Reliability and validity of the Group Embedded Figures Test for a grade school sample.

Data on validity of the Group Embedded Figures Test for 22 sixth grade students (9 boys and 13 girls) were obtained. 50 wk. later all subjects were individually screened on the Portable Rod-and-Frame Test and after a period of 2 more weeks, when they were retested on the embedded figures, data on reliability were obtained. Long-term coefficients of stability of .80 and .71 for the 9 boys and 13 girls, respectively, were obtained. Coefficients of internal consistency ranged from .83 to .98 for boys and girls. Coefficients reflecting both construct and concurrent validity were -.60 and .00 for boys and girls, respectively. Customary sex differences with respect to field-dependence--independence were not observed for these small samples.     

Spatial complexity and hand usage on the Block Design Test

The Block Design test is a task utilizing spatial ability, on which subjects are required to arrange red and white blocks in a pattern similar to one presented on a stimulus card. 69 right-handed subjects were presented a series of trials which varied in difficulty or spatial complexity. The amount of time that each subject's hand was in contact with the blocks during each of the reproduction attempts was recorded. Analysis of these times shows that subjects use their right hands with greater frequency only on tasks of low and moderate spatial complexity. This preference is not present on tasks of high spatial complexity. Interpretations of this finding are offered.     

Reliability and validity of the Leuven Perceptual Organization Screening Test (L‐POST)

Neuropsychological tests of visual perception mostly assess high‐level processes like object recognition. Object recognition, however, relies on distinct mid‐level processes of perceptual organization that are only implicitly tested in classical tests. Furthermore, the psychometric properties of the existing instruments are limited. To fill this gap, the Leuven perceptual organization screening test (L‐POST) was developed, in which a wide range of mid‐level phenomena are measured in 15 subtests. In this study, we evaluated reliability and validity of the L‐POST. Performance on the test is evaluated relative to a norm sample of more than 1,500 healthy control participants. Cronbach's alpha of the norm sample and test–retest correlations for 20 patients provide evidence for adequate reliability of L‐POST performance. The convergent and discriminant validity of the test was assessed in 40 brain‐damaged patients, whose performance on the L‐POST was compared with standard clinical tests of visual perception and other measures of cognitive function. The L‐POST showed high sensitivity to visual dysfunction and decreased performance was specific to visual problems. In conclusion, the L‐POST is a reliable and valid screening test for perceptual organization. It offers a useful online tool for researchers and clinicians to get a broader overview of the mid‐level processes that are preserved or disrupted in a given patient.     

Reliability and validity of the Basic Depression Questionnaire

Background/ObjectiveDepressive disorders have a high prevalence around the world. They present a great comorbidity with other disorders like anxiety, thereby making a differential diagnosis very difficult. The Basic Depression Questionnaire was designed to palliate this issue by isolating specific depression symptoms. Our aim is to study the reliability, factorial structure, and differential item functioning of this questionnaire. Method: The sample consisted of 1,397 adults without psychological problems (M_age = 29.76, SD = 11.25, 64.78% women) who completed the CBD. Results: We observed that none of the items presented differential functioning. A monofactorial structure was established. In this model a good fit was obtained by confirmatory factor analysis and a strict invariance by sex. The ordinal alpha was used to check the reliability and it fetched an index of .95. Conclusions: The Basic Depression Questionnaire has adequate psychometric properties. The absence of differential item functioning and the invariance by sex are guarantees of an adequate use to diagnose depression for men and women. So, its clinical use can help to differentiate between the specific diagnoses for depressive disorders and anxiety disorders.     

Reliability and construct validity for scale of rejection of Christianity

A sample of 16 male and 30 female undergraduates completed the Greer and Francis Scale of Rejection of Christianity. The data support the internal consistency reliability and construct validity of the scale for this sample.     

Reliability and validity of machine vision for the assessment of facial expressions

Automated assessment of facial expressions with machine vision software opens up new opportunities for the assessment of facial expression in a shrewd and economic way in psychological and applied research. We investigated the assessment quality of one machine vision algorithm (FACET) in a study using standardized databases of dynamic facial expressions in different conditions (angle, distance, lighting and resolution). We found high reliability in terms of ratings concordance across conditions for facial expressions (intraclass correlation, ICC = 0.96) and action units (ICC = 0.78). Signal detection analyses showed good classification for both facial expressions (area under the curve, AUC > 0.99) and action unit scores (AUC = 0.91). In a second study, we investigated the convergent validity of machine vision assessment and electromyography (EMG) with regard to reaction times measured during the production of smiles (action unit 12) and frowns (action unit 4). To this end, we simultaneously measured EMG and expression classification with machine vision software in a response priming task with validly and invalidly primed responses. Both, EMG and machine vision data revealed similar performance costs in reaction times of inhibiting the falsely prepared expression and reprogramming the correct one. These results support machine vision as a suitable tool for assessing experimental effects in facial reaction times.     

Reliability and validity of the Parenting Scale of Inconsistency

The purposes of the present study were to develop a Parenting Scale of Inconsistency and to evaluate its initial reliability and validity. The 12 items assess the inconsistency among parents' moods, behaviors, and attitudes toward children. In the primary study, 517 participants completed three measures: the new Parenting Scale of Inconsistency, the Parental Bonding Instrument, and the Depression Scale of the General Health Questionnaire. The Parenting Scale of Inconsistency had good test-retest reliability of .85 and internal consistency of .88 (Cronbach coefficient alpha). Construct validity was good as Inconsistency scores were significantly correlated with the Care and Overprotection scores of the Parental Bonding Instrument and with the Depression scores. Moreover, Inconsistency scores' relation with a dimension of parenting style distinct from Care and Overprotection suggested that the Parenting Scale of Inconsistency had factorial validity. This scale seems a potential measure for examining the relationships between inconsistent parenting and the mental health of children.     

Reliability and concurrent validity of the movement assessment battery for children.

Reliability and concurrent validity of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children were evaluated with a sample of 106 boys and girls, distributed into four age groups: 5-6 yr. (n = 20), 7-8 yr. (n = 20), 9-10 yr. (n = 46), and 11-12 yr. (n = 20). Test-retest reliability of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, estimated using intraclass correlation coefficients, was high across all age groups, and concurrent validity yielded moderate Pearson correlation coefficients between the Move ment battery and long and short forms of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. These results support the use of the Movement battery as a measure of motor ability in children, ages 5 to 12 years.     

Reliability and convergent validity of the Job Components Inventory

Further evidence is presented on the reliability and validity of the Job Components Inventory (JCI), a recently developed job analysis technique. The JCI covers the use of tools and equipment, physical and perceptual requirements, mathematical requirements, communication requirements, decision-making and responsibility requirements. Results of a study of 75 postmen and postwomen and seven supervisors are reported. Inter-rater reliability, supervisor-job incumbent agreement and inter-office agreement were all found to be high. This study indicates that the JCI can be used to analyse jobs other than low skill youth jobs for which it was originally developed     

Reliability, validity and normative data for the Danish Beck Youth Inventories

This study examines reliability and validity and establish Danish norms for the Danish version of the Beck Youth Inventories (BYI) ( Beck, Beck & Jolly, 2001 ), which consists of five self-report scales; Self-Concept (BSCI), Anxiety (BAI), Depression (BDI), Anger (BANI) and Disruptive Behavior (BDBI). A total of 1,116 school children and 128 clinical children, aged 7–14, completed BYI. Internal consistency coefficients were high. Most test-retest correlations were >0.70. A test-retest difference was found for BAI. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the five factor structure of the instrument was justified. The BSCI, BAI and BDI discriminated moderately between the norming sample and the clinical group, and the latter group included more children who exceeded the 90th percentile of the norming sample. Diagnostic groups scored higher on relevant scales than norms. Only BSCI and BDI differentiated between diagnostic groups. The BYI showed acceptable internal consistency and test-retest stability, except for BAI. The BYI did not adequately differentiate between internalizing disorders.     

Reliability and validity of the Finnish version of the motor observation questionnaire for teachers

ObjectivesObservational screening instruments are often used as an effective, economical first step in the identification of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). The aim was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Finnish version of the Motor Observation Questionnaire for Teachers (MOQ-T-FI).MethodsThe psychometric properties were tested using two separate samples (S1: age range 6–12, M 9y 5mo, females 101, males 92; S2: age range 6–9, M 7y 7mo, females 404, males 446). Teachers completed the MOQ-T-FI in both samples, and in sample 2 teachers’ ratings were compared to student’s performance on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (MABC-2). Internal consistency was investigated by using Cronbach’s alpha, predictive validity by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, concurrent validity by correlation analysis, and construct validity by factor analysis.ResultsThe MOQ-T-FI behaves consistently with its original Dutch version. The internal consistency was excellent (α = 0.97). The bifactor model, with one general factor and two specific factors, fit the data significantly better than the first-order model. The concurrent validity with the MABC-2 was moderate (r = 0.37 p < 0.001). Sensitivity was 82.5% and specificity 44.5%, respectively.ConclusionNotwithstanding the low specificity the MOQ-T-FI can be considered as a promising screening tool in the school environment for Finnish children at risk of motor learning problems.     

Test length and validity revisited

Results from three different subject samples extend earlier findings that lengthening a scale beyond some point can actually weaken its validity. A near-optimal algorithm selected the most valid aggregate of items from a common pool. Findings were then cross validated in a second sample. From this procedure emerged fairly short scales with acceptable cross validities, but only if the item pool had been prescreened for content saturation. Under these circumstances, even extremely short scales of two to four items each, which had survived double cross validation, suffered hardly any loss of cross validity. In a third sample they outperformed standard scales eight times as long. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reliability and construct validity of the College Student Stress Scale

Reliability and construct validity of the 11-item College Student Stress Scale were investigated with exploratory (N = 273) and confirmatory factor analyses (N = 185) in undergraduate college students. Two factors were observed; however, reliability of the 3-item factor was too low and one item failed to load on either factor. A 7-item measure (Factor 1) had acceptable reliability (.81) and good convergence with the Perceived Stress Scale. This measure was significantly correlated with Neuroticism, Test Anxiety, and Self-efficacy for Learning, but not Social Desirability or age.     

Reliability and validity of the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale

To investigate the reliability and validity of the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS), 28 youth aged 6 to 17 years with Tourette's syndrome (TS) participated in the study. Data included clinician reports of tics and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) severity, parent reports of tics, internalizing and externalizing problems, and child reports of depression and anxiety. All children participated in a 2nd YGTSS administration by the same rater 48 days later. Good internal consistency and stability were found for the YGTSS scores. YGTSS scores demonstrated strong correlations with parent-rated tic severity (r = .58-.68). YGTSS scores were not significantly related to measures of clinician ratings of OCD severity (r = .01-.15), parent ratings of externalizing and internalizing behavior (r = -.07-.20), and child ratings of depression (r = .02-.26) and anxiety (r = -.06 -.28). Findings suggest that the YGTSS is a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of pediatric TS.