This book provides an introduction to test equating, scaling and linking, including those concepts and practical issues that are critical for developers and all other testing professionals. In addition to statistical procedures, successful equating, scaling and linking involves many aspects of testing, including procedures to develop tests, to administer and score tests and to interpret scores earned on tests. Test equating methods are used with many standardized tests in education and psychology to ensure that scores from multiple test forms can be used interchangeably. Test scaling is the process of developing score scales that are used when scores on standardized tests are reported. In test linking, scores from two or more tests are related to one another. Linking has received much recent attention, due largely to investigations of linking similarly named tests from different test publishers or tests constructed for different purposes. In recent years, researchers from the education, psychology and statistics communities have contributed to the rapidly growing statistical and psychometric methodologies used in test equating, scaling and linking. In addition to the literature covered in previous editions, this new edition presents coverage of significant recent research.

In order to assist researchers, advanced graduate students and testing professionals, examples are used frequently and conceptual issues are stressed. New material includes model determination in log-linear smoothing, in-depth presentation of chained linear and equipercentile equating, equating criteria, test scoring and a new section on scores for mixed-format tests. In the third edition, each chapter contains a reference list, rather than having a single reference list at the end of the volume

The themes of the third edition include:

* the purposes of equating, scaling and linking and their practical context

* data collection designs

* statistical methodology

* designing reasonable and useful equating, scaling, and linking studies

* importance of test development and quality control processes to equating

* equating error, and the underlying statistical assumptions for equating

How to Use SPSS (R) is designed with the novice computer user in mind and for people who have no previous experience using SPSS. Each chapter is divided into short sections that describe the statistic being used, important underlying assumptions, and how to interpret the results and express them in a research report. The book begins with the basics, such as starting SPSS, defining variables, and entering and saving data. It covers all major statistical techniques typically taught in beginning statistics classes, such as descriptive statistics, graphing data, prediction and association, parametric inferential statistics, nonparametric inferential statistics and statistics for test construction. More than 270 screenshots (including sample output) throughout the book show students exactly what to expect as they follow along using SPSS. The book includes a glossary of statistical terms and practice exercises. A complete set of online resources including video tutorials and output files for students, and PowerPoint slides and test bank questions for instructors, make How to Use SPSS (R) the definitive, field-tested resource for learning SPSS. New to this edition: Now in full color with additional screenshots Fully updated to the reflect SPSS version 26 (and prior versions) Changes in nonparametric tests Model View incorporated Data and real output are now available for all Phrasing Results sections - eliminating hypothetical output or hypothetical data

A focused look at the usesand misusesof psychological tests in the context of child custody This book presents an advanced examination of psychological testing and usage in the child custody arena. It addresses test selection issues, provides insightful discussions of how to confront confirmatory biases and avoid the distortion of test findings, and presents clear instructions for the use of specific tests, including MMPI-2 and Rorschach, and a point/counterpoint discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the Ackerman-Schoendorf Scales for Parent Evaluation of Custody (ASPECT). Psychological Testing in Child Custody Evaluations can be viewed as a work in three parts. The first section addresses theoretical and test usage issues, with chapters focusing on: addressing test selection issues from legal and psychological perspectives bias issues that interfere with the evaluator's ability to collect and consider data objectively a functional, comprehensive approach to the use of psychological tests in a child custody evaluationwith a conceptual framework for choosing assessment techniques to assess parenting competencies and other variables important in forming opinions about custodial placement and visitation access, and a practical example of how to present psychological test data in an advisory report to the court a look at psychological testing from an attorney's point of view The second section of Psychological Testing in Child Custody Evaluations focuses on the MMPI-2 and the Rorschach Inkblot Test in the child custody context, investigating hypotheses that can be inferred from the MMPI-2 regarding parenting behaviors, and the use and value of the Rorschach. This section examines: the foundation from which the MMPI-2 can generate expectations regarding five basic issuesthe quality of attachment and bonding, potential for antisocial behavior, temper control, alienation of affection, and chemical abuse and dependence the range of variables that will generate useful hypotheses regarding parent-child interactions and family systems the effects of the circumstances of litigation on score elevationsincluding recommended limits as to how much elevation can be dismissed as only contextual the important differences between occasion validity and attribute validity the clinical application of an objective interpretation system, including the courtroom credibility of explicit convergent validity the use of the Rorschach in child custody evaluations findings from a study using the Rorschach to address specific parenting variables The third section of Psychological Testing in Child Custody Evaluations is a focused point-counterpoint discussion of ASPECT, between test creator Marc J. Ackerman and Mary Connell, President of the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. This book is essential reading for child custody evaluators, family law attorneys, and judges practicing in the family law arena, as well as educators and students in these fields.

For decades, The Rorschach Inkblot Method (RIM)--the most popular of the projective tests--has been routinely employed for personality assessment and treatment planning. But in recent years, it has not been free from controversy. Criticisms of its validity and empirical support are catalyzing new efforts to strengthen its foundations and document its broad utility. Among the most common--yet also most confusing and challenging--categories of clinical disorders is the personality disorders. However, minimal data have been available on the RIM evaluation of most of those found in DSM-IV. This welcomed book constitutes the first research-grounded, comprehensive guide to the use of the RIM in assessing personality disorders. The first section offers a theoretical overview of personality disorders and constructs a framework and compelling rationale for the legitimate role of the RIM in their assessment. The second, third, and fourth sections present Cluster A disorders--paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal; Cluster B disorders--antisocial and psychopathic, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic; and Cluster C disorders--avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive. The fifth section presents passive aggressive and depressive personality disorders, currently being proposed for DSM inclusion. Each chapter in these four sections includes an extensive description of the disorder, a review of empirical studies of the use of the RIM to assess it, an analysis of the Rorschach variables that may characterize patients diagnosed with it, and a depiction of a real case and discussion of the ways in which the RIM contributed to its formulation. The sixth and final section explores the relationship between psychoanalytic theory and the RIM. Rorschach Assessment of the Personality Disorders brings practical help for clinicians and clinicians-in-training, and suggests new paths for researchers seeking to advance our understanding of the complexities of these disorders.

Selection for secondary education at 11-plus still arouses widespread controversy; and the psychological techniques which are employed, such as intelligence and attainments tests, are often criticised. Originally published in 1957, under the auspices of the British Psychological Society, a group of psychologists, experienced in this field, tried to present a balanced survey of the situation at the time. They show that the real problems of secondary schooling cannot be solved by simple administrative changes; they arise from historical causes, from the class structure of English society and the educational and vocational ambitions of parents. Psychology has studied the development and differentiation of children's abilities and interests with age, and thus throws light on the need for, and the consequences of, streaming children in different classes or schools, and the value of alternative systems such as the comprehensive school. Selection at 11-plus, it is admitted, does have harmful effects on teaching in the junior school and produces much emotional strain, though these effects are often exaggerated. It was, in fact, accurate for some ninety per cent of children; yet the implications of its inevitable inaccuracy for some pupils cannot be ignored. The functions, and the value, of intelligence and attainments tests and the essay are examined, and full consideration given to the use of teachers' estimates of suitability and other techniques. The Report is addressed primarily to teachers, educational administrator, and psychologists - that is people with some background knowledge of the problems involved; but it should also be intelligible and helpful to the educated layman, since the more technical details are confined to Appendices.

Wertsch argues against reductionist accounts of human cognition and proposes a sociocultural perspective, which moves beyond the isolated individual. He suggests that "mediated action" and cultural tools shape cognitive processes and can explain how they are organized.

This book is in celebration of the seminal work of Roderick P. McDonald whose career has spanned over forty years and three continents. His work in factor analysis, structural modeling, multivariate analysis, and test theory has inspired the research of many of the leading scholars in these fields. All of the book's cutting edge chapters are contributions from Rod's former students, fellow researchers, and/or long time friends. Contemporary Psychometrics features four diverse sections: test theory, factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and multivariate analysis. All of the chapters address key issues in psychometrics using the most contemporary methods possible. The section on test theory includes topics such as multidimensional item response theory (IRT), the relationship between IRT and factor analysis, estimation and testing of these models, and a reflection on basic measurement issues that are often neglected. The factor analysis section reviews the history and development of the model, factorial invariance and factor analysis indeterminacy, and Bayesian inference for factor scores and parameter estimates. latent variable SEM, a survey of goodness of fit assessment, SEM resampling methods, a discussion of how to compare correlations between and within independent samples, the psychological processes with dynamic factor models based on ARMA time series models, and multi-level factor analysis models for continuous and discrete data. The final section on multivariate analysis includes topics such as dual scaling of ordinal data, model specification and missing data problems in time series models, and concludes with a discussion of the themes that run through all multivariate methods. The tour de force through contemporary psychometrics will appeal to advanced students and researchers in the social and behavioral sciences and education, as well as methodologists from other disciplines.

Exner's Comprehensive System has attracted so much attention in recent years that many clinicians and personality researchers are unaware that alternative Rorschach scoring systems exist. This is unfortunate, because some of these systems have tremendous clinical value. Scoring the Rorschach: Seven Validated Systems provides detailed reviews of the best-validated alternative approaches, and points to promising new paths towards the continued growth and refinement of Rorschach interpretation. The editors set the stage with an extended introduction to historical controversies and cutting-edge empirical methods for Rorschach validation. Each chapter presents a different Rorschach scoring system. A brief history is followed by detailed information on scoring and interpretation, a comprehensive summary of evidence bearing on construct validity, and discussion of clinical applications, empirical limitations, and future directions. A user-friendly scoring "manual" for each system offers readers practical guidance. The systems tap a broad array of content areas including ego defenses, thought disorder, mental representations of self and others, implicit motives, personality traits, and potential for psychotherapy. All psychologists seriously engaged in the work of personality assessment will find in this book welcome additions to their professional toolkits.

Offering a variety of innovative methods and tools, The Oxford Handbook of Multi- and Mixed-Methods Research Inquiry provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date presentation on multi- and mixed-methods research available. Written in clear and concise language by leading scholars in the field, it enhances and disrupts traditional ways of asking and addressing complex research questions. Topics include an overview of theory, paradigms, and scientific inquiry; a guide to conducting a multi- and mixed-methods research study from start to finish; current uses of multi- and mixed-methods research across academic disciplines and research fields; the latest technologies and how they can be incorporated into study design; and a presentation of multiple perspectives on the key remaining debates. Each chapter in the volume is structured to include state-of-the-art research examples that cross a range of disciplines and interdisciplinary research settings. In addition, the Handbook offers multiple quantitative and qualitative theoretical and interdisciplinary visions and praxis. Researchers, faculty, graduate students, and policy makers will appreciate the exceptional, timely, and critical coverage in this Handbook, which deftly addresses the interdisciplinary and complex questions that a diverse set of research communities are facing today.

Created with the input of a distinguished International Board of the foremost authorities in data mining from academia and industry, "The Handbook of Data Mining" presents comprehensive coverage of data mining concepts and techniques. Algorithms, methodologies, management issues, and tools are all illustrated through engaging examples and real-world applications to ease understanding of the materials.
This book is organized into three parts. Part I presents various data mining methodologies, concepts, and available software tools for each methodology. Part II addresses various issues typically faced in the management of data mining projects and tips on how to maximize outcome utility. Part III features numerous real-world applications of these techniques in a variety of areas, including human performance, geospatial, bioinformatics, on- and off-line customer transaction activity, security-related computer audits, network traffic, text and image, and manufacturing quality.
This "Handbook" is ideal for researchers and developers who want to use data mining techniques to derive scientific inferences where extensive data is available in scattered reports and publications. It is also an excellent resource for graduate-level courses on data mining and decision and expert systems methodology.

Students can find statistical analysis a challenging and complex task and, in order to master the techniques and complete their assignments and projects successfully, they need to have a sound understanding of IBM SPSS and its functions. Updated to be compatible with IBM SPSS 25, with handy screen-shots throughout, the seventh edition of this trusted and practical textbook will take students on a step-by-step journey towards carrying out a range of essential tasks with confidence: from performing an analysis to interpreting outputs and reporting the results. This book is an unbeatable, must-have guide to IBM SPSS that will allow undergraduate psychology students to master this powerful software tool. Accompanying online resources for this title can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/spss-for-psychologists. These resources are designed to support teaching and learning when using this textbook and are available at no extra cost.

MATLAB Blues is an accessible, comprehensive introduction to the MATLAB computer programming language-a powerful and increasingly popular tool for students and researchers. Rosenbaum identifies many of the common mistakes and pitfalls associated with using MATLAB, and shows users how they can learn from these mistakes to be better, happier programmers. Each chapter systematically addresses one of the basic principles of the programming language, like matrices, calculations, contingencies, plotting, input-output, and graphics, and then identifies areas that are problematic, as well as potential errors that can occur. This not only provides the reader with the fundamental "scales and chords" that a MATLAB programmer needs to know, but also with a series of examples and explanations of how to avoid and remedy common mistakes. Accompanied by an array of sample code that can be used and manipulated in conjunction with the textbook, this book is a practical, insightful introduction to MATLAB which provides motivation and encouragement to those with little or no background in programming as well as to those with more advanced concerns. It is an invaluable resource for researchers and students undertaking courses in research methods, statistics, and programming.

MATLAB Blues is an accessible, comprehensive introduction to the MATLAB computer programming language-a powerful and increasingly popular tool for students and researchers. Rosenbaum identifies many of the common mistakes and pitfalls associated with using MATLAB, and shows users how they can learn from these mistakes to be better, happier programmers. Each chapter systematically addresses one of the basic principles of the programming language, like matrices, calculations, contingencies, plotting, input-output, and graphics, and then identifies areas that are problematic, as well as potential errors that can occur. This not only provides the reader with the fundamental "scales and chords" that a MATLAB programmer needs to know, but also with a series of examples and explanations of how to avoid and remedy common mistakes. Accompanied by an array of sample code that can be used and manipulated in conjunction with the textbook, this book is a practical, insightful introduction to MATLAB which provides motivation and encouragement to those with little or no background in programming as well as to those with more advanced concerns. It is an invaluable resource for researchers and students undertaking courses in research methods, statistics, and programming.

Collecting and analyzing data on unemployment, inflation, and inequality help describe the complex world around us. When published by the government, such data are called official statistics. They are reported by the media, used by politicians to lend weight to their arguments, and by economic commentators to opine about the state of society. Despite such widescale use, explanations about how these measures are constructed are seldom provided for a non-technical reader. This Measuring Society book is a short, accessible guide to six topics: jobs, house prices, inequality, prices for goods and services, poverty, and deprivation. Each relates to concepts we use on a personal level to form an understanding of the society in which we live: We need a job, a place to live, and food to eat. Using data from the United States, we answer three basic questions: why, how, and for whom these statistics have been constructed. We add some context and flavor by discussing the historical background. This book provides the reader with a good grasp of these measures. Chaitra H. Nagaraja is an Associate Professor of Statistics at the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University in New York. Her research interests include house price indices and inequality measurement. Prior to Fordham, Dr. Nagaraja was a researcher at the U.S. Census Bureau. While there, she worked on projects relating to the American Community Survey.

The development of communication as a discipline has resulted in an explosion of scales tapping various aspects of interpersonal, mass, organizational, and instructional communication. These scales are scattered across a bewildering array of journals, books, dissertations, and research reports--a situation that often hinders awareness and use of particular measures. Intended as a partial remedy to the situation, this sourcebook brings together a variety of scales that measure a number of important communication constructs. The scales presented are drawn from areas of interpersonal, mass, organizational, and instructional communication--areas in which the use of formal, quantitative scales is particularly well developed. "Communication Research Measures" reflects the recent important emphasis on developing and improving the measurement base of the communication discipline. It results in an equal amount of labor saved on the part of the scholars, students, and practitioners who find this book useful, and it contributes in a significant way to research efforts.
Originally published by Guilford Press in 1994, now available from LEA.

This step-by-step guide shows you how to use R to get data analysis right. The book explores the entire process of analysis, covering key steps from preparing your data to putting your analysis together and writing up your findings. It helps you get to grips with doing different statistical techniques in R and: Equips you with practical data visualisation tools to create graphs and tables. Shows you how to prepare and present your research for assessment, publication and dissemination. Covers key issues facing today's social scientists, such as making research reproducible. Features include an introduction to each chapter, and end-of-chapter exercises to check your understanding of the material. The online resources for this text include data sets that you can perform your own analysis on, and links to publications that are relevant to programming with R. A good starting point for any postgraduate student conducting a research project, this book will help you develop your statistics and programming knowledge and get quickly up to speed.

Although most people believe that there is little we can do to improve the intelligence we were born with, the brain can be exercised just like any other part of the body. Thought processes and intelligence scoring can be improved by practising different types of testing. This title from IQ expert Philip Carter is a companion volume to the bestselilng IQ and Psychometric Tests, and it includes not only hundreds of practice questions, but also answers but explanations. The broader format allows space for writing answers and making notes, and readers are provided with feedback so that they can assess their own strengths and weaknesses. Topics covered include: verbal aptitude tests, numerical aptitude tests, visual aptitude tests, problem solving tests, personality questionnairesm and advice on adopting the right approach to psychometric testing. The IQ and Psychometric Test Workbook provides an ideal opportunity for anyone to improve their IQ rating, or individual performance at psychometric tests, through continual practice and self-assessment.

Practitioner-Based Research is concerned, in particular, with the research which is undertaken by healthcare practitioners and the evidence which they generate as a result of investigating their practice. In so doing it recognizes that, as well as working in academic life, practitioner researchers are often working as practitioners outside the Academy. It argues that the work of practitioner researchers has a significant contribution to make to healthcare research and so needs to be disseminated further in order to create balanced research communities within the healthcare professions. This book will help academic researchers to broaden the limited ontological and epistemological perspectives of their research. It will also encourage healthcare practitioners who have not been trained academically to develop their research skills and to realize that they are actually researching in their practice on a day-to-day basis. Finally, it will provide a degree of transparency about therapeutic processes to help clients and patients to see aspects of professional practice and development which are usually hidden from them.

This invaluable resource presents a state-of-the-art account of the psychology of pain from leading researchers. It features contributions from clinical, social, and biopsychological perspectives, the latest theories of pain, as well as basic processes and applied issues. The book opens with an introduction to the history of pain theory and the epidemiology of pain. It then explores theoretical work, including the gate control theory/neuromatrix model, as well as biopsychosocial, cognitive/behavioral, and psychodynamic perspectives. Issues, such as the link between psychophysiological processes and consciousness and the communication of pain are examined. Pain over the life span, ethno-cultural, and individual differences are the focus of the next three chapters. Pain: Psychological Perspectives addresses current clinical issues: * pain assessment and acute and chronic pain interventions; * the unavailability of psychological interventions for chronic pain in a number of settings, the use of self-report, and issues related to the implementation of certain biomedical interventions; and * the latest ethical standards and the theories. Intended for practitioners, researchers, and students involved with the study of pain in fields such as clinical and health psychology, this book will also appeal to physicians, nurses, and physiotherapists. Pain is ideal for advanced courses on the psychology of pain, pain management, and related courses that address this topic.

Contents:
Strategic Therapy. Ethnicity Issues in Strategic Therapy. Strategic Therapy with Couples. Family Therapy at a Distance - a Case of Depression. Changing a Violent Family. Compulsory Therapy - a Case of Violence. Paradox and Play with Children: The Boy Who can't stop Fighting. Mother Daughter Incest. Cultural Confusions: How Many Clients are in One Body? A Positive Approach with Psychotic Couples. Appendix A: Case Report: How to Unbalance a Couple. Appendix B: Supplemental.

This guide is a much-needed reference for clinicians on how to use the Rorschach Inkblot Test with senior adults, an essential tool for assessing personality functioning to better identify psychological interventions. The book integrates historical developments, current research, conceptual considerations, and therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Chapters review basic guidelines for the understanding and interpretation of Rorschach variables, including protocol validity; interpretation of structural variables, thematic imagery, and cross-cultural normative data; sequence analysis; and more. The authors then provide 10 case illustrations of how the Rorschach indices of cognitive functioning, emotional experience, interpersonal relatedness, and self-perception can facilitate differential diagnosis and treatment planning in clinical work with older people. These case illustrations are rooted in previously non-existent Rorschach reference data based on an international sample of more than 250 senior adults and a second sample of more than 200 patients with Alzheimer's disease. Clinicians will come away with a solid empirical basis for distinguishing between normal-range personality functioning and manifestations of psychological disorder in the elderly and for providing beneficial interventions to senior adult patients.

Behavioral medicine has now matured as a field to the point where all recognize that different populations are presented with different issues. Psychological reactions and patterns affect the health and well-being of children, as well as adults, and numerous standardized instruments for the assessment of a variety of areas of children's functioning are currently available. Yet, it can be difficult for practitioners and researchers searching through general compendia of resources for child assessment--which are frequently focused on general techniques rather than specific instruments--to identify the optimal ones to meet their particular needs and to choose among them.
This practical and comprehensive reference guide is the first to sort, present, and review all the measures that can be used to evaluate the behavioral, cognitive, and emotional aspects of children's health. It organizes the measures under eight general headings, such as quality of life, adherence, pain management, and patient satisfaction. Each chapter begins with a leading authority's overview of the underlying theoretical construct and any concerns about how to measure it. Descriptions and reviews of relevant instruments follow; these include information on administration, scoring, psychometric properties, and ordering, as well as comments by the instruments' developers.
"Assessing Children's Well-Being: A Handbook of Measures" will be welcomed by all those professionals and scientists who seek to assess and effectively address the complex interactions between physical health and mental health in children.

Horrified by the Holocaust, social psychologist Stanley Milgram wondered if he could recreate the Holocaust in the laboratory setting. Unabated for more than half a century, his (in)famous results have continued to intrigue scholars. Based on unpublished archival data from Milgram's personal collection, volume one of this two-volume set introduces readers to a behind the scenes account showing how during Milgram's unpublished pilot studies he step-by-step invented his official experimental procedure-how he gradually learnt to transform most ordinary people into willing inflictors of harm. The open access volume two then illustrates how certain innovators within the Nazi regime used the very same Milgram-like learning techniques that with increasing effectiveness gradually enabled them to also transform most ordinary people into increasingly capable executioners of other men, women, and children. Volume two effectively attempts to capture how step-by-step these Nazi innovators attempted to transform the Fuhrer's wish of a Jewish-free Europe into a frightening reality. By the books' end the reader will gain an insight into how the seemingly undoable can become increasingly doable.

A special issue of the Peabody Journal of Education looking at contemporary issues in psychological and educational assessment.

Psychologists are under increasing pressure to demonstrate the ecological validity of their assessment procedures--to show that the recommendations concluding their evaluations are relevant to urgent concerns in the legal and social policy arenas, such as predicting dangerousness, awarding compensation, and choosing a custodial parent. How much damage does a referred patient have? Who or what "caused" the damage? What impact will it have on his or her future life, work, and family? And what can be done to remediate the damage?
The purpose of this book is to provide "sound objective" methods for answering these questions. It integrates the knowledge of experienced practitioners who offer state-of-the-art summaries of the best current approaches to evaluating difficult cases with that of basic theorists who describe emerging methods in both predictive and inferential statistics, such as Bayesian networks, that have proven their value in other scientific fields. Arguably, the enterprise of psychological assessment is so interdependent with that of data analysis that attempts to make inferences without consideration of statistical implications is malpractice. "Prediction in Forensic and Neuropsychology: Sound Statistical Practices" clarifies the process of hypothesis testing and helps to push the clinical interpretation of psychological data into the 21st century. It constitutes a vital resource for all the stakeholders in the assessment process--practitioners, researchers, attorneys, and policymakers.