PSY598 QUIZ answers
Score comparison and interpretation
An undergraduate Psychology exam has a mean of 150 and an SD of 15. Student A scores at
the 80th percentile, Student B obtains a score of 170, and Student C achieves a T score of
55. Rank the students from highest to lowest:
Select one:
C, B, A
A, B, C
B, A, C
B, C, A
Question 2
A T score of 70 would be equivalent to:
Select one:
A score at about the 98th percentile rank.
A z-score of +1.
A raw score of about 70.
A score at the 70th percentile rank.
Question 3
The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is a well-validated measure of depressive symptoms,
commonly used to identify the possible presence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDDD). A
researcher tests the diagnostic use of the BDI on a sample of individuals whose diagnostic
status was pre-determined by a clinical interview. The researcher found that of those who
reached the cutoff threshold on the BDI, 13 had MDD and 14 did not. In contrast, for those
who fell below the BDI cutoff threshold, 10 had MDD and 67 did not. What is the
sensitivity of the BDI in this sample?
12.5%
82.7%
13.0%
56.5%
Question 4
Which of the following is a criterion-referenced score?
Select one:
Percentage
Standard score
Percentile
IQ score
Question 5
A psychologist devises a test to detect eating disorders among adolescents. They are
concerned that the test is not able to detect less severe cases of the disorder. What can the
psychologist do to increase the sensitivity of this test?
Select one:
Raise the criterion cutoff.
Lower the predictor cutoff and raise the criterion cutoff.
Raise the predictor cutoff.
Lower the predictor cutoff.
Reliability
An individual obtains an IQ score of 109. Assuming a reliability coefficient of .91,
estimate their true score.
99
108
100
92
An individual obtains an IQ score of 109. Assuming a reliability coefficient of .91,
estimate their true score.
99
108
100
92
Question 2
If an individual obtains an IQ of 99 on a test that has a reliability coefficient of .91,
calculate the 95% confidence intervals.
102, 108
102, 118
92, 106
90, 108
Question 3
When attempting to ascertain reliability of a speeded test, the best estimate would be:
Select one:
Inter-rater reliability
Internal consistency
Split-half
Parallel forms
Question 4
Test-retest reliability would be the most appropriate type of reliability for a test
measuring:
Select one:
Intelligence
Sleep quality
An emotional state
A personality trait
Question 5
If an IQ test has a reliability coefficient of .91, estimate the standard error of
measurement.
3.97
4.5
3
4
Validity
A lecturer knows their students' IQ scores when assigning their semester grades. Which
of the following threats to validity is most likely to affect grade assignment?
Demand characteristics
Selection bias
History
Criterion contamination
Question 2
Using biodata in the hiring process was shown to increase the number of employees
who are evaluated as "satisfactory" at their first performance evaluation. This finding
demonstrates that biodata has:
Construct validity
Predictive validity
Convergent validity
Concurrent validity
Question 3
The standardised cross-products of a predictor and criterion are presented below. What
is the validity coefficient?
zPredictor*zCriterion
0.286
0.144
0.505
1.425
2.270
0.428
1.819
1.419
0.0491
0.177
8.52
0.85
8.14
0.81
Question 4
Candidates taking the Psychology licensing exam claim that the content of practice tests
does not accurately reflect the types of questions that appear on the licensing exam. In
contrast, the test developer says that scores on practice tests are similar to scores on
the Psychology licensing exam. The test developer is claiming that the practice tests
demonstrate:
Content validity
Face validity
Construct validity
Concurrent validity
Question 5
A test is found to have a reliability coefficient of .90. Which of the following is NOT a
possible validity score?
0.92
0.90
0.85
0.97
Factor analysis attempts to reduce relationships among a set of variables to a set of
components or factors that:
are exactly the same number as in the original variable set
are fewer in number than the original variable set and permit recovery of the original
relationships
permit recovery of the original relationships
are fewer in number than the original number of variables
Question 2
An empirical approach to test construction relies on:
responses to the item following a normal distribution
the content of the item being assessed as relevant by a panel of experts
the content of the item matching the test developer’s idea of the construct being
measured
responses to the item discriminating between criterion groups
Question 3
Question text
After collecting results from 10 PSY598 students, the new test of “Achievement
Motivation” produced the following results, with respect to the existing AMS-R. If the
variance of the total score on the test was found to be 6.25, calculate Cronbach’s alpha.
New Test Item Item Variance
Person
zNewTest*zAMS-R
1
0.25
1
0.86
2
0.1
2
0.44
3
0.9
3
0.05
4
0.2
4
1.25
5
0.3
5
2.70
6
0.15
6
0.28
7
0.35
7
1.19
8
0.75
8
1.49
9
0.6
9
0.41
10
0.25
10
0.77
1
0.94
0
0.43
Question 4
After collecting results from 10 PSY598 students, the new test of “Achievement
Motivation” produced the following results, with respect to the existing AMS-R. If the
variance of the total score on the test was found to be 6.25, calculate concurrent validity.
New Test Item Item Variance
1
Person
zNewTest*zAMS-R
1
0.25
1
0.86
2
0.1
2
0.44
3
0.9
3
0.05
4
0.2
4
1.25
5
0.3
5
2.70
6
0.15
6
0.28
7
0.35
7
1.19
8
0.75
8
1.49
9
0.6
9
0.41
10
0.25
10
0.77
0.43
0.94
0
Question 5
A test that purports to assess depression and anxiety ONLY should:
show a good fit to a two-factor model in a confirmatory factor analysis
show two factors in an exploratory factor analysis
show a good fit to a two-factor model in a confirmatory factor analysis and show two
factors in an exploratory factor analysis
show at least two factors in an exploratory factor analysis