Psychometry - Reliability, Validity, Item Analysis, Normative Data - Current research/trends

KEY TERMS

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Coefficient

—In statistics, a number that expresses the degree of relationship between variables. It is most commonly used with a qualifying term that further specifies its meaning as in "correlation coefficient."

Correlation

—A statistical measure of the degree of relationship between two variables.

Error variance

—The amount of variability in a set of scores that cannot be assigned to controlled factors.

Normative data

—A set of data collected to establish values representative of a group such as the mean, range, and standard deviation of their scores. It is also used to get a sense of how a skill, or characteristic is distributed in a group.

Norms

—Values that are representative of a group and that may be used as a baseline against which subsequently collected data is compared.

Reliability

—The consistency of a test, or the degree to which the test produces approximately the same results under similar conditions over time.

Representative sample

—Any group of individuals that accurately reflects the population from which it was drawn on some characteristic(s).

Sample

—Any group of people, animals, or things taken from a particular population.

Validity

—How well a test measures what it intends to, as well the degree to which a test validates scientific inferences.

Variance

—A measure of variability in a set of scores that may be due to many factors such as error.