Deck 2: Why Is Psychological Testing Important

Question 1

According to the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, integrity tests claim to measure individual's attitude toward ______.

A) answering test questions correctly or to the best of his or her ability
B) academic honesty, trustworthiness, and plagiarism potential
C) honesty, dependability, trustworthiness, reliability, and prosocial behavior
D) the ethical principles prescribed for psychologists

Answer 1

C

Question 2

According to your textbook, activists who believe that intelligence is determined primarily by environment have worked for years to ______ what they consider to be the unfair use of such tests.

A) enhance
B) eliminate
C) encourage
D) protest

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Human resource professionals and industrial organizational psychologists use psychological tests in ______.

A) graduate business programs
B) universities and colleges
C) mental health clinics
D) organizations

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What type of test do critics believe are discriminating against minorities?

A) aptitude tests
B) personality tests
C) interest inventories
D) driving tests

Question 5

What was one reason the Educational Testing Service gave for the decline in SAT scores of graduating high school seniors during the 1960s and 1970s?

A) increasing numbers of minority students taking the SAT
B) weaker academic records and increased diversity of student backgrounds
C) changing attitudes of parents leading to lack of confidence in education
D) student perceptions that scoring well on standardized tests was not "cool"

Question 6

A minority test taker who scored the same as a White test taker could rank higher than the White test taker when which approach to norming are used?

A) individual norming
B) within-group norming
C) independent norming
D) discriminatory norming

Question 7

Which one of the following test required test takers to follow directions and perform a series of ballet movements that were confusing and distracting?

A) Wechsler intelligence test
B) Alpha and Beta tests
C) Stanford-Binet test
D) army's assessment center

Question 8

Many psychologists were outraged about using race norming, claiming the process was ______.

A) a poor way to even test scores between Blacks and Whites
B) a plot to bypass Equal Opportunity legislation
C) an illegal "quota system" that unfairly discriminated against Whites
D) nonscientific, developed without supporting research

Question 9

When Alan received his score on an interest inventory, he used the test result to finalize his decision to become a chef. What type of decision did Alan make?

A) an individual decision
B) an institutional decision
C) an absolute decision
D) a comparative decision

Question 10

The State Board of Education where Joy went to college decided to give every graduate student in a science program with a combined GRE score more than 1,400 a $5,000 education grant. What type of decision was this?

A) an absolute individual decision
B) an absolute institutional decision
C) a comparative individual decision
D) a comparative institutional decision

Question 11

Which one of the following statements about why many individuals oppose integrity tests is FALSE?

A) They believe integrity tests are neither reliable nor valid.
B) They believe integrity tests are politically and culturally incorrect.
C) They believe the test questions are an invasion of privacy.
D) They believe the tests have a different and inhibiting effect on minority job applicants.

Question 12

During World War I, the American Military gave Robert Yerkes permission to administer mental tests to more than 1.75 million army recruits. As a result, Yerkes designed ______.

A) the Army Alpha and Beta tests
B) the Stanford-Binet tests
C) the Rorschach test
D) assessment centers

Question 13

What law, intended to bring about equality in hiring, transfers, promotions, compensation, access to training, and employment-related decisions, did the U.S. Congress pass in 1964?

A) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
B) the Equal Employment Opportunity Act
C) the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures
D) the Fairness in Employment Testing Act

Question 14

In which one of the following settings would psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, and other health-care professionals use psychological tests?

A) educational
B) organizational
C) informational
D) clinical

Question 15

Why is psychological testing important?

A) People often use test results to make important decisions.
B) Tests can quite accurately tell you things about yourself you did not know.
C) The federal government requires businesses to use them to hire employees.
D) Most psychiatrists and psychologists use them to diagnose mental illness.

Question 16

What practice is being used if a test user administers the same test to every test taker but scores the test differently according to the race of the test taker?

A) within-group norming
B) independent group norming
C) nondiscriminatory norming
D) individual norming

Question 17

When Sally applied to law school, the admittance committee accepted her because her LSAT scores were higher than 99% of those who also applied to law school. What type of a decision did the committee make?

A) an individual comparative decision
B) an institutional comparative decision
C) an individual absolute decision
D) an institutional absolute decision

Question 18

In which one of the following settings would a psychologist use the results of a test to identify developmental problems for which a child might need special assistance?

A) organizational
B) institutional
C) educational
D) hospital

Question 19

According to your textbook, one of the largest and most deeply rooted controversies about psychological testing pertains to ______.

A) errors and bias in scoring
B) use of projective testing
C) discrimination against protected classes
D) educating the public

Question 20

Walter Lippmann questioned whether intelligence tests actually measured "intelligence" and whether intelligence was determined by heredity or through life experiences--a question that came to be known as the ______.

A) nature versus nurture controversy
B) quid pro quo debate
C) IQ controversy
D) creationism question

Question 21

If an educational official ensures a decision to hold a student back one grade is based on results of multiple tests, which one of the following American Psychological Association recommendations for ensuring meaningful assessment is the official demonstrating?

A) No important decisions should be made based on one test score.
B) Tests used should have evidence of validity or provide useful information for the intended purpose.
C) Students must have a fair opportunity to learn the curriculum they will be tested on.
D) No subgroup of students should be disadvantaged by the test or test-taking conditions. Administrators should use test results solely for accountability purposes.

Question 22

Which one of the following is FALSE about the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery?

A) It was developed by the Department of Defense in the 1960s.
B) It is an interest inventory that helps people choose military careers.
C) It is administered to men and women when they leave the military.
D) It assesses the skills soldiers need in combat.

Question 23

Explain the difference between individual decisions and institutional decisions. Provide examples not already referenced in the chapter that relate to psychological testing.

Question 24

According to the American Psychological Association, meaningful assessment comes from tests that are ______.

A) sound, scored properly, and used properly
B) used consistently by administrators and teachers
C) used to determine teacher promotion and pay
D) developed by testing professionals

Question 25

Which one of the following is FALSE about integrity tests?

A) Their use may be justified by alarming figures associated with employee theft.
B) Employers have used integrity tests for many years to screen job applicants.
C) Many individuals and labor groups oppose their use by organizations.
D) In the early 1990s, their use by organizations was outlawed by the APA.

Question 26

Explain why psychological testing is important and the types of decisions made using psychological tests. Provide two examples of each type of decision.

Question 27

After 2 years of research, what did a task force the American Psychological Association appointed conclude about integrity tests?

A) Research proved integrity tests published for organizational use were neither valid nor reliable.
B) Employers who periodically administered integrity test to employees were liable to be sued.
C) Integrity tests were valid, reliable, and valuable tools for identifying potential thieves.
D) Publishers have little evidence that integrity tests actually predict honesty.

Question 28

Describe the nature-versus-nurture controversy.

Question 29

The U.S. Department of Defense uses ASVAB scores to determine ______.

A) an individual's likelihood to succeed in the military
B) an individual's qualifications for certain military occupations
C) enlisted personnel's promotion potential
D) enlisted personnel's developmental coaching needs

Question 30

Which one of the following is TRUE about the American Psychological Association's position on high-stakes testing in education?

A) Educational tests inaccurately measure student learning.
B) Tests can help teachers understand the effectiveness of their teaching.
C) Measuring what students learn is not important.
D) Tests are subjective and not a sound way to measure learning.

Question 31

Explain the difference between comparative decisions and absolute decisions. Provide examples not already referenced in the chapter that relate to psychological testing.

Question 32

According to the American Psychological Association, school district officials who use test scores to make important decisions should be familiar with which one of the following?

A) Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (American Educational Research Association, APA, & National Council on Measurement in Education, 2014)
B) Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (American Educational Research Association, APA, & National Council on Measurement in Education, 1999)
C) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (APA, 2010)
D) Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education (2004)

Question 33

What test did the U.S. Employment Service develop in the 1940s to assist with job referrals and career counseling?

A) Army Alpha and Beta tests
B) Binet-Simon Scale
C) General Aptitude Test Battery
D) Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery

Question 34

If a test administrator uses the results of a test designed to measure student learning to assess teaching quality, which one of the following American Psychological Association recommendations for ensuring meaningful assessment is the test administrator violating?

A) No important decisions should be made based on one test score.
B) Tests used should have evidence of validity or provide useful information for the intended purpose.
C) Students must have a fair opportunity to learn the curriculum they will be tested on.
D) No subgroup of students should be disadvantaged by the test or test-taking conditions.

Question 35

What mental test designed for group testing was developed for test takers who were unable to read, write, or speak English?

A) Army Alpha-Beta test
B) Army Omega test
C) Army Alpha test
D) Army Beta test

Question 36

Ranking a minority test taker higher than a White test taker with the same test score is an example of ______.

A) equating test scores
B) test norming
C) race norming
D) race equivalency

Question 37

According to your textbook, what is one of the most current controversies in education?

A) student performance on the SAT
B) integrity testing of teachers
C) the No Child Left Behind Act
D) use of high-stakes tests in education

Question 38

Knowing that the average General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) scores of minority groups differed from the scores of other groups, why did the amended Civil Rights Act of 1991 make it illegal to use GATB scores to make referrals to employers?

A) More minorities were being referred for particular jobs and national policy required treating all groups equally.
B) More minorities were being referred for particular jobs and national policy required giving Whites compensatory advantages.
C) More Whites were being referred for particular jobs and national policy required treating all groups equally.
D) More Whites were being referred for particular jobs and national policy required giving the disadvantaged compensatory advantages.

Question 39

According to the American Psychological Association, officials can ensure meaningful assessment by doing ______ things to ensure they are using tests properly.

A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five

Question 40

In an effort to improve the credibility of psychological testing and establish psychology as a true scientific movement, who promoted the use of mental testing during World War I?

A) Sigmund Freud
B) Thomas Thorndike
C) Walter Lippman
D) Robert Yerkes

Question 41

Describe the American Psychological Association's (APA) position on the use of high-stakes testing in education. To avoid unintended consequences and to help improve student and school system performance, what three things does the APA advocate school officials must do to ensure tests provide meaningful assessments of student learning?

Question 42

Explain the activities leading up to the current controversy over high-stakes testing in education.