Testing:

Written tests have become increasingly important to social workers, as they have to other professions, with their use to establish minimum qualification for licensing and certification. The research reported here challenges the validity of the current entrylevel licensing test for social workers. This article reports that the written test for social work licensure falls short in measuring knowledge unique to the profession; furthermore, there is not a demonstrated relationship between passing a written examination and practice competence.     

Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT): A Faster,Smarter, and More Secure Approach to Pre-Employment Testing

As the usage of unproctored Internet testing (UIT) rises, new methods of mitigating challenges associated with UIT have been proposed. We suggest that one of the most promising methods is computer adaptive testing (CAT), and is a major advancement in pre-employment testing. CAT combines science and technology to help deliver a targeted and secure testing experience. In this article, we describe the use of CAT in organizations and highlight examples of how CAT has been applied to the measurement of cognitive ability, knowledge, and personality traits. We also set out a research agenda that will advance the development and implementation of future CATs.     

Impulsivity,intelligence, and academic performance: Testing the interaction hypothesis

Previous research suggests a moderator effect of intelligence on the relationship between impulsivity and academic achievement. However, the interaction hypothesis has not been adequately tested so far. The present study was aimed to analyze the interrelations between impulsivity, intelligence, and academic performance, with special interest in testing the interaction effect between impulsivity and intelligence in the prediction of performance. To that end, 174 university students, aged from 18 to 37 years, were tested. Analyses were carried out at the latent level in order to minimize measurement error and to increase statistical power. The main findings of the study show that: (a) impulsivity was negatively related to both academic performance and intelligence; (b) intelligence was positively related to academic performance; (c) impulsivity and intelligence contributed significantly and independently to predict and explain academic performance; and (d) there was a significant interaction effect between impulsivity and intelligence in predicting academic performance, such that impulsivity was more strongly associated with performance among the more intelligent students than among the less intelligent ones.     

Self-Objectification, Self-Esteem, and Gender: Testing a Moderated Mediation Model

The purpose of the present research was to test the mediating roles of body shame and appearance anxiety in the relation between self-surveillance and self-esteem; and to investigate whether gender (male, female) and stereotypical gender roles (masculinity, femininity) moderated the proposed mediation model. Canadian undergraduate university men and women (n?=?198) completed measures of self-surveillance, gender, gender roles, body shame, appearance anxiety, and self-esteem. Regression analyses demonstrated that greater self-surveillance predicted lower self-esteem, and this relation was fully mediated by body shame and appearance anxiety. With the exception of masculinity interacting with self-surveillance to predict body shame and appearance anxiety, neither gender nor stereotypical gender roles moderated the proposed paths. Implications are discussed.     

中介变量、调节变量与协变量——概念、统计检验及其比较

本文在已有研究文献的基础上,集中探讨了中介变量、调节变量和协变量的概念,以及中介效应、调节效应和协变量效应的统计分析方法。随后分别对中介效应和间接效应,调节效应和交互效应进行了辨析,并从测量水平和检验方法等方面对三种统计概念做了比较。     

Cognitive Load Theory,Element Interactivity,and the Testing and Reverse Testing Effects

Summary: The testing effect arises when learners who are tested rather than relearning material obtain superior scores on a final test than those who relearn. Based on cognitive load theory, six experiments examined whether the effect was evident under low or high element interactivity (a measure of complexity) conditions. Students learning to write types of text were participants. In all experiments, effects on a final common test of two presentations were compared with a single presentation followed by a preliminary test. The testing effect on immediate tests was larger and more likely using lower element interactivity materials. A reverse testing effect was likely on immediate tests tapping higher element interactivity material but possibly eliminated by using a delayed test. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Testing discrepancy effects: A critique, a suggestion, and an illustration

To assess the effects of discrepancy between two independent variables, investigators sometimes compute difference scores and correlate such scores with a criterion variable. However, the correlation of the difference with the criterion is accounted for by the correlations of the difference constituents with the criterion and the constituents’ variances. It follows that when investigators are testing a prediction that is not captured by the difference constituents’ main effects, using the difference correlation analysis may be misleading. Under these circumstances, the effects of a discrepancy between two independent variables can be assessed by a test of their interaction. The problems inherent in using difference scores and the advantage of testing the interaction are illustrated in relation to research programs on two separate topics in social psychology.     

Reality Testing and Testing Reality in Group TreatmentPart I: Reality and Reality Testing

This two-part contribution addresses reality, reality testing, and testing reality—how we think about and may technically approach these concepts. Part I provides a topic overview and focuses on reality testing. Part II (in an upcoming issue) focuses on testing reality and how it promotes emergence of new or previously inhibited forms of engagement.

Reality testing and testing reality represent two fundamental, reciprocal manifestations of the drive to know and of tasks of learning: approaching problems and solving them. While testing reality involves approaching reality without necessarily looking for or coming to definition or clarity, reality testing centers on a particular theme or object. It evolves towards organization and rationality, with a goal to define and solve problems—or to avoid them.

Engaging the group and supporting individuals in these two types of approaches to learning requires a well-defined therapeutic focus on process and purpose; at times, different tactics and techniques are appropriate.     

Men,Women, and Religiosity in Northern Ireland: Testing the Theories

ABSTRACT

Previous research suggests that females are more religious than males. Four theories have been put forward to explain this. This article uses cross-sectional survey data from the 2008 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey to test two of these theories, based on a newly developed scale measuring religiosity. The analysis indicates strong support for the socialisation theory, but not necessarily for structural location. Separate analysis for men and women indicates a similar pattern, although the effect of individual variables is different for men and women. The article concludes with a discussion of measurement issues.     

Integrity Testing, Personality, and Design: Interpreting the Personnel Reaction Blank

Companies and organizations use integrity tests to screen job applicants, and the fakability of these tests remains a concern. The present study uses two separate designs to analyze the fakability of the Personnel Reaction Blank (PRB) and the personality constructs related to integrity test scores. The results demonstrate that the PRB can be successfully faked. Moreover, a within-participants design resulted in significantly greater faking than the between-participants design. The personality constructs conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism were significantly correlated with honest scores on the PRB, and there was a significant negative correlation between conscientiousness and magnitude of faking.

Testing complex animal cognition: Concept learning,proactive interference,and list memory

This article describes an approach for assessing and comparing complex cognition in rhesus monkeys and pigeons by training them in a sequence of synergistic tasks, each yielding a whole function for enhanced comparisons. These species were trained in similar same/different tasks with expanding training sets (8, 16, 32, 64, 128 … 1024 pictures) followed by novel‐stimulus transfer eventually resulting in full abstract‐concept learning. Concept‐learning functions revealed better rhesus transfer throughout and full concept learning at the 128 set, versus pigeons at the 256 set. They were then tested in delayed same/different tasks for proactive interference by inserting occasional tests within trial‐unique sessions where the test stimulus matched a previous sample stimulus (1, 2, 4, 8, 16 trials prior). Proactive‐interference functions revealed time‐based interference for pigeons (1, 10 s delays), but event‐based interference for rhesus (no effect of 1, 10, 20 s delays). They were then tested in list‐memory tasks by expanding the sample to four samples in trial‐unique sessions (minimizing proactive interference). The four‐item, list‐memory functions revealed strong recency memory at short delays, gradually changing to strong primacy memory at long delays over 30 s for rhesus, and 10 s for pigeons. Other species comparisons and future directions are discussed.     

Mobile Internet Testing: An analysis of equivalence,individual differences,and reactions

Mobile internet testing (MIT) is the latest cost effective technological push in employment testing. The ability to access assessments via the internet using mobile devices provides increased speed and convenience for both administrators and respondents. In this article, we examine the equivalence of MIT compared with testing on personal computers (PCs) and whether attitudes and other individual differences influence responses and reactions to MIT. Results demonstrated equivalence for a supervisory situational judgment test across testing modes, but not for a cognitive ability test. Significant relationships were found between anxiety and both performance and reactions to mobile assessment. Respondents also reported significantly more positive reactions when tested on a PC versus a mobile device. Future research and practical implications are discussed.     

Reporting Diagnostic Scores in Educational Testing: Temptations,Pitfalls, and Some Solutions

Diagnostic scores are of increasing interest in educational testing due to their potential remedial and instructional benefit. Naturally, the number of educational tests that report diagnostic scores is on the rise, as are the number of research publications on such scores. This article provides a critical evaluation of diagnostic score reporting in educational testing. The existing methods for diagnostic score reporting are discussed. A recent method (Haberman, 2008a Haberman, S. J. 2008a. When can subscores have value?. Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, 33: 204–229. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) that examines if diagnostic scores are worth reporting is reviewed. It is demonstrated, using results from operational and simulated data, that diagnostic scores have to be based on a sufficient number of items and have to be sufficiently distinct from each other to be worth reporting and that several operationally reported subscores are actually not worth reporting. Several recommendations are made for those interested to report diagnostic scores for educational tests.     

Idiosyncratic deals: Testing propositions on timing, content, and the employment relationship

This study tests propositions regarding idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) in a sample of N = 265 hospital employees using structural equation modeling. Timing and content of idiosyncratic employment arrangements are postulated to have differential consequences for the nature of the employment relationship. Results confirm that i-deals made after hire have greater impact on the employment relationship than those made ex ante. Developmental i-deals are positively related to perceiving employment as a social exchange rather than an economic exchange, whereas work hour i-deals show the opposite pattern. Implications for research and practice are discussed.