Educational and Psychological Measurement

In this study, mixed Rasch modeling was used on the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), a widely used measure of depression, among a non-Western sample of 618 Korean college students. The results revealed three latent classes and confirmed the unidimensionality of the SDS. In addition, there was a significant effect for gender in terms of class membership. The implications for diagnosis and treatment for normal populations are discussed as well as the differences in depression profiles of those in Western and non-Western samples.

Một nghiên cứu tổng quát hóa độ tin cậy cho thang đo trạng thái-tính cách lo lắng của Spielberger (STAI) đã được thực hiện. Tổng cộng có 816 bài báo nghiên cứu sử dụng thang đo STAI từ năm 1990 đến 2000 được xem xét và phân loại thành: (a) không đề cập đến độ tin cậy (73%), (b) có đề cập đến độ tin cậy hoặc báo cáo các hệ số độ tin cậy từ nguồn khác (21%), hoặc (c) tự tính toán độ tin cậy cho dữ liệu hiện tại (6%). Các bài báo trên các tạp chí chuyên ngành y khoa thường ngắn hơn và ít có khả năng đề cập hoặc tính toán độ tin cậy so với các bài báo không thuộc lĩnh vực y khoa, có thể do sự khác biệt trong cách tiếp cận. Trung bình, các hệ số độ tin cậy cho cả tính nhất quán nội bộ và thử nghiệm lại đều chấp nhận được, nhưng có sự biến thiên trong số các ước lượng. Các hệ số thử nghiệm lại của trạng thái thấp hơn các hệ số tính nhất quán nội bộ. Sự biến đổi điểm số có dự đoán được độ tin cậy về tính nhất quán nội bộ cho điểm số trên cả hai thang đo. Các yếu tố dự đoán khác là tuổi của các đối tượng tham gia nghiên cứu, hình thức của STAI và loại thiết kế nghiên cứu.

Total SAT score, average grade earned in high school, and 32 personality variables are examined via forward multiple regression analyses to identify the best combination for predicting GPA in a sample of 201 psychology students. Average grade earned in high school enters first, accounting for 19% of the variance in GPA. Self-control enters second, and SAT third; these account for 9% and 5% of the variance, respectively. No other predictors accounted for substantial portions of variance. This pattern of results converges with findings reported by other investigators using other measures of personality. It was recommended that the global trait of self-control or conscientiousness be systematically assessed and used in college admissions decisions.

The authors provide a cautionary note on reporting accurate eta-squared values from multifactor analysis of variance (ANOVA) designs. They reinforce the distinction between classical and partial eta-squared as measures of strength of association. They provide examples from articles published in premier psychology journals in which the authors erroneously reported partial eta-squared values as representing classical etasquared values. Finally, they discuss broader impacts of inaccurately reported etasquared values for theory development, meta-analytic reviews, and intervention programs.

The psychometric properties and multigroup measurement invariance of scores on the Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Learning Scale taken from Bandura's Children's Self-Efficacy Scale were assessed in a sample of 3,760 students from Grades 4 to 11. Latent means differences were also examined by gender and school level. Results reveal a unidimensional construct with equivalent factor pattern coefficients for boys and girls and for students in elementary, middle, and high school. Elementary school students report higher self-efficacy for self-regulated learning than do students in middle and high school. The latent factor is related to self-efficacy, self-concept, task goal orientation, apprehension, and achievement.

In the two-predictor situation it is shown that traditional and negative suppressors increase the predictive value of a standard predictor beyond that suggested by the predictor's zero order validity. This effect of suppression is used to provide a revised definition of suppression and completely accounts for traditional and negative suppression. The revised definition, in conjunction with a two factor model, is shown to lead to a previously undetected type of suppression (reciprocal suppression) which occurs when predictors with positive zero order validities are negatively correlated with one another. In terms of the definition and parameters of the model, limits are determined in which the types of suppression can occur. Furthermore, it is shown how suppressors can be identified in multiple regression equations and a procedure is given for interpreting whether the variables are contributing directly (by predicting relevant variance in the criterion) or indirectly (by removing irrelevant variance in another predictor) or both.

The reliability estimates for the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores across studies were accumulated and summarized in a meta-analysis. Only 7.5% of the articles reviewed reported meaningful reliability estimates, indicating that the logic of “test score reliability” generally has not prevailed in clinical psychology regarding application of BDI. Analyses revealed that for BDI, the measurement error due to time sampling as captured by test-retest reliability estimate is considerably larger than the measurement error due to item heterogeneity and content sampling as captured by internal consistency reliability estimate. Also, reliability estimates involving substance addicts were consistently lower than reliability estimates involving normal subjects, possibly due to restriction of range problems. Correlation analyses revealed that standard errors of measurement (SEMs) were not correlated with reliability estimates but were substantially related to standard deviations of BDI scores, suggesting that SEMs should be considered in addition to reliability estimates when interpreting individual BDI scores.

The Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR) is one of the most widely used social desirability scales. The authors conducted a reliability generalization study to examine the typical reliability coefficients of BIDR scores and explored factors that explained the variability of reliability estimates across studies. The results indicated that the overall BIDR scale produced scores that were adequately reliable. The mean score reliability estimates for the two subscales, Self-Deception Enhancement and Impression Management, were not satisfactory. In addition, although a number of study characteristics were statistically significantly related to reliability estimates, they accounted for only a small portion of the overall variability in reliability estimates. The results of these findings and their implications are also discussed.