Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Dr. Fred W. Huffer, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Statistics. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 10, 2005). Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 130 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Thesis (M.Tech.: Human Resources Management)-Dept. of Human Resources Management, Durban University of Technology, 2008. ix, 132 leaves / The research outlines the statement of the problem, motivation for the study and the related legislated requirements for all research in the field of psychological assessment. It will also take a closer look at related issues supporting the background of psychometric testing and present day themes and trends that are becoming prevalent in contemporary practice. There is an in-depth discussion on Personality which is one of the main foundation components of the Discus Behaviour Profiling System which is personality. Points on, ethics, translation, validity, reliability, test construction and cross cultural matters are also discussed.

abstract: Recent legislation allowing educational agencies to use Response to Intervention (RTI) in determining whether a child has a specific learning disability, coupled with a focus on large-scale testing and accountability resulted in the increasing use of curriculum based measurement (CBM) as a tool for understanding students' progress towards state standards, particularly in reading through the use of oral reading fluency measures. Extensive evidence of oral reading fluency's predictability of reading comprehension exists, but little research on differential effects across racial, gender, and socioeconomic subgroups is available. This study investigated racial, gender, and socioeconomic bias in DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency (DIBELS ORF) probes predictive and concurrent relationship with MAP reading comprehension scores for African American and Caucasian students. Participants were 834 second through fifth grade students in a school district located in a southeastern US state. The dataset consisted of student fall and spring DIBELS ORF scores and spring MAP reading comprehension scores. Concurrent correlation results between spring DIBELS ORF and MAP reading comprehension scores were moderate to large and statistically significant across all grades and demographic groups; however, correlations between fall DIBELS ORF and MAP reading comprehension scores were generally weak. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were used to examine the best variable, or combination of variables, in predicting MAP reading comprehension scores. Models differed for each grade level; however, spring DIBELS ORF scores were always included, whether alone or in combination with demographic variables, in the best prediction model. Potthoff's procedure was used to simultaneously test for slope and intercept differences among regression equations to determine if DIBELS ORF scores from fall and spring differentially predicted MAP reading comprehension scores across demographic groups. Nine of 24 simultaneous contrasts demonstrated a significant effect; seven were related to race, one was related to gender, and one was related to socioeconomic status. Racial bias in predicting MAP reading comprehension performance from spring DIBELS ORF was found. Differential prediction among gender and SES groups was not consistent indicating little to no practical significance. Results are discussed in the context of practical implications of differential validity, both predictive and concurrent, and potential impact on disproportionality. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Educational Psychology 2013

Differential item functioning (DIF) can occur across age, gender, ethnic, and/or linguistic groups of examinee populations. Therefore, whenever there is more than one group of examinees involved in a test, a possibility of DIF exists. It is important to detect items with DIF with accurate and powerful statistical methods. While finding a proper DIP method is essential, until now most of the available methods have been dominated by applications to large scale testing contexts. Since the early 1990s, Ramsay has developed a nonparametric item response methodology and computer software, TestGraf (Ramsay, 2000). The nonparametric item response theory (IRT) method requires fewer examinees and items than other item response theory methods and was also designed to detect DIF. However, nonparametric IRT's Type I error rate for DIF detection had not been investigated. The present study investigated the Type I error rate of the nonparametric IRT DIF detection method, when applied to moderate-to-small-scale testing context wherein there were 500 or fewer examinees in a group. In addition, the Mantel-Haenszel (MH) DIF detection method was included. A three-parameter logistic item response model was used to generate data for the two population groups. Each population corresponded to a test of 40 items. Item statistics for the first 34 non-DIF items were randomly chosen from the mathematics test of the 1999 TEVISS (Third International Mathematics and Science Study) for grade eight, whereas item statistics for the last six studied items were adopted from the DIF items used in the study of Muniz, Hambleton, and Xing (2001). These six items were the focus of this study. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Previous studies of volunteer bias in sex research found that volunteers for such studies differed from nonâ volunteers in terms of reporting increased heterosexual experience; more liberal attitudes toward sex; increased exposure to commercialized erotica; and an increase in sexual trauma. The object of this study was to investigate the effects that varying the stimuli content (i.e. heterosexual vs gay male vs lesbian) of films used in sexual arousal studies would have on volunteer rate and characteristics of the volunteers. Also investigated was the effect of varying intrusiveness of measurement (physiological vs subjective measures) and the interaction of film and measurement type. 285 female and male undergraduates volunteered for a questionnaire study of sexuality. Demographics, heterosexual and homosexual behavior, exposure to pornography, attitudes toward sexuality and homosexuality and oneâ s position on a sexâ role continuum were assessed. Subjects were provided with a complete written description of a further study of sexual arousal, utilizing sexually explicit films, in which the stimuli content and the intrusiveness of measurement the subject would experience were randomly varied. Previous findings regarding volunteers were replicated except for reporting of sexual trauma. Volunteers reported more sexual fantasies with both heterosexual and homosexual themes. They scored higher on sensation seeking and experience seeking. No conclusions could be drawn regarding impact of sexual preference or homosexual activities due to the limited reporting of such behaviors. No significant effects were found for intrusiveness of measurement. Pseudo-volunteers for the arousal study were found to be significantly different from non-volunteers on several variables. This resulted in questioning the classification of pseudoâ volunteers with nonâ volunteers. Possible directions for future research are presented. / Master of Science

Test bias is a current focus of concern in both education and psychology. No where are the polemics of test bias stronger than in the area of ethnic/racial group differences on measures of intellectual functioning. Th problem of test bias is exacerbated when verbal intelligence tests are administered to students in a language in which they have limited facility and/or cultural reference. This problem is most evident in the United States with Hispanics. This study was designed to evaluate the Raven's Progressive Matrices (RPM) as a measure of non-biased assessment for Mexican-Americans. The RPM was selected because it is a non-verbal intelligence measure. The subjects were 230 Anglo and 230 Mexican-American elementary school children from Douglas, Arizona. The data were evaluated by analysis of regression with the Total Reading and Total Math scores of the Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT). Both groups were analyzed together to identify any significant slope or intercept differences. All regression analyses were by grade level. Group validity coefficients were also computed for both math and reading by grade level and across grade level. The results of regression analysis indicated no test bias against Mexican-Americans. Slopes were equal at all grade levels. Some intercept variance occurred which would result in bias against Anglos, rather than Mexican-Anericans, if common regression lines were used. Also, validity coefficients of academic prediction for the RPM compared favorably to coefficients of the WISC-R Performance Scale for Mexican-Americans. Limitations of the study and areas of further research are discussed.

Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Assessor bias remains an interesting and important topic for Assessment Centre (AC) practitioners, candidates and clients, but it has received relatively little research attention. By using social identity theory, this research project studied the effects of demographic characteristics (gender, age and race) on ratings in assessment centres. We studied main and interaction effects of assessor and assessee demographic variables on ratings in a national sample of managers (N = 220). Descriptive statistics (means, SD) and inferential statistical analysis (moderated multiple regression) were used to test for both main and interaction effects (between assessor and assessee characteristics) of demographic variables on ratings. The regression analysis revealed a highly statistically significant (p < .001.) gender main effect (for assessor) — male assessors consistently rated assessees higher that female assessors did. Neither assessor nor assessee race had a main effect on ratings (p > .05). Age showed no main or interaction effects, although evidence of possible interaction effects was seen in descriptive statistics. Demographic similarity did not seem to affect assessment centre ratings in the present study. Recommendations for future research and AC practice are made. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Assessorsydigheid het tot dusver betreklik min navorsingsaandag ontvang, alhoewel dit steeds 'n interessante en belangrike onderwerp vir alle takseersentrumbelanghebbendes verteenwoordig. Vanuit ‘n sosiale identiteitsteorieraamwerk, het hierdie navorsingsprojek die invloed van demografiese kenmerke (geslag, ouderdom en ras) op takseersentrumbeoordelings ondersoek. Beide die hoofeffekte en interaksie-effekte van assessors en assessees se demografiese veranderlikes op beoordelings is ondersoek. Die studie het ‘n nasionale steekproef van bestuurders (N = 220) gebruik om die hipoteses te toets. Beskrywende statistiek (gemiddelde en standaardafwykings) en inferensiële analises (gemodereerde meervoudige regressie-analise) is gebruik om beide hoofen interaksie-effekte (tussen die assessor en assessee se demografiese veranderlikes) op beoordelings te toets. Die regressie-analise het hoogs statisties betekenisvolle (p < .001) geslagshoofeffekte (assessor) aan die lig gebring - manlike assessors het konsekwent hoër tellings as vroulike assessors aan assessees toegeken het. Rasgroep (van beide assessor en assessee) het geen hoofeffek op beoordelingstellings gehad nie (p > .05). Ouderdom het nie hoof- of interaksieeffekte getoon nie, alhoewel bewyse van moontlike interaksie-effekte bespeur is in beskrywende statistiek. Die resultate van die studie toon dat demografiese gelyksoortigheid tussen die assessee en assessor nie ‘n beduidende effek op takseersentrumbeoordelings het nie. Aanbevelings vir toekomstige navorsing en takseersentrumpraktyk word gemaak.

The present monograph deals with the problem of sex differences in test results from various angles. Initially, the aim was to investigate whether the use of test results in selection could be considered fair in spite of sex differences in test score averages. As work progressed, the aim was specified towards clarifying in what manner test item content is related to sex differences in results and whether the observed differences are consistent over different groupé of men and women. After a brief review of some research results on sex differences in cognitive abilities, the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test (SSAT) is described. The SSAT is the measuring instrument in the following empirical studies. In chapter four there is a survey of a number of models which aim at correcting for unfair group differences in test scores when the tests are to be used in selection. Two models are examined empirically. In chapter five such models are examined that aim to identify individual test items giving deviant results. The conclusion of these two studies is that statistical models can not solve the problem of group differences in test scores, since what constitutes fairness is mainly a value problem. This cannot be dealt with in a strictly technical manner. Chapter six is devoted to analyses of test item content and sex differences in all subtests on vocabulary and general knowledge which have been used in the SSAT between 1977 and 1983. The conclusion from these analyses is that test item content seems to determine whether men or women obtain higher test scores. Some subcategories of items seem to favour men and others favour women. The extent to which the testees are able to predict which items favour one sex or the other is studied in chapter seven. The testees could only make appropriate judgements to a very limited extent. In chapter eight the significance of age and education for sex differences in test scores is studied. Furthermore, sex differences on individual items are studied for men and women having the same score on the subtest level. Sex differences in scores on individual test items could not be eliminated by equalizing age, education or subtest achievement respectively. Finally, the results from all the studies are summarized and discussed in view of their significance for the validity of the tests. / digitalisering@umu

Intelligence testing has had a relatively long and controversial history, beginning with what is generally considered the first formal measure of intelligence, the Binet-Simon Scales (1916). Questions regarding possible cultural bias in these measures arose virtually simultaneously (e.g. Burt, 1921; Stern, 1914). Over the course of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, an abundance of intelligence measures have been developed, with many of them having several revisions, but the issue of test bias remains an important one, both in the professional literature and in the popular press (Reynolds & Lowe, 2009). A current intelligence measure in use, the Differential Ability Scales, Second Edition (DAS-II, Elliott, 2007), is a test with growing popularity for assessment of children and youth, not only for its ease of use, but also for its appeal to young children and its nonverbal composite (among other things). Consequently, it is essential that there be empirical evidence supporting the use of the DAS-II as an appropriate measure of cognitive abilities for children of varying backgrounds. The test publishers conducted extensive research with a representative sample during test development in an effort to ensure that the measure met adequate reliability and validity criteria; however, the issue of test bias, particularly regarding cultural or racial/ethnic groups, was not explicitly addressed. This issue was raised and examined with the original DAS by Keith, Quirk, Schartzer, and Elliott (1999), but with the significant changes made from the first edition to the second, there is no guaranty that the evidence from the earlier would necessarily apply to the latter. The current study investigated whether the DAS-II demonstrates systematic construct bias toward children and youth of any of four ethnic groups: Black, Hispanic, Asian, and White. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis using data from the DAS-II standardization sample was used to assess whether criteria for increasingly strict levels of invariance were met across groups. Outcomes of this research contribute to an existing body of literature on test bias, as well as provide evidence regarding cross-group construct validity in the DAS-II. Ultimately the results of this study can be used to evaluate the appropriateness of the DAS-II for clinical use with certain ethnic groups and will help to emphasize further the importance of exploring these issues with all standardized tests. / text