Summarizes and challenges criticism that the behavioral sciences have failed to produce long-lasting generalizations due to cultural and historical relativism and interaction effects. Using findings from meta-analysis, the author argues that considerable consistency and validity across contexts of many generalizations exists, as well as promising…

Changes in views of personnel selection research include changing opinions about choosing predictors and criteria, methods of data collection, and methods of evaluating selection procedures. Distinctions are made between job-relatedness, inferred from validity coefficients based on job-related criteria, and the valid measurement of a trait,…

This paper updates the concept of test validity. This new conception entails a set of 10 categories combined together in pairs: curriculum and instructional validity, statutory and forensic validity, media and journalistic validity, political and legislative validity, and partisan and activist validity. (Author/DWH)

Discusses the external, inductive, and deductive approaches to personality scale construction, and argues that none is consistently superior in terms of validity or predictive effectiveness. Also argues that since deductive scales normally communicate information more directly and are more economical to build and administer, they should be used…

Explains that from a prediction standpoint the confluence model is not very efficient. Very modest increments in accuracy are associated with family configuration variables once chronological age is covaried. Suggests that the major postulates of the theory be tested directly, within individuals and with longitudinal data. (Author/AS)

In response to Ebel (TM 508 146) Gardner argues that neither intrinsic rational validity associated with ability tests nor a validity coefficient relating a test to performance as the sole information about validity is sufficient. All relevant data about a test and its functioning are essential in describing the validity of the test. (Author/LC)

An historical overview of inductive logic is presented, including the logic of enumerative induction in its rule-derivative and event-predictive forms. An experimental test model of event-predictive induction in the linguistic medium is discussed along with its theoretical significance for future psychometric investigations. (Author/CM)

Responds to the Nader report on the Educational Testing Service authored by Nairn. Major themes of the nine chapters of the report are addressed. The last sections provide comment on the responses of the Educational Testing Service. (RC)

Refutes Bonnie Cramond's claim that divergent-thinking tests surpass expert opinions in judging creativity. Baer's original article deplores using "creativity" tests to select students for gifted/talent programs. He recommends having experts evaluate the creativity of actual products (poems and artwork). All students should be taught…

Argues that policymakers should be skeptical of forecasts that predict faculty shortages and surpluses according to population trends and analyzes an economic model of the academic labor market. Concludes that forecasts from such models do not support policies designed to offset the impact of cohort size on the academic labor market. (Author/CH)

The Nairn report, The Reign of ETS, has charged that the major college admissions tests administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS) have undue influence on admissions to higher education, and that the tests have little value in predicting future academic performance. Nairn's claims that the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is a poor predictor…

The scientist who uses the experimental form does so in order to explain that which is verified through prediction. The prerequisites for prediction include a universe that is ordered, stable, independent, and knowable. Some assumptions of the predictive argument with respect to communication research are: the operating elements of the message are…

Prediction of success in a special program often guides program participant selection and treatment. If the statistical analysis used to develop such predictions is based on the special selectivity built into the program, the predictions can be misleading and the validation tests uninformative. Federal district court pretrial release data is used…

Asserts that employment tests predict job performance by measuring or being correlated with abilities causally related to productivity. Contends that American economy underrewards achievements measured by these tests and that absence of economic incentives to study in high school has contributed to low achievement in mathematics and science.…

By focusing on "appropriateness" and "adequacy" of inference and action, unified validity may be misused in rejecting valid test outcomes. The notion of levels of validity is challenged, the necessity of assumption is argued, and experience is proposed as the basis of validity. "Consequential validity" is interpreted as an optional predictive…