Buros-Nebraska Series on Measurement and Testing

 

00. Table of Contents- SOCIAL AND TECHNICAL ISSUES IN TESTING Implications for Test Construction and Usage

Stephen N. Elliott, University of Nebraska- Lincoln
James V. Mitchell Jr., University of Nebraska- Lincoln
Barbara S. Plake, University of Nebraska- Lincoln

Copyright © 1984 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Digital edition copyright © 2012 Buros Center for Testing. This book may be downloaded, saved, and printed by an individual for their own use. No part of this book may be re-published, re-posted, or redistributed without written permission of the holder of copyright.

Abstract

Contents

Preface

1. Filling the Gaps Between Test Outcomes and Usage: An Introduction
Barbara S. Plake
Purpose of the Volume
Overview of the Chapters
Conclusions
References

PART I SOCIAL AND TECHNICAL INFLUENCES

2. Struggles and Possibilities: The Use of Tests in Decision Making
Ellis Batten Page
A Double Standard
The Value of Testing
Ideological and Scientific Issues
Decision Making
Test Scores and Deeper Values
Production Functions and Causal Research
Conclusions
References

3. What Cognitive Psychology Can (and Cannot) Do for Test Development
Robert J. Sternberg
What is Cognitive Psychology?
Cognitive Psychology and Test Construction
Cognitive Psychology and Test Validation
Cognitive Psychology, Test Scoring, and Test Interpretation
Cognitive Psychology and Test Modification
References

4. The Status of Test Validation Research
Lyle F. Schoenfeldt
Traditional Approaches to Test Validation
Construct Validation
Multivariate Validation Models
Validity Generalization
Productivity Analysis
Implications for Test Construction and Test Usage
References

5. Social and Legal Influences on Test Development and Usage
Donald N. Bersoff
Social Influences
Social Influences on Legal Decisions: Some Examples
Social Science Evidence and the Courts
Psychologists and Public Policy
References

6. Testing and the Oscar Buros Lament: From Knowledge to Implementation to Use
James V. Mitchell, Jr.
Measurement Theory and Knowledge
Test Technology and the Challenge of Implementation
The Bottom Line: The Selection and Effective Use of Tests
Conclusions and Recommendations
References

PART II INFLUENCES ON APTITUDE AND ACHIEVEMENT TEST DEVELOPMENT AND USAGE

7. Aptitude and Achievement Tests: The Curious Case of the Indestructible Strawperson
Anne Anastasi
Historical Antecedents
Debunking Ventures
The Continuum of Developed Abilities
More about Aptitudes
References

8. Achievement Test Items: Current Issues
Robert L. Ebel
A Conception of Knowledge
The Relation of Knowledge to Ability
The Measurability of Human Characteristics
The Relative Merits of Essay and Objective Tests
The Merits of Items Based on Realistic Problem Situations
The Merits of Alternate-Choice Items
Prospects for a Technology of Item Writing
Concluding Statement
References

9. Abilities and Knowledge in Educational Achievement Testing: The Assessment of Dynamic Cognitive Structures
Samuel Messick
Structures of Knowledge and Ability
Expertise and Aptitude
The Failings of Fallacies
References

Author Index

Subject Index