Development of abbreviated nine-item forms of the Raven's standard progressive matrices test

The Raven's standard progressive matrices (RSPM) is a 60-item test for measuring abstract reasoning, considered a nonverbal estimate of fluid intelligence, and often included in clinical assessment batteries and research on patients with cognitive deficits. The goal was to develop and apply a predictive model approach to reduce the number of items necessary to yield a score equivalent to that derived from the full scale. The approach is based on a Poisson predictive model. A parsimonious subset of items that accurately predicts the total score was sought, as was a second nonoverlapping alternate form for repeated administrations. A split sample was used for model fitting and validation, with cross-validation to verify results. Using nine RSPM items as predictors, correlations of .9836 and .9782 were achieved for the reduced forms and .9063 and .8978 for the validation data. Thus, a 9-item subset of RSPM predicts the total score for the 60-item scale with good accuracy. A comparison of psychometric properties between 9-item forms, a published 30-item form, and the 60-item set is presented. The two 9-item forms provide a 75% administration time savings compared with the 30-item form, while achieving similar item- and test-level characteristics and equal correlations to 60-item based scores.     

A note on the use of mood's likelihood ratio test for item analyses involving 2 × 2 tables with small samples

Mood's likelihood ratio test is generally considered an unreliablex ² approximation in 2 × 2 contingency tables containing expected cell frequencies less than five. Probability values were computed for 60 such tables as part of an item analysis for two 30-item alternate forms of a measure. The rank orders of the items, from best to worst differentiators, as determined separately by Mood's test and by Fisher's exact test correlated .97 for one form and .96 for the other.     

Abbreviated measures of sex role egalitarian attitudes

Alternate 25-item short forms of the Sex-Role Egalitarianism Scale (SRES) were developed and examined for psychometric quality using data from a sample of 608 students. Internal consistency coefficients were .94 and .92 for the two forms, stability coefficients with a three-week test-retest in terval were .88 for each, and the coefficient of equivalence or alternate forms reliability was .87. As expected, females scored significantly more egalitarian than males on both short forms, and results of factor analyses pointed to unidimensional measurement of a single construct for males, females, and the total sample. Additional support for reliability and validity is overviewed. The abbreviated SRES forms appear to provide a psychometrically sound and time-efficient means for assessing egalitarian attitudes.     

Revision of the sentence completion test for ego development

New forms of the Washington University Sentence Completion Test are presented, revised to be closely comparable for men and women. The two pages of each form are usable as alternate 18-item forms. All stems on the new forms have a manual derived for women, for men, or for both. Order of items on the new forms is designed to maximize cooperation and to insure independent answers on the several stems. Data taken from several diverse samples using the previous forms show the median item validity (correlation of item rating with total protocol rating) slightly higher for women (about .50) than for men (about .46). However, the difference is wholly accounted for by difference in the variance of the samples. First-person stems and impersonal ones are about equally valid for women, but impersonal ones appear to be more valid for men. More impersonal stems are included on the new forms.     

Development of a short form of the Treatment Evaluation Inventory for acceptability of psychological interventions

The Treatment Evaluation Inventory of Kazdin, French, and Sherick is a 19-item measure of the perceived acceptability of behavioural treatments. Development of two brief forms was based on data from two sources. For Study 1, data from 218 completed questionnaires were used to develop internally consistent brief scales. In Study 2 internal consistency and the validity of the brief forms were estimated for a set of 131 questionnaires. Item reduction was achieved by analysis of item-total minus item correlations. Brief forms with 3, 6, 9, and 12 items were proposed. Their internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) and construct validity were based on correlations of scores on each short form with the full scale scores and on comparing means of different forms. Discriminant validity was based on the difference between two groups (estimated effect size 0.7). Scores for all forms showed high internal consistency and correlated highly with total scale scores. Only the 12-item brief scale yielded mean scores similar to the full scale. The 3-item form could be used as a quick screen, and the 12-item form for more intensive purposes as it is most similar to the full-scale.     

Which version of the Eysenck Personality Profiler is best? 6-, 12- or 20-items per scale

Data provided by 400 first year undergraduate students were analysed to develop two short forms of the Eysenck Personality Profiler (EPP) in which each of the 22 primary scales is assessed by a 6-item and a 12-item version instead of the usual 20-item per scale measure. In comparison with the 6-item per scale measure, the 12-item version retains more of the characteristics of the long version and seems a good compromise between quality of data and administration time.     

Internal consistency and reliability of alternate short forms of the college women's assertion sample: Clinical and research implications

Assertive behavior is most often assessed with self-report or role-play measures. The latter modality is preferred because it provides for the sampling of the structure of behavior and for the consideration of the situational context. MacDonald (1978) has developed such an assessment device but it is limited by the length of time for administration and scoring. Two studies were conducted to reconstruct reliable alternate short forms. The first study describes the selection of items and demonstrates the internal consistency of the alternate forms. The second study demonstrates the alternate form and retest reliability and provides normative statistics. We conclude that reliable alternate short forms have been constructed to be used in research in clinical applications.This research was supported by the Marie Wilson Howells Fund.Alternate short forms of the CWAS may be obtained from the first author.     

Depressive mood in adolescent,emotionally disturbed females: Reliability and validity of an adjective checklist (C-DACL)

The reliability (internal consistency, split-half, and alternate form) and concurrent validity of two equivalent forms of a revised version of the Depression Adjective Check Lists (C-DACL) were found to be at a relatively high level for a group of emotionally disturbed adolescent females.     

The Strelau Temperament Inventory-revised (STI-R): Theoretical considerations and scale development

The development of a revised Strelau Temperament Inventory (STI-R) is reported. It is assumed that the STI-R provides a measure of the basic central nervous system (CNS) properties (strength of excitation, strength of inhibition, and mobility of the CNS) as understood by Pavlov. On the basis of a series of studies, the development of the final forms of the revised STI has undergone several steps. The following forms have been elaborated: (1) a 252-item pilot form of the STI-R; (2) a 166-item STI-R with ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answer format; (3) a short form (84 items) of the STI-R (STI-RS) with ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answer format; (4) a 166-item STI-R with a 4-point Likert scale; and (5) an 84-item STI-RS with a 4-point rating scale. The psychometric characteristics of the consecutive versions of the revised STI improved from step to step, and in general these characteristics are judged as being satisfactory. Especially recommended by the authors are versions (4) and (5), which have, among other things, the highest reliability scores. They are regarded as the final forms of the STI-R and STI-RS.     

Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation: The Development and Initial Validation of the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised (CAMS-R)

As interest grows in mindfulness training as a psychosocial intervention, it is increasingly important to quantify this construct to facilitate empirical investigation. The goal of the present studies was to develop a brief self-report measure of mindfulness with items that cover the breadth of the construct and that are written in everyday language. The resulting 12-item measure demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and evidence of convergent and discriminant validity with concurrent measures of mindfulness, distress, well-being, emotion-regulation, and problem-solving approaches in three samples of university students. To address potential construct contamination in two items, data are also presented on an alternate 10-item version of the measure.

Creating Alternate In‐Basket Forms Through Cloning: Some preliminary results

Research on constructing alternate forms of assessment center exercises is very scarce. This study examines the effectiveness of a cloning procedure (incident isomorphic approach) for developing alternate forms of a computerized in‐basket. In this approach, original and alternate items are essentially similar (they are based on the same critical incident), while being superficially different (they are situated in a different context). Results showed there was no significant difference between the overall in‐basket score across the alternate forms. In addition, these overall scores correlated .66, with projected estimates for the full in‐basket approaching .80. Implications and limitations of the use of cloning in designing alternate assessment center exercises are discussed.     

PARALLEL TEST FORM DEVELOPMENT: A PROCEDURE FOR ALTERNATE PREDICTORS AND AN EXAMPLE

A procedure for developing alternate test forms that are parallel in the sense that scores on the different forms have similar means, standard deviations, and factor structures is described and applied to a bio-data inventory and a situational judgment test. Careful consideration of item-by-item parallelism during development resulted in alternate forms that were parallel at the item level. Further, comparison with a biodata test form comprised of items randomly selected from a pool of biodata items revealed that for the types of measures described here it may be necessary to produce parallel forms of each item to create alternate forms that are parallel in the way in which Cronbach (1947) originally defined parallelism.     

CONSTRUCTING PARALLEL SIMULATION EXERCISES FOR ASSESSMENT CENTERS AND OTHER FORMS OF BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT

Assessment centers rely on multiple, carefully constructed behavioral simulation exercises to measure individuals on multiple performance dimensions. Although methods for establishing parallelism among alternate forms of paper-and-pencil tests have been well researched (i.e., to equate tests on difficulty such that the scores can be compared), little research has considered the why and how of parallel simulation exercises. This paper extends established procedures for constructing parallel test forms to dimension-based behavioral simulations. We discuss reasons for establishing comparable, alternate simulation forms and discuss the issues raised when applying traditional procedures to simulation exercises. After proposing a set of guidelines for establishing alternate forms among simulations, we apply these guidelines to simulations used in an operational assessment center.     

Performance of the CES-D and its short forms in screening suicidality and hopelessness in the community

A measurement scale should be short and quick to complete if it is to be practically useful. Drawing on data from a community-based survey of 2,178 people in Hong Kong, we compared five short forms (5- to 10-item) and the original version (20-item) of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, 1977) in predicting suicidal attempts and suicidal thoughts. Short forms with as few as nine items performed in ways very similar to the full version; a version with only five items had a detectable difference from the full version. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values in differentiating people with and without suicidal thought or attempt change almost linearly with the cut-offs.     

Comparability, reliability, and practice effects on alternate forms of the Digit Symbol Substitution and Symbol Digit Modalities tests

The present study examined the comparability of 4 alternate forms of the Digit Symbol Substitution test and the Symbol Digit Modalities (written) test, including the original versions. Male contact-sport athletes (N = 112) were assessed on 1 of the 4 forms of each test. Reasonable alternate form comparability was demonstrated through establishing normality of form distributions and conducting pairwise form comparisons of means, variability, and intraclass correlations. Nonetheless, alternate forms are likely an insufficient means of controlling practice in speeded measures at brief (1-2 weeks) retest intervals. Reliable change indices demonstrated that practice must be accounted for in individual retesting.     

A Psychometric Evaluation of the Chinese Version of the Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale

The present study reported the initial validation of an abbreviated version of the Students' Life Satisfaction Scale- Chinese version (SLSS-Chinese) in two samples of Chinese middle school students. Initial analyses based on the original 7-item scale suggested that the two reverse-worded items functioned differently compared to other items. The plausible reasons behind this finding were discussed based on extant literature on mixed worded scales and cross-cultural research on life satisfaction scales. Then we compared the validity of three formats of the SLSS-Chinese: the 7-item (full scale), the 5-item (positively worded items only), and the 2-item (reverseworded items only) scales, respectively. Convergent evidence suggested that the two reverse-worded items hampered the scale's internal consistency, dimensionality, and validity. Also, the 5-item scale demonstrated good psychometric properties, and was clearly superior compared to the 7-item scale. These findings provide a solid foundation for applying the 5-item SLSS-Chinese in measuring Chinese adolescents' life satisfaction.     

Some Indian Data on Reliability Estimates of Forms A and B of the EPI

The stability coefficients and alternate forms reliabilities of the EPI (Forms A and B) over six weeks were ascertained with 70 (35 males, 35 females) Indian university students. The stability estimates and alternate forms reliability of the extraversion-introversion (E-I), neuroticism (N) and lie scales (L) ranged from 0.60 to 0.92 and 0.56 to 0.80 respectively. On the basis of results it was concluded that as the EPI has demonstrated generally high reliability on Indian sample, and same may be used safely for personality measurement in India.     

Curriculum-based measurement of oral reading: Passage equivalence and probe-set development

Curriculum-based measurement of reading (CBM-R) is used to estimate oral reading fluency. Unlike many traditional published tests, CBM-R materials are often comprised of 20 to 30 alternate forms/passages. Historically, CBM-R assessment materials were sampled from curricular materials. Recent research has documented the potentially deleterious effects of poorly controlled alternate forms on CBM-R outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine alternate procedures for the selection of passages that comprise CBM-R passage-sets. The study examined four procedures for the evaluation and selection of passages, including random sampling, Spache readability formula, mean level of performance evaluation, and Euclidean Distance evaluation. The latter two procedures relied on field testing and evaluation of student performance. Each of eighty-eight students in second- and third-grade were administered 50 CBM-R passages. Generalizability and dependability studies were used to examine students' performance on these passages and evaluate CBM-R passage selection procedures. Results provide support for the use of field testing methods (i.e., calculating performance means and Euclidean Distances) for passage selection. Implications are discussed for future research and practice.     

Brief assessment of schizotypy: Developing short forms of the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales

The Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales—the Perceptual Aberration, Magical Ideation, Physical Anhedonia, and Revised Social Anhedonia Scales—have been used extensively since their development in the 1970s and 1980s. Based on psychometric analyses using item response theory, the present work presents 15-item short forms of each scale. In addition to being briefer, the short forms omit items with high differential item functioning. Based on data from a sample of young adults (n = 1144), the short forms have strong internal consistency, and they mirror effects found for the longer scales. They thus appear to be a good option for researchers interested in the brief assessment of schizotypic traits. The items are listed in an Appendix A.     

Cross-cultural similarity in the love attitudes scale: short form.

Recently, Hendrick, Hendrick, and Dicke presented two short forms of the Love Attitudes Scale, the first using 24 items with 4 items for each subscale and the second using 18 items with 3 items for each subscale. Their data indicated that the two short versions have even stronger psychometric properties than the original scale. This study reports an 18-item short form of the scale developed independently in Taiwan using 460 graduate and undergraduate students in the fall semester of 1997. The results demonstrated a remarkable cross-cultural similarity in the development and response to the short form of the scale and its applicability to a broader cultural setting.