Intended to help improve measurement and data collection methods in the behavioral, social, and medical sciences, this book demonstrates an expanded and accessible use of Generalizability Theory (G theory). G theory conceptually models the way in which the reliability of measurement is ascertained. Sources of score variation are identified as potential contributors to measurement error and taken into account accordingly. The authors demonstrate the powerful potential of G theory by showing how to improve the quality of any kind of measurement, regardless of the discipline.
Readers will appreciate the conversational style used to present a comprehensive review of G theory and its application using the freeware EduG. To maximize understanding the authors illustrate all fundamental principles with concrete examples from different fields and contexts. Annotated applications lead students through the main concepts of G theory, while illustrating both the use of EduG and interpretation of its output. Formulas are avoided wherever possible. Exercises with data sets available on the Psychology Press website allow readers to carry out their own analyses to reinforce understanding.

Brief overviews of analysis of variance, estimation, and the statistical error model are provided for review. The procedures involved in carrying out a generalizability study using EduG follow, as well as guidance in the interpretation of results. Real-world applications of G theory to the assessment of depression, managerial ability, attitudes, and writing and mathematical skills are then presented. Next, annotated exercises provide an opportunity for readers to use EduG and interpret its results. The book concludes with a review of the development of G theory and possible new directions of application. Finally, for those with a strong statistical background, the appendixes provide the formulas used by EduG.

Ideal as a supplement for courses on measurement theory and/or generalizability theory taught in departments of psychology, education, medicine, and the social sciences, this text will also appeal to researchers from a variety of fields interested in learning how to apply G theory to their studies.

Intended to help improve measurement and data collection methods in the behavioral, social, and medical sciences, this book demonstrates an expanded and accessible use of Generalizability Theory (G theory). G theory conceptually models the way in which the reliability of measurement is ascertained. Sources of score variation are identified as potential contributors to measurement error and taken into account accordingly. The authors demonstrate the powerful potential of G theory by showing how to improve the quality of any kind of measurement, regardless of the discipline.
Readers will appreciate the conversational style used to present a comprehensive review of G theory and its application using the freeware EduG. To maximize understanding the authors illustrate all fundamental principles with concrete examples from different fields and contexts. Annotated applications lead students through the main concepts of G theory, while illustrating both the use of EduG and interpretation of its output. Formulas are avoided wherever possible. Exercises with data sets available on the Psychology Press website allow readers to carry out their own analyses to reinforce understanding.

Brief overviews of analysis of variance, estimation, and the statistical error model are provided for review. The procedures involved in carrying out a generalizability study using EduG follow, as well as guidance in the interpretation of results. Real-world applications of G theory to the assessment of depression, managerial ability, attitudes, and writing and mathematical skills are then presented. Next, annotated exercises provide an opportunity for readers to use EduG and interpret its results. The book concludes with a review of the development of G theory and possible new directions of application. Finally, for those with a strong statistical background, the appendixes provide the formulas used by EduG.

Ideal as a supplement for courses on measurement theory and/or generalizability theory taught in departments of psychology, education, medicine, and the social sciences, this text will also appeal to researchers from a variety of fields interested in learning how to apply G theory to their studies.

This volume contains contributions from 24 internationally known scholars covering a broad spectrum of interests in cross-cultural theory and research. This breadth is reflected in the diversity of the topics covered in the volume, which include theoretical approaches to cross-cultural research, the dimensions of national cultures and their measurement, ecological and economic foundations of culture, cognitive, perceptual and emotional manifestations of culture, and bicultural and intercultural processes.

In addition to the individual chapters, the volume contains a dialog among 14 experts in the field on a number of issues of concern in cross-cultural research, including the relation of psychological studies of culture to national development and national policies, the relationship between macro structures of a society and shared cognitions, the integration of structural and process models into a coherent theory of culture, how personal experiences and cultural traditions give rise to intra-cultural variation, whether culture can be validly measured by self-reports, the new challenges that confront cultural psychology, and whether psychology should strive to eliminate culture as an explanatory variable.

Drawing on the work of 75 internationally acclaimed experts in the field, Handbook of Item Response Theory, Three-Volume Set presents all major item response models, classical and modern statistical tools used in item response theory (IRT), and major areas of applications of IRT in educational and psychological testing, medical diagnosis of patient-reported outcomes, and marketing research. It also covers CRAN packages, WinBUGS, Bilog MG, Multilog, Parscale, IRTPRO, Mplus, GLLAMM, Latent Gold, and numerous other software tools. A full update of editor Wim J. van der Linden and Ronald K. Hambleton's classic Handbook of Modern Item Response Theory, this handbook has been expanded from 28 chapters to 85 chapters in three volumes. The three volumes are thoroughly edited and cross-referenced, with uniform notation, format, and pedagogical principles across all chapters. Each chapter is self-contained and deals with the latest developments in IRT.

"Testing People at Work" is an authoritative, practical text on selection and assessment. It explains psychometric testing in occupational settings and also covers other methods of selection such as assessment centres and e-selection. The book systematically covers all the topics required for the BPS Certificates of Competence in Testing Levels A and B.
Designed for students taking selection and assessment courses.
Covers the whole process of testing, from job analysis to reporting results.
Uses new theoretical frameworks for the topics of personality and motivation.
Features an extensive discussion of ethics in selection and assessment.
Includes questions testing understanding and suggestions for further reading.
Incorporates many tables and diagrams giving practical help to users of psychometric tests.
Accompanied by supplementary online material, at www.blackwellpublishing.com/testing/.

Meet the challenges of high stakes testing in the practice of school psychology School psychologists can be a positive influence on how students, teachers, parents, schools, and communities cope with the challenges and opportunities associated with high stakes testing. Unfortunately, there has been a significant lack of literature to guide school psychologists and related school-based practitioners on this topic. High Stakes Testing: New Challenges and Opportunities for School Psychology is a timely groundbreaking book that provides useful and thought-provoking information to help psychologists meet the challenges of high stakes testing and create new roles for themselves in helping children succeed. This book discusses practical ways to help provide academic support to facilitate student success on high stakes tests, reduce the impact of stress associated with high stakes testing, assess the data from the tests to improve programs, and take a leadership role in the appropriate use of the tests. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001(NCLB) and its accountability provisions has helped create and sustain a climate where student performance on state-created achievement tests often has high stakes implications for students, families, and schools. High Stakes Testing: New Challenges and Opportunities for School Psychology provides important background information about high stakes testing, including the legal, historical, and political context of high stakes testing, pertinent psychometrics, and a review of research on academic and non-academic outcomes as it relates to high stakes testing. Using this information as a foundation, the book then identifies new roles and opportunities for school psychologists with respect to high stakes testing. This book is comprehensively referenced. Topics in High Stakes Testing: New Challenges and Opportunities for School Psychology include: advocating for the appropriate use of state-wide assessments the influence of item response theory (IRT) on the development of high stakes tests whether the accountability system of NCLB is truly improving student's learning the impact of high stakes tests on classroom instruction and student motivation strategies for helping students succeed on high stakes tests available resources to cope with the stress of high stakes testing and more High Stakes Testing: New Challenges and Opportunities for School Psychology is a thought-provoking, horizon-expanding resource for school psychologists, public school educators, administrators, school counselors, curriculum coordinators, and special education teachers involved in organizing, administering, and preparing students to take high stakes tests.

Quantitative Data Analysis for Language Assessment Volume I: Fundamental Techniques is a resource book that presents the most fundamental techniques of quantitative data analysis in the field of language assessment. Each chapter provides an accessible explanation of the selected technique, a review of language assessment studies that have used the technique, and finally, an example of an authentic study that uses the technique. Readers also get a taste of how to apply each technique through the help of supplementary online resources that include sample data sets and guided instructions. Language assessment students, test designers, and researchers should find this a unique reference as it consolidates theory and application of quantitative data analysis in language assessment.

Individual Differences and Personality provides a student-friendly introduction to both classic and cutting-edge research into personality, mood, motivation and intelligence, and their applications in psychology and in fields such as health, education and sporting achievement. Including a new chapter on 'toxic' personality traits, and an additional chapter on applications in real-life settings, this fourth edition has been thoroughly updated and uniquely covers the necessary psychometric methodology needed to understand modern theories. It also develops deep processing and effective learning by encouraging a critical evaluation of both older and modern theories and methodologies, including the Dark Triad, emotional intelligence and psychopathy. Gardner's and hierarchical theories of intelligence, and modern theories of mood and motivation are discussed and evaluated, and the processes which cause people to differ in personality and intelligence are explored in detail. Six chapters provide a non-mathematical grounding in psychometric principles, such as factor analysis, reliability, validity, bias, test-construction and test-use. With self-assessment questions, further reading and a companion website including student and instructor resources, this is the ideal resource for anyone taking modules on personality and individual differences.

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.

"Situational Judgment Tests" advances the science and practice of SJTs by promoting a theoretical framework, providing an understanding of best practices, and establishing a research agenda for years to come. Currently, there is no other source that provides such a comprehensive treatment of situational judgment testing. Key features of this book include:
*chapters rich with theoretical insights and future research possibilities;
*numerous implications for improving the practical applications of SJTs, which include not only SJT development and scoring, but also operational issues affecting test administration and interpretation;
*comprehensive summaries of published and unpublished SJT research; and
*chapters that address topics that are timely and current, such as issues involving the international application of SJTs and technological considerations.
This text is relevant for academics, practitioners, and students of human resource management, organizational behavior, management, andindustrial/organizational psychology. This book is new in  SIOP's Organizational Frontiers Series, publications of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

This proceedings volume highlights the latest research and developments in psychometrics and statistics. This book compiles and expands on selected and peer reviewed presentations given at the 83rd Annual International Meeting of the Psychometric Society (IMPS), organized by Columbia University and held in New York, USA July 9th to 13th, 2018. The IMPS is one of the largest international meetings on quantitative measurement in education, psychology and the social sciences. The last couple of years it has attracted more than 500 participants and more than 250 paper presentations from researchers around the world. Leading experts in the world and promising young researchers have written the 38 chapters. The chapters address a large variety of topics including but not limited to item response theory, multistage adaptive testing, and cognitive diagnostic models. This volume is the 7th in a series of recent volumes to cover research presented at the IMPS.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This book focuses on quantitative survey methodology, data collection and cleaning methods. Providing starting tools for using and analyzing a file once a survey has been conducted, it addresses fields as diverse as advanced weighting, editing, and imputation, which are not well-covered in corresponding survey books. Moreover, it presents numerous empirical examples from the author's extensive research experience, particularly real data sets from multinational surveys.

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.

Test-based psychological assessment has been significantly affected by the health care revolution in the United States during the past two decades. Despite new limitations on psychological services across the board and psychological testing in particular, it continues to offer a rapid and efficient method of identifying problems, planning and monitoring a course of treatment, and assessing the outcomes of interventions. This thoroughly revised and greatly expanded third edition of a classic reference, now three volumes, constitutes an invaluable resource for practitioners who in a managed care era need to focus their testing not on the general goals of personality assessment, symptom identification, and diagnosis so often presented to them as students and trainees, but on specific questions: What course of treatment should this person receive? How is it going? Was it effective? New chapters describe new tests and models and new concerns such as ethical aspects of outcomes assessment. Volume I reviews general issues and recommendations concerning the use of psychological testing for screening for psychological disturbances, planning and monitoring appropriate interventions, and the assessing outcomes, and offers specific guidelines for selecting instruments. It also considers more specific issues such as the analysis of group and individual patient data, the selection and implementation of outcomes instrumentation, and the ethics of gathering and using outcomes data. Volume II discusses psychological measures developed for use with younger children and adolescents that can be used for the purposes outlined in Volume I; Volume III, those developed for use with adults. Drawing on the knowledge and experience of a diverse group of leading experts--test developers, researchers, clinicians and others, the third edition of The Use of Psychological Testing for Treatment Planning and Outcomes Assessment provides vital assistance to all clinicians, and to their trainees and graduate students.

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.

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.

Originally published in 1972, there were many 'classics' dealing with assessment and testing on the market at the time, but most of these left the inexperienced reader bewildered in the early stages, because of their size and insufficient explanation of the many technical terms used. There were a distinct lack of books which gave students in Colleges of Education dealing with psychology for the first time a simple explanation of basic terms in assessment and testing, and which introduced them briefly to the different types of tests available. Assessment and Testing aimed to fill this large gap. It looks at such key psychological terms as 'sample', 'objectivity', 'subjectivity', and such basic statistical terms such as 'mean', 'standard deviation', and 'normal curve of distribution'. Because it assumes that the reader has no knowledge of such terms, it gives careful and simply illustrated explanations of each. In the same way, in simple language, with any technical terms explained and illustrated, it explains intelligence and personality tests, questionnaires, sociometric measures, projection techniques, and other areas of assessment and testing which every practising teacher will meet. The book aims to be essentially practical. It is appreciated all the time that the readers are those who will teach children. It is designed to provide a solid foundation upon which the reader can build later to augment his own experience of identifying children's particular needs.

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.

Since the mid-80s several laboratories around the world have been developing techniques for the operational use of tests derived from item-generation. According to the experts, the major thrust of test development in the next decade will be the harnessing of item generation technology to the production of computer developed tests. This is expected to revolutionize the way in which tests are constructed and delivered.
This book is a compilation of the papers presented at a symposium held at ETS in Princeton, attended by the world's foremost experts in item-generation theory and practice. Its goal is to present the major applications of cognitive principles in the construction of ability, aptitude, and achievement tests. It is an intellectual contribution to test development that is unique, with great potential for changing the ways tests are generated. The intended market includes professional educators and psychologists interested in test generation.

The Family System Test (FAST), developed by Thomas M. Gehring, is an important new tool for investigating family relations. Based on the structural-systemic theory of families, it is a figural technique for representing emotional bonds (cohesion) and hierarchical structures in the family or similar social systems. In this unique volume, the editors draw on current theory and research in family or similar social systems together with a variety of empirical studies that have used the FAST, to provide a comprehensive overview and assessment of the test and its use in various clinical research contexts.
The book is divided into four sections, each focusing on a different aspect of the FAST. Part 1 describes the concepts and psychometric properties of the FAST within the context of theoretically and empirically relevant aspects of the field of family psychology as a whole. Special emphasis is given to systematic-structural approaches to assessing individual and family functioning. Part II focuses on the use of the FAST in developmental research. For example, the the FAST has been used to show how family constructs are influenced by age, type of family and situation. Part III deals with cross-cultural issues and compares the interpersonal constructs of Japanese and Chinese families to Western families. Finally, Part IV addresses the applications of the FAST in clinical setting - in diagnosis of biopsychosocial problems and planning and evaluation of clinical interventions.
The result is a book that helps to bridge the gap between theory, practice and research. It will be essential reading for users of the FAST and all clinicians and researchers who work in family relations and development.

Related link: Free Email Alerting