Deck 7: Test Administration

Question 1

For children up through about the 3^rd grade, a friendly examiner

A)significantly affects performance on a test.
B)does not significantly affect performance on a test.
C)increased IQ scores by nearly one standard deviation.
D)decreased IQ scores by nearly one standard deviation.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Mrs. Collins and Mrs. Grey both administered the same IQ test to their regular classes by reading instructions, refraining from providing any verbal feedback, and generally following strict procedural guidelines. Even though the classes were comparable, Mrs. Grey's class had much lower test scores than Mrs. Collins. It is likely that

A)the instructions were not clear.
B)standard test administration does not work.
C)some subtle non-verbal cue or body language affected scores.
D)the race of the teachers affected test scores.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

As sample size increases, expectancy effects tend to

A)become more important.
B)decrease.
C)remain stable.
D)increase.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The Rosenthal effect

A)appears to be consistent but relatively small.
B)is limited to human subjects.
C)has been consistently replicated.
D)shows no gender effect.

Question 5

Studies have demonstrated that

A)disapproving comments by an examiner can hinder test performance.
B)disapproving comments by the examiner can actually motivate children and enhance their performance.
C)too much approval by the examiner can hinder performance.
D)there is no relationship between the examiner's comments and test performance.

Question 6

Studies on the effect of the race of the tester have demonstrated that

A)African-American children consistently score higher when they are tested by African-American examiners.
B)African-American children consistently score lower when they are tested by African-American examiners.
C)White children consistently score higher when they are tested by White examiners.
D)the race of the examiner does not have a consistent effect on the test scores of African-American or White children.

Question 7

Dominic, a Caucasian male, is in the first grade and his reading skills are being assessed for placement next year. His teacher is out sick on the day of his assessment test. You can expect his test score to be

A)substantially higher than if the test were administered by the regular teacher.
B)unaffected by the change in examiner.
C)significantly lower as a result of an unfamiliar examiner.
D)nothing more than a reflection of his reading ability.

Question 8

Why is it of concern that there is not a standardized protocol for training on how to administer the WAIS-R?

A)Individuals with only undergraduate degrees are permitted to administer it, making training especially important.
B)The courts have repeatedly ordered the development of standardized training for the WAIS-R, but it has not been done.
C)There is no evidence that training will improve the ability of examiners to administer and score the WAIS-R.
D)Research indicates that errors are common until examiners have administered 10 practice tests and declines thereafter.

Question 9

In general, studies have indicated that the race of the examiner

A)should be the same as that of the subject.
B)should be different than that of the subject.
C)is unrelated to test performance.
D)is not as important as sex of the examiner.

Question 10

Because situational variables can affect test scores, testing requires

A)standardized conditions.
B)at least two test administrators.
C)a test administrator and an observer.
D)test administrators with similar backgrounds and characteristics.

Question 11

Mrs. Morgan and Mrs. Malcolm are African-American and only want an African-American examiner to administer an IQ test to their children. They

A)are justifiably concerned that their children's scores will be adversely affected by a Caucasian examiner.
B)are operating under the widely held myth that the race of the examiner impedes performance of African-American children.
C)realize that strict standards for proper test administration do not exist.
D)realize that it is important to have an examiner that is new and unknown to the test-taker.

Question 12

The "Rosenthal effect" occurs when

A)race of the tester produces a bias.
B)the administrators' expectations influence the respondents' scores.
C)test-takers do poorly because they are fatigued.
D)the gender of the test administrator is different than that of the examinee.

Question 13

Worry, emotionality, and lack of self-confidence are the three components of

A)test anxiety.
B)expectancy effects.
C)human factors.
D)reactivity.

Question 14

Patty has just received a graduate degree in psychology and has been hired by a local organization to administer the WAIS-R. They should

A)have no qualms about her qualifications for this position because she has a degree.
B)have no qualms about her qualifications because her program required that she engage in at least 5 practice administrations of this test.
C)be aware that errors are likely to be high unless she has completed at least 10 practice sessions.
D)realize test administer training is a highly standardized process with high quality standards.

Question 15

The school board decided to send professional test administrators into the schools in an attempt to establish stricter standardization procedures for the administration of IQ tests. If you are from a socio-economically disadvantaged area, you can expect that the test scores for your school district will

A)benefit greatly from the use of outside examiners.
B)be equal to the scores received by students in upper socio-economic groups.
C)be more negatively impacted by the use of unfamiliar examiners than for wealthier districts.
D)be more positively impacted by the use of unfamiliar examiners than for wealthier districts.

Question 16

One study showed that when 6- to 13-year-olds received tokens they could exchange for money each time they gave a correct response on the WISC verbal scale, performance was improved only for

A)White children from middle income homes.
B)White and African American children from low income homes.
C)African American children from low income homes.
D)White children from low income homes.

Question 17

Rosenthal asserted that expectancy effects are likely to result from subtle uses of

A)reinforcement.
B)nonverbal communication.
C)disapproving comments.
D)gender and racial bias.

Question 18

Research on the effects of examiners' expectations upon test scores have shown that

A)examiners' expectations influence scores only when rapport has developed.
B)examiners' expectations have little effect upon test scores.
C)there is inconsistency with regard to the effect of examiners' expectations.
D)too few studies have been done to draw any conclusions.

Question 19

In a study of examiner reinforcement on test takers, under which condition did children score the lowest?

A)Examiners made approving comments.
B)Examiners made disapproving comments.
C)Examiners made neutral comments.
D)Examiners made no comments.

Question 20

Mr. and Mrs. Lozano have recently moved to Ohio from Mexico and have been notified that their son Reuben will be given an English IQ test to determine school placement. They should

A)not be concerned about the language of the test because one of the secretaries has offered to translate.
B)be pleased because the school is hiring a professional to translate the test especially for Reuben.
C)ask the school to only use a test that has been translated and subjected to reliability and validity studies in Spanish speaking populations.
D)realize that by testing their son in English, they are helping him to acculturate to his new environment much faster.

Question 21

Which of the following is true concerning the language of the test taker?

A)Language should not be of concern, since there are computer programs that will translate.
B)The use of interpreters is helpful and typically will not affect reliability or validity.
C)The test should be administered in the language of the majority, even if the test taker is not fluent.
D)It is important to ensure that the translated version of the test is comparable to the original version.

Question 22

What likely accounts for an observed effect of the examiner's race on intelligence test performance?

A)White examiners are more likely to elicit stereotype threat from racial minority test takers.
B)Lack of standardization in some intelligence testing procedures.
C)Subtle, nonverbal cues that manifest in racially-specific ways.
D)Racial minority test takers tend to have lower expectations for their performance in the presence of White examiners.

Question 23

Which of the following is true of self-report of health issues?

A)People report more symptoms when a mailed questionnaire is used than when they are interviewed face to face.
B)People are typically reluctant to report symptoms when completing a mailed questionnaire because it feels so impersonal.
C)Mailed questionnaires should not be used due to the possibility that private health information might be accidentally made public.
D)It is important for an examiner to be present to explain difficult terms to those taking the test.

Question 24

Studies on computer-administered interviews have shown that

A)people will sometimes divulge more personal information to a machine than they will to a human interviewer.
B)people are reluctant to give personal information unless an interviewer is warm and empathetic.
C)the computer is too impersonal as a mechanism for obtaining personal information.
D)students typically dislike computer-assisted interviews and thus do not pay attention to questions.

Question 25

Test scores of paper and pencil tests compared to computer assisted tests indicate that

A)better scores are achieved by paper and pencil tests.
B)better scores are achieved by computer assisted tests.
C)the scores are about equivalent.
D)poorer control with computer assisted tests.

Question 26

Deviations from standardized testing procedures

A)do not affect scores unless the deviations are severe.
B)should be avoided by an examiner regardless of the population in question.
C)may be necessary for particular populations like the blind.
D)can be avoided by never using tape recorded instructions.

Question 27

Which of the following is one explanation for the negative impact of test anxiety on performance?

A)It causes students to not study as hard.
B)The test taker is distracted by self-doubting thoughts.
C)The examiner may provide more negative feedback to test takers who appear anxious.
D)Anxious test takers tend to give up on tests sooner.

Question 28

When asking people to provide answers to sensitive health care questions, it might be better to

A)conduct face-to-face interviews.
B)use self-administered questionnaires.
C)conduct telephone interviews.
D)use younger males to conduct the interviews.

Question 29

Members of groups that are plagued by negative stereotypes tend to perform better academically when intelligence is described to them as

A)malleable and adaptable to environmental circumstances.
B)an illusory concept with no clear definition.
C)too complex to measure through academic tests.
D)a fixed trait that is genetically determined.

Question 30

Which of the following is a common theory regarding how stereotype threat weakens test performance?

A)Test takers attend to the test administrator's feelings and behaviors.
B)Test takers feel afraid to do well on the test.
C)Test takers take longer to read the test instructions to ensure they understand.
D)Test takers dedicate attention to themselves rather than the test.

Question 31

Test anxiety is an example of a(n)

A)test variable.
B)reactivity variable.
C)expectancy variable.
D)subject variable.

Question 32

The effect of praise for children is in general

A)better than the effect of money or candy.
B)worse than the effect of money or candy.
C)damages the test's reliability and validity.
D)as strong as the effect of money or candy.

Question 33

Which of the following is, according to the APA, characteristic of a good test manual?

A)A good manual should be brief and emphasize the importance of the examiner bringing their own style to the testing situation.
B)A good manual should be written using technical language, since doing so will reduce misunderstandings and misinterpretation.
C)A good manual should provide instructions that include the exact words to be used during testing administration.
D)A good manual should focus on what can go wrong during administration rather than providing rigid instructions.

Question 34

The phenomenon in which a test taker exerts less effort to protect their self-worth when faced with the expectation that they may not perform well is referred to as

A)the biasing effect
B)self-handicapping
C)stereotype threat
D)the expectancy effect

Question 35

Which of the following has been proven to reduce the risk of stereotype threat?

A)Allowing individuals to take tests independently rather than in group format.
B)Explaining to test takers the statistics on how various demographic groups tend to perform on a test.
C)Placing demographic questions at the end of the test rather than the beginning.
D)Using test proctors from underrepresented groups.

Question 36

Test takers who speak more than two languages should be given a test in

A)the test taker's first language.
B)the test administrator's first language.
C)the standard language used in that area.
D)the language with which the test taker is most comfortable.

Question 37

Patterson and colleagues (1995)reported that in order to reduce administration errors, test administrators should

A)be disciplined for mistakes.
B)practice administration about 10 times.
C)always have a supervisor observe them.
D)reinforce test takers.

Question 38

Which of the following is an advantage of computer-assisted test administration?

A)Use of computers greatly increases validity.
B)Test takers can look ahead and skip back and forth to items they feel confident about.
C)Computer generated reports are less likely to be misinterpreted.
D)Items can be administered in any order.

Question 39

Donna wants to express empathy toward the individuals she is interviewing about very sensitive medical conditions. She nods in a warm and approving way each time they report a symptom. What might be expected?

A)Participants will talk with her longer about each symptom.
B)Participants will be more honest about their symptoms.
C)Participants will show long term improvements in their symptoms.
D)Participants will report significantly more symptoms.

Question 40

One study showed that measures administered via telephone differed in what way from those that required people to fill out the questions on their own? (Hanmer, Hays, & Flyback, 2007)

A)They yielded lower health scores.
B)They yielded higher health scores.
C)They yielded more accurate health scores.
D)They yielded more variability in health scores.

Question 41

Describe the factors affecting the reliability and validity of this test you are currently taking. What are possible sources of error (including your own subject variables)? How could test administration have been improved?

Question 42

Which of the following is true of the use of reinforcement during tests?

A)Only tangible rather than verbal forms of reinforcement are effective for improving performance.
B)It is strictly prohibited by most test manuals.
C)The advantages tend to be similar for all people.
D)It increases the validity of test results.

Question 43

The state of the subject may well affect his or her test performance and may be a serious source of error. Discuss some possible subject variables that may interfere with or improve an individual's performance on a test.

Question 44

Describe some of the risks associated with computer-administered testing and how they have been addressed by the Guidelines for Computer-based Internet Testing (van de Vijver, Schweizer, & DiStefano, 2016).

Question 45

What solutions have been posed for reducing the effects of stereotype threat?

Question 46

As an administrator of tests, what factors should you consider based on this chapter (e.g., characteristics of an administrator, training administrator, administering context, subject factor, mode of administration, etc.)?

Question 47

Interventions to reduce stereotype threat help students move from a ______ mindset to a ______ mindset.

A)stress, calm
B)trait, experience
C)fixed, growth
D)threat, safety

Question 48

The mode of administration for a test

A)should be varied for each test taker according to their individual characteristics.
B)is not a significant variable in test taking.
C)has only small effects in most situations.
D)has a larger effect on educational testing than clinical testing.

Question 49

When men and women are told that they are taking a test that measures gender differences, which outcome can be expected?

A)Equally qualified women will perform worse than the men.
B)Equally qualified men will perform worse than the women.
C)The men and women will perform equally well.
D)The test is more likely to capture true differences in men and women's performance.

Question 50

Which of the following is true about the reliability of computer-administered testing in comparison to traditional assessment?

A)It is more reliable.
B)It is less reliable.
C)It is just as reliable.
D)There is not yet enough research on the differences in reliability.

Question 51

Identify and discuss four advantages of computer administered tests.

Question 52

Which comment of praise is most likely to increase a child's test performance?

A)"You're so organized."
B)"You are so smart."
C)"How clever."
D)"You worked so hard."

Question 53

When compared to self-completed measures, measures completed using an interviewer

A)show poorer health.
B)show better health.
C)show no differences in health.
D)have greater validity for measuring health.

Question 54

Which of the following is true of computer-assisted test administration?

A)It reduces biases in test administration.
B)Test items are presented in a standard order for each test taker.
C)It is a more expensive approach than traditional paper and pencil testing.
D)People across demographic groups tend to feel more comfortable interacting with computers.