Deck 19: Test Bias

Question 1

Which of the following makes it difficult to interpret racial differences in test performance?

A)Researchers fear they will be accused of being biased.
B)Increasing numbers of individuals will not report their race when asked.
C)Many individuals are of mixed race and do not know it.
D)Racial differences have been eliminated by better test construction.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

On the GRE, men have scored consistently higher on which section?

A)critical reading
B)writing
C)mathematics
D)all of the above

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Exhibit 19-1

​
Refer to Exhibit 19-1. The combined regression line in the figure ____ predicts Group A and ____ predicts Group B.

A)accurately; accurately
B)accurately; under
C)under; over
D)over; under

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following is true of job performance measures in relation to race?

A)The differences between African Americans and whites are greater for objective than subjective measures.
B)The differences between African Americans and whites are greater for subjective than objective measures.
C)Because of improved training, the differences in job performance have been almost completely eliminated.
D)Racial differences are consistent whether objective or subjective measures of job performance have been used.

Question 5

____ attempts to identify items that are specifically biased against specific groups.

A)Differential item functioning analysis
B)Multivariate analysis
C)Ethnicity sensitive analysis
D)Measurement equivalence

Question 6

Over the last decade, SAT scores have been

A)trending upward.
B)trending downward.
C)fluctuating greatly.
D)stagnant.

Question 7

A test has adverse impact if it

A)decreases an individual's self-esteem.
B)systematically rejects higher proportions of minority than non-minority individuals.
C)prevents non-minority applicants from being hired.
D)is used by an untrained administrator.

Question 8

Flaugher (1978)contends that arguments about test bias were based on misunderstandings because test developers

A)are sensitive to the opportunities people have to learn information on a test.
B)are very concerned about the individual items on a test.
C)focus on overall test performance and how it correlates with an external criteria.
D)do not focus as much on test performance.

Question 9

Examination of tests such as the WAIS and WISC-R have found that white males are more often depicted in test items than other groups. What has research shown about such differences?

A)No one has established that these differences affect test performance.
B)They have a greater impact on females than on males.
C)They have a substantial impact on younger children but little impact on adults.
D)They account for a large percentage of test score differences.

Question 10

Exhibit 19-1

Refer to Exhibit 19-1. In the above figure, a test score of 6 is associated with a criterion score of approximately ____ for Group A and ____ for Group B.

A)5; 9
B)5; 5
C)6; 6
D)8; 6

Question 11

African American children significantly outperform white children on which test?

A)SAT
B)Chitling
C)WISC-R
D)Binet

Question 12

The real dispute about racial differences in intelligence test results is

A)whether the results actually exist.
B)why better tests have not been developed.
C)why the differences exist.
D)whether the differences can ever be eliminated.

Question 13

Exhibit 19-1

​
Refer to Exhibit 19-1. The regression line for the combination of groups A and B in the above figure yields a predicted score of approximately ____ for a test score of 6.

A)4.0
B)5.5
C)7.0
D)8.5

Question 14

Which of the following is true of the Chitling test?

A)It is predictive of academic success.
B)It shows fewer racial differences in scores than other IQ tests.
C)It reflects racially-specific linguistic differences.
D)It is predictive of success in one's home environment.

Question 15

The highest scores on the SAT Reasoning Test math section are obtained by

A)white Americans.
B)Asian Americans.
C)African Americans.
D)American Indians.

Question 16

Much of the controversy regarding testing has centered on the finding that on average, the IQ scores of African Americans are

A)15 points above the scores of white Americans.
B)20 points below the scores of white Americans.
C)one standard deviation below the scores of white Americans.
D)two standard deviations below the scores of white Americans.

Question 17

In one study on content bias in elementary reading tests, groups of experts were able to inspect the test and eliminate items that were potentially biased toward the majority group. How did this affect the differences between scores obtained by groups of majority and minority students?

A)Differences were eliminated.
B)Differences became greater.
C)It had little or no effect.
D)Minority students scored better than majority students.

Question 18

The finding that intelligence scores have changed significantly over time for some groups lends support to the argument that

A)intelligence is not completely determined by genetics.
B)culture does not affect intelligence.
C)nature is the most important determinant of IQ.
D)socioeconomic status does not affect intelligence.

Question 19

A clear case of test bias is when regression lines describing the relationship between test and criterion for two different groups

A)are parallel, but have different intercepts.
B)have the same slope and the same intercept.
C)have different slopes.
D)are based on two different means for the test.

Question 20

Which of the following is true of biased test items?

A)Items believed to be biased rarely are biased.
B)Apparently biased test items actually decrease test score differences.
C)Elimination of biased items does not eliminate test score differences.
D)It is impossible to eliminate bias because every item is, in some way, biased.

Question 21

What did psychologist Carol Dweck identify as a crucial ingredient of intellectual growth of children and young adults?

A)mindsets
B)reasoning abilities
C)cultural awareness
D)personality

Question 22

Which SOMPA component uses the norms within a particular subgroup for defining deviance?

A)pluralistic
B)social
C)organizational
D)communal

Question 23

WISC-R scores are converted into estimated learning potentials (ELPs)on the

A)BITCH.
B)SOMPA.
C)Chitling.
D)IPAT Culture Fair Test.

Question 24

Scores on the BITCH have been shown to be

A)higher for white groups than for African American groups.
B)higher for African American groups than for white groups.
C)equal for African American and white groups.
D)comparable to scores on the Stanford-Binet.

Question 25

Attributing low test scores to "ignorance" suggests

A)test performance might be improved by enriching the social environment.
B)those who do not score well on tests are ignorant and cannot be helped.
C)that differences between groups on IQ tests result from genetic factors.
D)placement based on low test scores is justified.

Question 26

The type of analysis that starts by finding equivalent subgroups of various test takers and then comparing their performance on specific test questions is known as

A)criterion testing.
B)differential item functioning analysis.
C)validity testing.
D)reliability.

Question 27

Which viewpoint was not considered in the development of the SOMPA?

A)the medical model
B)the social systems model
C)the genetic model
D)the pluralistic model

Question 28

Williams created the BITCH to test

A)the ability to survive in the African American community.
B)IQ of African American children.
C)the ability of African Americans to survive in white communities.
D)the ability of whites to survive in white communities.

Question 29

In a multi-country survey of experts, which of the following lists the cited reasons for international differences in cognitive ability in order of first, second, and third most commonly cited?

A)Genetics, education, culture
B)Culture, education, genetics
C)Education, genetics, culture
D)Culture, genetics, education

Question 30

The most clear-cut case of test bias is shown when the regression lines for two groups have ____ slopes and ____ intercepts.

A)the same; different
B)parallel; different
C)the same; the same
D)different; different

Question 31

The assessment technique that best challenges traditional beliefs about testing is the

A)BITCH.
B)Chitling Test.
C)Dove Counterbalance General Intelligence Test.
D)SOMPA.

Question 32

The SOMPA system

A)considers each child relative to all other children.
B)considers each child relative to others from the same social and cultural group.
C)assumes that all individual children should have the same score on a test.
D)views each child as independent of all other children.

Question 33

In a California trial, a judge remarked that ignorance and stupidity are two competing explanations for poor test performance. According to the stupidity explanation, poor test performance

A)is caused by unstimulating environments.
B)represents a deficiency that cannot easily be changed.
C)is caused by culturally biased test items.
D)is caused by a lack of education.

Question 34

Meagan grew up in a small rural town where she was a top student in her school. She was active in the Agricultural Club, but had not had an opportunity to travel, or attend plays, operas, and formal dinners. She did not score well on an intelligence test that asked questions about these types of events. Her low score reflects

A)her low intelligence.
B)a violation of content validity.
C)low fluid intelligence.
D)high reliability of the test.

Question 35

The SOMPA system includes a physical examination because

A)physical skills are related to intelligence.
B)medical problems can interfere with performance on mental measures and school assignments.
C)the SOMPA is primarily a physical health evaluation.
D)its underlying theory is that intelligence is completely biological.

Question 36

The Chitling test

A)has only been shown to have face validity.
B)is a convincing demonstration of bias in other standardized tests.
C)was designed by a racist group to demonstrate minority inferiority in test performance.
D)is commonly used in research studies.

Question 37

The SOMPA system uses portions of the

A)BITCH.
B)Chitling test.
C)Stanford-Binet.
D)WISC-R.

Question 38

A limitation of the BITCH is

A)lack of manualized administration.
B)too few items.
C)little convincing validity data.
D)lack of normative data.

Question 39

The main type of validity evidence that exists for the Chitling Test is

A)predictive validity.
B)concurrent validity
C)face validity.
D)content validity.

Question 40

Which component of the SOMPA assumes that different subcultures are associated with different life experiences?

A)social-system
B)pluralistic
C)personal
D)systemic

Question 41

The phrase "girls can't do math" reflects which type of mindset?

A)fixed
B)biased
C)gendered
D)growth

Question 42

Studies that have examined the correlation between measures of medical school success and success as a physician in practice have shown

A)the correlation to be very high.
B)only a moderate correlation.
C)almost no correlation.
D)that successful students make successful doctors.

Question 43

The BITCH may help to assess

A)the extent to which an African-American is in touch with his/her community.
B)how well someone will survive on the street.
C)how well an African-American child will do in school.
D)how well an African-American adult will do in a given occupation.

Question 44

Sander's position that students who were accepted in law schools by affirmative action tend to perform worse than other students

A)is supported by other researchers.
B)is widely accepted by law schools.
C)was not well received by legal scholars.
D)has mixed by supports and rejections.

Question 45

Which of the following approaches leads to the highest expected performance on the criterion?

A)regression
B)constant ratio
C)Cole/Darlington
D)quota

Question 46

An estimated learning potential is

A)a score on the WISC-R intelligence test.
B)an intelligence test score normed against individuals with the same social and cultural background as the test-taker.
C)an estimation of a child's potential to learn based on a combination of teacher and parent predictions.
D)the estimated ability of a child to learn based on the average performance of siblings.

Question 47

Which model of test fairness selects more potentially successful people from the lower group?

A)Cole-Darlington
B)constant ratio
C)quota
D)regression

Question 48

The phrase "everyone can succeed if they work really hard" reflects which type of mindset?

A)growth
B)unqualified individualist
C)fixed
D)ambitious

Question 49

One problem with the standardized Medical College Admissions Test is that

A)it has not been validated against performance in medical school.
B)it has not been evaluated against performance on medical board examinations.
C)it has not been successfully evaluated against performance in actual medical practice.
D)it is extremely gender biased.

Question 50

Which of these ethical positions most explicitly recognizes race and gender differences?

A)qualified individualism
B)unqualified individualism
C)straight regression model
D)quotas

Question 51

Although the quota system may adequately represent minority groups, it

A)may underrepresent majority groups.
B)has to use the same selection procedures for all groups.
C)may result in greater failure rates among some groups.
D)may not represent the minorities of that particular community.

Question 52

Ms. Collins used tests to select the most qualified people she could find to hire. She did not attend to the race or gender of the applicants. Ms. Collins' technique is known as

A)employment bias.
B)qualified individualism.
C)unqualified individualism.
D)test bias.

Question 53

Dr. X believes that the state-supported law school should accept its first year class with ethnic representation equal to the proportions of the different ethnic groups in the general population. Dr. X believes in

A)unqualified individualism.
B)quotas.
C)qualified individualism.
D)reverse discrimination.

Question 54

Some people might advocate that separate regression lines be used to select people from different groups and that persons should be selected only on the basis of the probability they will succeed on the job. The moral position this represents is

A)unqualified individualism.
B)qualified individualism.
C)relativism.
D)quotas.

Question 55

Which of the following was a result of the decision by the University of California to reject the SAT-I?

A)Fewer qualified students were admitted.
B)High schools changed their curricula to include more math and essay writing experiences.
C)The College Board suspended their accreditation.
D)It became difficult to recruit exceptional students because of questions about the University's academic quality.

Question 56

According to ____, selection procedures are biased if the percentage of applicants admitted to a school is significantly different from the percentage in the population.

A)unqualified individualism
B)qualified individualism
C)the use of quotas
D)the EEOC

Question 57

A way in which the differences between groups might stimulate new interpretations is

A)to view the differences as genetic variations.
B)to view them as social handicaps.
C)to examine patterns of problem-solving within a subculture.
D)allowing the differences to be used by employers when hiring.

Question 58

The textbook takes the position that observed differences between minority and non-minority groups might be attributed to

A)biased tests.
B)biased test administrators and academicians.
C)unequal access to adequate education and stimulating experiences.
D)inherent differences between the groups.

Question 59

According to Heckman, which of the following is responsible for many major social problems?

A)poor literacy skills
B)prejudice
C)inherent differences
D)lack of health care

Question 60

Which of the following is defined by implicit theories about the determinants of success and failure?

A)quotas
B)mindsets
C)intelligence testing
D)estimated learning potentials

Question 61

There is now plenty of evidence that most human abilities

A)can be validly assessed through standardized testing.
B)are not fixed.
C)are genetically determined.
D)are immeasurable.

Question 62

Which model of test fairness do you prefer and why?

Question 63

A person with a growth mindset is more likely to

A)attribute failures to factors they cannot change.
B)seek out challenging tasks.
C)redirect their path when they have not succeeded in an area.
D)avoid subjects in which they have performed poorly.

Question 64

An intervention to increase growth mindsets among students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds had what effect?

A)Increased GPAs
B)Increased self-esteem
C)Increased the percentage of students who changed majors after their first year
D)Decreased test anxiety

Question 65

What are the underlying assumptions of the SOMPA? What are its components and how are they applied?

Question 66

Which term was coined in the most recent version of Standards For Educational And Psychological Testing to describe different patterns of association between test scores and criterion variables for different demographic groups?

A)Unqualified individualism
B)Stereotype threat
C)Predictive bias
D)Criterion-related validity

Question 67

Should standardized testing be reduced in schools? Defend your stance using data and arguments described in the chapter

Question 68

Which of the following is true about standardized test scores?

A)They provide a reasonable indication of whether or not a student should continue pursuing a particular career path.
B)They typically do not improve even with time and practice.
C)In general, they tend to have high predictive validity.
D)They tend to feed into the development of fixed mindsets.

Question 69

Design an intervention to increase growth mindsets in students. What outcomes would you expect from this intervention?

Question 70

Standardized tests have been accused of being biased in favor of white, middle-class populations. Using research outlined in the text, take a position, pro or con, and defend it.

Question 71

Which of the following is a major controversy in K-12 standardized testing addressed by the Bush and Obama administrations?

A)The use of standardized tests in schools.
B)Teacher training in the administration of standardized tests.
C)The number of tests children were mandated to take.
D)The accuracy of test scoring procedures.

Question 72

A fixed mindset is associated with a ________ view of intelligence.

A)environmental
B)cognitive
C)genetic
D)cultural

Question 73

Which of the following was a finding of the evaluation study conducted by the Council of the Great City Schools?

A)There was a stark decline in the amount of time teachers spent in preparing students for standardized tests.
B)The average student took one standardized test per year.
C)Many schools had eliminated typical end of year examinations to make time for standardized testing.
D)The amount of time spent on testing was completely uncorrelated with performance in math or reading.