PSY 370 Exam 1

Question 1

What is a psychological test?

Answer 1

A measurement tool that requires a person to perform one or more behaviors to infer human attributes, traits, or characteristics.

Question 2

Why are psychological tests important?

Answer 2

They impact individuals personally (e.g., employment, education, healthcare) and facilitate high-quality decisions.

Question 3

What are the similarities among psychological tests?

Answer 3

They require individuals to perform a behavior, use behavior to infer a psychological construct, and can predict an outcome.

Question 4

What are the differences among psychological tests?

Answer 4

Differences include the behavior performed, the attribute measured, content and format, and scoring & interpretation.

Question 5

Who established psychology as a science?

Answer 5

Wilhelm Wundt established psychology as a science in 1879.

Question 6

Who developed the first intelligence test?

Answer 6

Alfred Binet developed the first intelligence test in 1905.

Question 7

When did standardized testing expand?

Answer 7

The middle 20th century saw the expansion of standardized testing.

Question 8

What are the APA ethical standards?

Answer 8

Published in 1953, these standards guide ethical practices in psychology.

Question 9

What are individual decisions in psychological testing?

Answer 9

Decisions made by the test taker, such as choosing a career.

Question 10

What are institutional decisions in psychological testing?

Answer 10

Decisions made by organizations, such as hiring decisions.

Question 11

What are comparative decisions in psychological testing?

Answer 11

Decisions comparing test scores to select the best candidate.

Question 12

What are absolute decisions in psychological testing?

Answer 12

Decisions based on a cutoff score, such as a minimum SAT score for college admission.

Question 13

Who are the users of psychological tests in educational settings?

Answer 13

School psychologists, teachers, and administrators.

Question 14

Who are the users of psychological tests in clinical settings?

Answer 14

Therapists, counselors, and psychiatrists.

Question 15

Who are the users of psychological tests in organizational settings?

Answer 15

HR professionals and I/O psychologists.

Question 16

What is a concern regarding bias and discrimination in testing?

Answer 16

Tests may unfairly disadvantage certain racial or socioeconomic groups.

Question 17

What is the debate surrounding IQ testing in education?

Answer 17

Whether intelligence is inherited or shaped by the environment.

Question 18

What laws impact employment testing?

Answer 18

Laws prohibit using tests that unfairly impact certain groups.

Question 19

What are integrity tests?

Answer 19

measure individual attitudes and experiences toward honesty, dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and prosocial behavior

Question 20

What is the ethical principle of beneficence & nonmaleficence?

Answer 20

To minimize harm and maximize benefits.

Question 21

What is the ethical principle of fidelity & responsibility?

Answer 21

establishes relationships of trust and accepts responsibility for professional behaiovr

Question 22

What is the ethical principle of integrity?

Answer 22

To be honest and accurate.

Question 23

What is the ethical principle of justice?

Answer 23

treat everyone fairly

Question 24

What is the ethical principle of respect for rights & dignity?

Answer 24

To protect test takers’ confidentiality.

Question 25

What are test user responsibilities?

Answer 25

Must be qualified to administer and interpret tests.

Question 26

What is test security?

Answer 26

Must ensure test security and prevent misuse.

Question 27

What is informed consent in psychological testing?

Answer 27

individuals are entitled to a full explanation of why thet are being tested, how the data will be used and what test results mean

Question 28

What must be provided to physically/mentally challenged test takers?

Answer 28

accommodations.

Question 29

What should be considered for multicultural test takers?

Answer 29

Tests should be culturally fair and validated for different groups.

Question 30

What is test bias?

Answer 30

A test should not systematically favor one group over another.

Question 31

What is nominal measurement?

Answer 31

Categorical (e.g., male/female).

Question 32

What is ordinal measurement?

Answer 32

Ranked order (e.g., 1st, 2nd, 3rd place).

Question 33

What is interval measurement?

Answer 33

Equal distances between points but no true zero (e.g., IQ scores).

Question 34

What is ratio measurement?

Answer 34

Has a true zero (e.g., weight, height).

Question 35

What is the mean?

Answer 35

The average.

Question 36

What is the median?

Answer 36

The middle score.

Question 37

What is the mode?

Answer 37

The most common score.

Question 38

What is the range?

Answer 38

Difference between highest and lowest scores.

Question 39

What does variance measure?

Answer 39

Measures score dispersion.

Question 40

What does standard deviation show?

Answer 40

Shows how much scores deviate from the mean.

Question 41

What is normal distribution?

Answer 41

Bell-shaped, symmetrical.

Question 42

What is positive skew?

Answer 42

More low scores, tail on the right.

Question 43

What is negative skew?

Answer 43

More high scores, tail on the left.

Question 44

What is positive correlation?

Answer 44

Two variables increase together (e.g., study time & GPA).

Question 45

What is negative correlation?

Answer 45

One variable increases while the other decreases (e.g., stress & sleep).

Question 46

What is zero correlation?

Answer 46

No relationship.

Question 47

What are Z-scores?

Answer 47

Measures how many standard deviations a score is from the mean.

Question 48

What are T-scores?

Answer 48

Standardized with a mean of 50 and SD of 10.

Question 49

What are percentiles?

Answer 49

Shows where a score falls relative to others.

Question 50

What are age norms?

Answer 50

Compares test scores to the average performance of people in a specific age group.

Question 51

What are grade norms?

Answer 51

Compares test scores to students in a specific grade.

Question 52

What is percentile rank?

Answer 52

Percentage of scores below a given score.

Question 53

What are objective tests?

Answer 53

Have clear right/wrong answers (e.g., multiple-choice exams).

Question 54

What are projective tests?

Answer 54

Use ambiguous stimuli (e.g., Rorschach Inkblot Test).

Question 55

What are standardized tests?

Answer 55

Developed using norms and consistent procedures (e.g., SAT, GRE).

Question 56

What are non-standardized tests?

Answer 56

Created informally and used in unique situations.

Question 57

What is maximal performance testing?

Answer 57

Tests designed to assess the highest level of ability (e.g., IQ tests).

Question 58

What are self-report tests?

Answer 58

Rely on test takers to describe their own characteristics (e.g., personality inventories).

Question 59

What is the Belmont Report?

Answer 59

Beneficence, justice, respect for persons.

Question 60

What is the Army Alpha test?

Answer 60

An intelligence test developed during World War I for soldiers who could read.

Question 61

What is the Army Beta test?

Answer 61

An intelligence test developed during World War I for soldiers who could not read.

Question 62

What are issues of primary concern in psychological testing?

Answer 62

Right to privacy, right to protection from stigma, right to informed consent, right to know and understand results.

Question 63

What is a leptokurtic distribution?

Answer 63

The peakedness of the distribution.

Question 64

What is a platykurtic distribution?

Answer 64

A flat curve.

Question 65

What is a linear transformation?

Answer 65

A change in the unit of measurement but not a change in the characteristics of raw data.

Question 66

What is an area transformation?

Answer 66

Changes in both the unit of measurement and unit of reference

Question 67

Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coeffecient

Answer 67

measures the linear association between two variables that have been measured on interval or ratio scales