The purposes of this study were to establish the interrater reliability, dimensionality, and internal consistency of an instruction evaluation instrument used at The University of Michigan Medical School. Using the nine-item rating scale, 1,758 student ratings and 88 staff ratings were gathered on 61 faculty. Interrater agreement ranged from .28…

Two studies are reported that measure the long-term stability of performance assessments involving story-writing and poetry-writing (involving grade four and five students) and story-telling (involving grade two students). The long-term stability of these assessments compares favorably with stability figures for other creativity tests. (Author/JDD)

This study, involving 24 children or adolescents with pervasive developmental disorders, assessed 3 autism scales: Autism Behavior Checklist, Real Life Rating Scale, and Childhood Autism Rating Scale. The study analyzed interrater reliability, correlations between pairs of the three scales, diagnostic classification cutoff scores, and…

Describes reliability and validity data for the Sexual Experiences Survey, a self-report instrument designed to identify hidden rape victims and undetected offenders among a normal population. (Author/BH)

Reports reliability and validity data on the Unpleasant Events Schedule, a measure of frequency and aversiveness of stressful life events during one month. Nine rational, empirical, and factorial scales were developed and were retained as mutually independent, internally reliable, and tapping dimensions of clinical interest. (NRB)

Briefly describes the objectives and design of the MicroRead Index, a microcomputer-based index which utilizes word and sentence length to measure readability of written materials. The program computes a reading level and a consistency index for comparative analysis and determines whether the sample size used was adequate. (MBR)

The test-retest reliability of colored filter testing in relation to two symptom levels of dyslexia was evaluated using a forced-choice test procedure. Two tests, separated by two weeks, were conducted with 41 participants (ages 15 to 17). Results indicated poor test-retest reliability. (Author/DB)

A measure, the Self-Injury Trauma Scale, is described for classifying and quantifying surface tissue damage. The scale permits differentiation of self-injurious behavior according to topography, location of the injury on the body, type of injury, number of injuries, and estimate of severity. High interrater reliability has been found. (Author/DB)

The study examined the test-retest reliability in unaided and aided sound-field thresholds and the functional gain values derived from these measurements in 24 hearing-impaired adults. Test-retest standard deviations were slightly larger for functional gain than for unaided thresholds. (Author/DB)

The purpose of this study was to compare the scoring of Teacher Performance Assessment Instruments (TPAI) indicators using discrete descriptors when some are considered "essential" with the scoring of these same indicators, and when no descriptors are considered essential. The two questions addressed in this study were: (1) To what…

Coding systems have become popular methods of cataloging the verbal and nonverbal interaction occurring during marital and family therapy. One such system, Pinsof's (1981) Family Therapist Coding System (FTCS), was the first designed explicitly to identify and differentiate specific verbal behaviors of family therapists independent of their…

This study of the stability of parent behaviors toward toddlers over a 3-week period used both aggregated and nonaggregated data. Comparison of stability correlations indicated higher stabilities for aggregated scores, with the level of stability increasing as scores from additional single sessions were aggregated. (PCB)

Habituation to single female faces and to single geometric patterns was observed separately in two groups of infants who participated in two sessions separated by 10 days. Habituation was found to be distributed into three patterns and showed moderate but significant reliability between assessment sessions. (Author/RH)

This paper reviews the prominent concepts of the stuttering event and concerns about the reliability of stuttering event measurements, specifically interjudge agreement. Recent attempts to resolve the stuttering measurement problem are reviewed, and the implications of developing an improved measurement system are discussed. (Author/JDD)

In a national survey of 2,963 professional women, the Trauma Symptom Checklist was found to be reliable and to display predictive validity in regard to childhood sexual victimization. Women who reported a sexual abuse history scored significantly higher than did women with no such history on each of the six subscales. (Author/DB)