Validity in psychological measurement : an investigation of test norms

Abstract

A psychological test may be defined as an objective and standardized measure of a sample of behaviour. The interpretation of test results is usually based on comparing an individual’s performance to norms based on a representative sample of the population. The present study examined the norms of popular adult tests. The validity of the Wartegg drawing test (WZT) was studied using two rating scales, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory as criterion tests. Weak to moderate correlations were found. It is concluded that the WZT has some validity in the assessment of Alexithymia. Efforts to develop a psychometrically valid and reliable method of interpreting the WZT should be continued. Crossnational and historical analyses of the norms of Wechsler’s adult intelligence scale (WAIS) were performed. The results show that the Finnish WAIS III test norms are distorted in the younger age groups. Significant cross-national and cross-generational differences in relative subtest scores, test profiles were also observed. Differences in general intelligence cannot explain such variations, and educational and cultural factors probably underlie the observed differences. It is suggested that the concept of a national IQ profile is useful for cross-national test validation studies. The validity of a validity scale, the Chapman Infrequency Scale, was studied in the context of a survey study. Results showed that careless responding is significantly more frequent among psychiatric patients relative to healthy respondents. The common procedure of excluding careless responders from final samples may affect the results of survey studies targeting individuals with psychiatric symptoms. Cut-off scores for exclusion should be flexible and chosen according to the demographic and health characteristics of the sample. In conclusion, the results of this study underscore the need for up-to-date and representative test norms for valid test interpretation.

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