I would also recommend looking at the literature, in particular Mental Measurements Yearbook, PsycINFO, and HAPI.
I have a search filter I developed for Ovid PsycINFO that looks for psychometric articles. It's very broad, not tested, but then I used to work in a psychology library and searched the db for probably 5-6 hours a day. I developed this short cut to save me time.
You can find the filter at:
http://www.sph.uth.tmc.edu/current-students/library/internet-resources/search-filters/#psycinfo
Copy the filter and paste into the search text box, then add your terms to the filter. Ask a librarian if you need help- may save you a bunch of time.
Again, this is for the Ovid PsycINFO database. It won't work on other interfaces or with other databases.
Helena
Helena M. VonVille, MLS, MPH
Library Director
University of Texas School of Public Health
Houston, TX
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
713-500-9131
713-500-9125 (fax)
________________________________________
From: Evidence based health (EBH) [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of William Grant [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2011 10:38 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Psychometric Testing?
WOAH! YIKES!
Dear Ms. Kirkpatrick:
May we get back to the issue at hand?
Your skepticism regarding the field of psychometric assessment has some basis in truth. To develop an instrument with on-going utility is not an easy task. There are many ‘assessments’ out in the market place with questionable credentials. However, this is not to say that development of an acceptable instrument cannot be done.
In the world of psychometric assessment there are different types of reliability (internal, external, repeated, etc.) and of validity (construct, external, etc.) so it is important to know which of these is most important to the task at hand. All of them require different but possibly overlapping data sets.
There are different types of assessments including measurement of personality traits, knowledge, skill, abilities, attitudes, educational achievement, etc. Each requires specific approaches and not all always lend themselves to simple paper-pencil modalities. Some employ psychomotor skills, some use interviewing strategies, some use combinations of data gathering modalities.
Development of a psychometric assessment also depends on its purpose. As in the field of medicine, is the purpose you are seeking, diagnostic, therapeutic, prognostic, descriptive, or what? Again, approaches to development will differ.
Good instrument development will also require multiple iterations of assessment with samples from the intended target population and of experts in the field.
You may wish to consider partnering with someone who has experience in development of these assessments to help you frame your intent, your questions and to help you articulate an instrument development strategy.
Bill
William D. Grant, EdD
Associate Dean, Graduate Medical Education
Professor, Emergency Medicine
Professor, Family Medicine
SUNY Upstate Medical University
750 E. Adams St. EmStat
Syracuse, NY 13210
315-464-4861 (p) 315-464-4854 (f)
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>>> jo kirkpatrick <[log in to unmask]> 11/17/2011 8:51 AM >>>
Hi Robin or should I say Totally Ruthless Robin
I was accepting your agreement with the tests appraisal of your temperament after all you know yourself better than I do but then I noticed that you work for the NHS. This seems incongruous with somebody who is totally ruthless in pursuing their own interests! Wouldn't you have found the private sector a better return for your time? Of course it depends on exactly what they meant by 'ruthless in pursuing' and whether they meant personal interests, goals or ambitions. It also depends on what your own interests are; eg winning a Nobel Prize; building a Rupert Murdock style financial empire; or getting first prize for your gooseberry jam could all be pursued with equal determination.
When I hear the expression totally ruthless I don't associate it with someone who works for the NHS. I believe the tester might have been confusing ruthlessness with self-discipline or even conscientiousness. Medical science is producing evidence that many successful people have a large measure of obsessive compulsiveness and high conscientiousness, which is at the neurotic end of the personality continuum. In any case people are not chess pieces all black or all white so I question the use of 'totally' in assessments, the tester is attempting to create a sense of certainty that doesn't exist.
BW Jo
________________________________
From: Harbour Robin (HEALTHCARE IMPROVEMENT SCOTLAND) <[log in to unmask]>
To: jo kirkpatrick <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, 17 November 2011, 11:26
Subject: RE: Psychometric Testing?
Hi Jo –
I can only provide some anecdotal evidence from personal experience of having been on the receiving end of these tests during interviews. In the first case, the feedback I got was that I appeared to be uncertain whether I was really interested in the job. That was exactly right!
The second occasion was some years later after I had been made redundant and was rather reluctantly self-employed while trying to get back into employment. On that occasion I was told that the most striking finding was that I was totally ruthless in pursuing my own interests! I was a bit taken aback at that, but given the circumstances it was probably true. I didn’t get either job, you won’t be surprised to learn. I did not consciously change my behaviour following the first one, though I did try to tone down the ruthlessness following the second one – and some time later got what turned out to be the best job I have had in my life.
Despite this experience, I remain a bit sceptical about the accuracy of these tests and suspect a lot depends on the training and skills of the person applying the test. Anyway, you now need two fewer examples to get a sample big enough to draw conclusions!
Yours,
Robin
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network
Delta House | 50 West Nile Street | Glasgow G1 2NP
t: 0141 227 3298
e: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
www.sign.ac.uk<http://www.sign.ac.uk/>
The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network is part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland.
From: Evidence based health (EBH) [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of jo kirkpatrick
Sent: 17 November 2011 11:16
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Psychometric Testing?
Hi EBH
I am currently wading through the books on Psychometric tests, for the quantitative part of my study on why people take drugs and how this affects the working self and identity. I know we only have 44 chromosomes to create billions of unique individuals so mathmatically [in theory] 11 to 16 factors should be enough to deal with personality and cognitive abilities but I have to wonder how reliable and accurate Psychometric tests be? I know there is evidence that supports them, but I am highly suspicious of its validity. I know company HR managers can see the outcome in employees; but has anybody checked up on the outcome for the rejects, [perhaps 5 or 10 yrs later] to see whether their rejection was justified and from an ethical stance what impact the rejection had on their lives?
Best wishes Jo
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