Deck 15: The Problem of Bias in Psychological Assessment

Question 1

What is one of the most popular methods of investigating bias in construct measurement?

A)Factor manipulation analysis
B)Evidence based on response processes
C)Cluster analysis of ipsative scores
D)Factor analysis

Answer 1

Factor analysis

Question 2

Which method to detect potentially biased items did Reynolds and Kamphaus (2003)apply in their development of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales?

A)Cronbach's beta
B)mean regression analysis
C)cluster analysis
D)partial correlation method

Answer 2

partial correlation method

Question 3

Brown,Reynolds,and Whitaker (1999)define _____________ as a moral,philosophical,or legal issue on which reasonable people can disagree.

A)bias
B)equality
C)equitable
D)fairness

Answer 3

fairness

Question 4

According to the text,which group has been shown consistently to perform as well or better than white groups on aptitude tests?

A)Asian Americans
B)Hispanics
C)Native Americans
D)Spanish Americans

Question 5

The hypothesis of _________ holds that a test measures constructs more accurately for the groups on which the tests are mainly based than for other groups.

A)homogeneous reliability
B)homogeneous validity
C)differential reliability
D)differential validity

Question 6

The overlap among the distributions of intelligence test scores for different ethnic groups is _____________ the size of the differences between the various groups.

A)approximately equal to
B)much greater than
C)much less than

Question 7

It is rare for biased items to account for more than _____ of the variance in performance.

A)5%
B)10%
C)15%
D)20%
E)25%

Question 8

___________ refers to the degree of cultural specificity present in the test or individual items of the test.

A)Cultural bias
B)Cultural loading
C)Cultural partiality
D)Cultural preference

Question 9

Which difference is reported to be the most controversial of all nominal group differences?

A)Age
B)Ethnicity
C)Gender
D)Socioeconomic Status

Question 10

As defined in the Standards (1999),bias is:

A)systematic error in a test score.
B)illegal discriminatory practices.
C)prejudicial attitudes.
D)the same as "fairness".

Question 11

As the reliability of a test score or evaluation procedure goes down,the probability of bias:

A)decreases.
B)increases.
C)remains unchanged.
D)depends on the construct being measured.

Question 12

When demographic variables are taken into consideration,the difference between white groups and black groups on aptitude tests:

A)essentially disappears.
B)reduces to 0.5 - 0.7 standard deviation.
C)reduces to 0.7 - 0.9 standard deviation.
D)increases to 1 - 1.1 standard deviations.
E)increases to 1.2 - 1.5 standard deviations.

Question 13

__________ is a property empirically estimated from test data whereas _________ is a principle established through debate and opinion.

A)Bias; fairness
B)Bias; prejudice
C)Fairness; bias
D)Equality; bias

Question 14

The cultural test bias hypothesis contends that any difference between nominally determined groups is due to:

A)actual differences in the trait or skills being measured.
B)characteristics of the test.
C)cultural differences.
D)the examiner's influence on examinee.

Question 15

What is the most recommended method today for detecting biased item?

A)Application of methods based on of Item Response Theory
B)Careful review of the test by a panel comprised of minority examiners
C)Examining evidence based on consequential validity
D)Examining an item-by-item correlation matrix

Question 16

Native Americans tend to perform lower on tests of ____________ than whites.

A)memory
B)nonverbal intelligence
C)spatial reasoning
D)verbal intelligence

Question 17

What is the approximate score difference found between the mean performances of black and white students on aptitude tests with a mean of 100 and SD of 15?

A)Approximately 5 points
B)Approximately 10 points
C)Approximately 15 points
D)Approximately 20 points

Question 18

One of the most frequently stated problems raised by Black and other minority psychologists regarding the use of psychological and educational tests with minorities is:

A)homogeneous reliability.
B)homogeneous validity.
C)inappropriate content.
D)regression to the mean.

Question 19

What is one of the most carefully studied explanations for group differences in aptitude?

A)Cultural test bias hypothesis
B)Ethnic test bias hypothesis
C)Gender inequality bias
D)Group difference hypothesis

Question 20

On what tests do men and boys tend to score higher than women and girls?

A)Tests of spatial skills requiring imagery
B)Tests that involve written language
C)Tests of simple psychomotor speed
D)Tests of simple written language

Question 21

If an intelligence test was normed only on Caucasian students,which criticism concerning bias would be appropriate?

A)Inappropriate content
B)Inappropriate standardization sample
C)Examiner and language bias
D)Inequitable social immersion

Question 22

According to Halpern (1997),one ability on which women obtain higher average scores is:

A)fluid reasoning.
B)mental rotations.
C)production and comprehension of prose.
D)transformations of visual working memory.

Question 23

What is one significant benefit of having minority judges review the items?

A)They are particularly good at identifying biased items.
B)Then can identify items that will likely be misunderstood.
C)They can identify items that are offensive.
D)They can identify examiner biases.

Question 24

With regard to bias in prediction,the empirical evidence reflects __________ to support contentions of differential or single-group validity.

A)no strong evidence
B)strong evidence
C)zero evidence

Question 25

_____________ is present when a test makes more valid predictions for one group than for another.

A)Differential reliability
B)Differential validity
C)Heterogeneous reliability
D)Heterogeneous validity

Question 26

Research has shown that males typically perform better on _____________ skills

A)nonverbal memory
B)processing speed
C)verbal
D)visual-spatial

Question 27

Which court case resulted in the use of IQ tests with Black children being prohibited in California public schools?

A)Diana v.State Board of Education
B)Larry P.v.Riles
C)Marshall v.Georgia
D)PASE v.Hannon

Question 28

Test applications that result in valid predictions for one group,but invalid predictions in another group are referred to as:

A)having cultural validity.
B)having differential predictive validity.
C)measuring homogeneous constructs.
D)homogeneity of regression.

Question 29

_________ is concerned fundamentally with a mathematical model of the probability of a correct response as a function of ability.

A)Chaos Theory
B)Classical Test Theory
C)Generalizability Theory
D)Item Response Theory

Question 30

What is the implication if equal intercepts and differing slope are found for different ethnic groups in a prediction bias study?

A)Homogeneity of regression
B)Parallel regression lines that produce constant bias in prediction
C)Nonparallel regression lines
D)Confluent regression lines

Question 31

A new IQ test is being developed and the test creators need to give this IQ test to 1,000 individuals in order to get appropriate standardization norms.They decide to give the test to all of the students,primarily Caucasian adolescents between the ages of 11 and 14,in a middle school in North Dakota.This is an example of:

A)regression to the mean.
B)inappropriate standardization samples.
C)inequitable social consequences.
D)homogeneity of regression.

Question 32

What is the result if the same slope and intercept are found for different ethnic groups in a prediction bias study?

A)Homogeneity of regression
B)Parallel regression lines that produce constant bias in prediction
C)Nonparallel regression lines
D)Confluent regression lines

Question 33

What is the result if the same slope,but different intercepts are found for different ethnic groups in a prediction bias study?

A)Homogeneity of regression
B)Parallel regression lines that produce constant bias in prediction
C)Nonparallel regression lines
D)Confluent regression lines