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PSYCHOLOGICALTESTING

Chapter 10

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Psychometrics

Psychometric tests fall into two main types:

Ability tests

A wide range of ability tests exist, including:

Typing tests based on work samples which ask candidates totype a set amount of text in a certain period of time

Tests of manual dexterity which would require operators to

slot pegs into holes in a certain sequence and pattern over aperiod of time

Tests of spatial ability to see whether candidates are capableof operating machinery.

A driving test is probably the best known example of a widelyused ability test

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Ability tests

Cognitive tests attempt to identify this ability. Generally speaking,

ability tests are divided into three main categories:Achievement tests, which measure the knowledge and skill that the

person has acquired. The tests mentioned above for bricklayers andtypists would be seen as achievement tests. They are sometimesknown as trade tests.

Aptitude tests, which may be based either on an occupational aptitude,such as computer programming or sales ability, or related toprimary mental abilities such as verbal reasoning, numerical ability,abstract reasoning, clerical speed and accuracy, mechanicalreasoning, spatial ability, spelling and language usage. There are

some tests which specifically measure one of the aptitudes, otherswhich form a battery of measurements for a range of aptitudes andare known as differential aptitude batteries.

Intelligence tests, which attempt to measure intelligence, albeit thatthere is some disagreement over the content of intelligence.

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Personality tests

One of the reasons for its popularity is the read-across of personality

factors into occupational suitability. There were, however, somequestions that had a clinical feel and made people apprehensiveabout its completion. The 16 factors used were:

Cool warm

Concrete thinking abstract thinking

Affected by feelings emotionally stable

Submissive dominant

Sober enthusiastic

Expedient conscientious

Shy boldTough minded tender minded

Trusting suspicious

Practical imaginative

Forthright shrewd

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Personality tests

Self assured apprehensive

Conservative experimenting

Group oriented self sufficient

Undisciplined/self conflict following self image

Relaxed - tense

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Personality tests

The bigfivepersonality characteristics

Extraversion/introversion gregarious, outgoing, assertive,talkative and active (extraversion); or reserved, inward-looking, diffident, quiet, restrained (introversion)

Emotional stability resilient, independent, confident,

relaxed; or apprehensive, dependent, under-confident,tense,

Agreeableness courteous, cooperative, likeable, tolerant;or rude, uncooperative, hostile, intolerant.

Conscientiousness hard-working, persevering, careful,reliable; or lazy, dilettante, careless, expedient.

Openness to experience curious, imaginative, willingnessto learn, broad-minded; or blinkered, unimaginative,complacent, narrow-minded.

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Personality tests

The five factors cover aspects of human nature reflecting.

Traits such as being gregarious, assertive, talkative andactive, together with ambition, expressiveness andimpetuousness (extroversion/introversion)

Aspects such as anxiety, anger, worry, insecurity, together

with resilience and independent thought (emotional stability) Social conformity, being courteous, flexible, cooperative,

forgiving, soft hearted, tolerant, trusting or cynical(agreeableness sometimes also labeled likeability)

Hard working, persevering, careful, organized and preferencesfor rules and procedures or spontaneity and creativity(conscientiousness)

Curious imaginative, broad minded traits as well asintelligence however defined (openness to experience).

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Test quality and choice

Validity

Face validityis concerned with the question Does the test appear to

measure what it is supposed to measure?. This depends o thenature of the test and the context in which it would be used. Facevalidity is concerned with peoples perceptions of what a testmeasures, therefore it is not a true kind of validity, and is usuallyplayed down by psychologists, but it is of great practical importance

for selectors wishing to avoid giving offence to candidates and beingridiculed by line colleagues.

Content validity relates to the question Do the items in the testadequately cover every aspect of what the test is supposed tomeasure?. If, for example, the analytical reasoning was identified

as a test subject and defined as a general mental ability involvingboth numerical and verbal components, any test designed tomeasure analytical reasoning would need to include bothnumerical and verbal items; the absence of either one would reducethe content validity of test.

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ValidityConstruct validity is theoretically the most interesting type becauseit relates to the issue of whether the idea behind the test is valid ornot. For practical purposes it is concerned with the question Does

the test really measure what it is supposed to measure and notsomething else?. If, for example, we established a test for a sixthdimension of personality, then we would need to demonstrate thatthis additional sixth dimension was real and that the test measuredit, rather than measuring one of the big five and naming it in adifferent way. Equally, if the test is supposed to be measuring full

personality then it will need to be seen to be measuringoccupational tests are constructed on the basis of the big give andtherefore the focus of attention is usually on the effectiveness of thetest in measuring those dimensions, rather than on the theorybehind the test.

Criterion related validity has the most practical significance forselectors as it is concerned with the question Do the scores on thetest relate to anything important in the world of work?. Inoccupational testing anythingimportant is usually some measure ofjob performance such as supervisor ratings, sales achieved,absence, turnover or achievement.

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Reliability

Test retest is concerned with the stability of test scores overtime. It involves administering the test to the same individuals

on two or more separate occasions, normally a few weeksbetween the scores obtained on the two occasions. Althoughin theory there is concern about rehearsing people byretaking tests, in practice the results of the two or moreoccasions will need to be consistent, because different results

will ten to show that it is the test that is inconsistent ratherthan the people taking it.

Internal consistencyis concerned with the idea that all of theitems within a test should be measuring the same thing andtherefore should be correlated with each other. For example,if a test question asked Do you prefer going to parties orlearning a new skill?. It would be an inconsistent questionbecause the first part of the question will be linked toextraversion and the second part of the question will be

linked to openness to experience.

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Reliability

Parallel forms reliability is the ability of a test to measurein the same way as another test designed to measure

the same construct. It is particularly important if thepublishers produces two versions of the same test, sincethey should then be highly correlated.

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Personality tests.Personality tests do not look like tests as such, they are really

questionnaires. They usually, but not always, take the form of:

The statement type are usually open ended questions to which the

candidate replies true or false or may have a range of responsesfrom very much like me to not at all like me, or similardescriptions. These tests are usually constructed in such a way thatthe question will be asked in many different ways on a number ofoccasions as a means of gauging a typical answer. In an omnibustest (full personality) this means the test may cover over a hundredquestions.

The choicetype, sometimes called ipsative, is one in which the testtaker is required to make a choice between two statements oradjectives. Sometimes it is a straight choice, sometimes there isscale of response. There is some concern about the use of such

tests. To illustrate, if we provide a test taker with a choice I oftenbeat my spouse and family or I often steal from shops or myemployer we will be able to deduce from the answer that the testtaker either has violent tendencies or dishonest tendencies. Inpractice the respondent could be either violent or dishonest or bothor neither, deducing answers from forced choices is therefore

fraught with difficulties.

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Personality tests.

The adjective test has become more popular in recentyears, partly because of improvements in its

development and partly because it generally offers aquicker and more cost effective route to testing. In thisapproach test takers are required to respond to anadjective as likemeor not like meetc or respond to a

choice of adjectives indicating which is most appropriatefor them.