type of Intelligence is

practical/contextual intelligence. This type of intelligence is what most consider as street-smarts.• This third type of intelligence really

depends on the situations people find themselves in.

INTELLIGENCE TESTS

• Measuring intelligence has always been difficult, and producing a test to measure it was no simple task• French researcher Alfred Binet created a test to

identify children with special needs• Binet did not set out to track or rank children, but

to assist children who scored lower than usual• Binet came up with the idea of a Mental age. The

average 5 year old has a mental age of 5 and a avg 7 year old the mental age of 7.

STANFORD-BINET IQ TEST

• Stanford Professor Louis Terman built off of Binet’s test and Mental age idea to create the Intelligence Quotient (IQ)• This test and measurement system became

known as the Stanford-Binet IQ test.• IQ is computed by dividing a person’s mental age

by their actual age and multiplying by 100• Ex: 10 year old with a mental age of 12.

12/10X100=120

WECHSLER INTELLIGENCE TESTS

• David Wechsler measure intelligence in a different way• Still known as an IQ test.• 3 versions:• Wechsler Adult Intelligence scale (WAIS)• Wechsler Intelligence scale for children (WISC)• Wechsler Preschool & Primary scale of Intelligence

(WPPSI)

The Wechsler test yileds IQ score based on a Deviation IQ

WECHSLER INTELLIGENCE TESTS

• Wechsler’s tests are standardized and the mean score is 100 with a standard deviation of 15• The scores form a normal distribution and fall

along a curve

• 68% of all scores fall within 1 standard deviation of the mean

INTELLIGENCE TESTS

• The Stanford-Binet test uses a variety of different kinds of questions to yield a single IQ score• The Wechsler test scores on subscales to give a

verbal IQ score and a performance IQ• Questions on the verbal section of the Wechsler

test ask people to define words, solve math word problems and explain how items are different.• Questions on the performance IQ section have

people duplicating patterns, arranging pictures into a story and finding missing pieces.

TESTING BIAS

• Many researchers argue that tests like the SAT and IQ tests are fundamentally biased• Tests seem to show advantages for white,

middle class test takers.• Many test writers assume a prior

knowledge of the test takers and non-exposure to certain vocabulary for some minority groups may work as a detriment to them.