There are many threats to validity in high-stakes achievement testing. One major threat is construct-irrelevant variance (CIV). This article defines CIV in the context of the contemporary, unitary view of validity and presents logical arguments, hypotheses, and documentation for a variety of CIV sources that commonly threaten interpretations of…

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to measure the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) constructs of smoking refusal skill-efficacy, positive smoking refusal outcome expectations & importance and negative smoking refusal outcome expectations & importance. This article details the rigorous instrument development…

This paper reports the results of three studies designed to test the nomological validity of a consumer well-being (CWB) measure in relation to personal transportation. The CWB measure was developed guided by the theoretical notion that the CWB in relation to personal transportation vehicles is significantly enhanced when the consumption of the…

Fifty years ago, L. J. Cronbach and P. E. Meehl (1955) advocated for the concept of construct validity, noting that psychologists study hypothetical, inferred entities and that validating measures of such entities involves basic theory testing. Three important developments in clinical assessment following that seminal article are noteworthy.…

The question of the status of cause-and-effect explanations of human behavior that posit physically existing causative factors and those that, on the other hand, posit hypothetical entities in the form of "useful fictions" has a long history. The influence of the works of Jeremy Bentham and Hans Vaihinger, as well as the later influence of Francis…

Reliance on subjective grant proposal review methods leads private philanthropies to underfund mental health programs, even when foundations have mental health focuses. This article describes a private mental health foundation's efforts to increase the objectivity of its proposal review process by developing a reliable, valid proposal rating form.…

Considers the question of whether instructional methods are replaceable or interchangeable. Topics discussed include the influence of external events on learning and cognitive processes, media variables, linking instructional design to research on learning from instruction, construct validity, and an example of adequate instructional design and…

Describes formative research methodology and how it can be used for procedural instructional design theory. Compares formative research with formative evaluation for instructional products and discusses objectivity, trustworthiness, construct validity, and the need for greater use of formative research methodology. (Contains 32 references.)…

School based sexuality education remains a hotly debated topic in the United States. Two key areas of this debate focus on teacher preparation to instruct sexuality education and teachers' attitudes and comfort with the subject matter. This article describes the development and psychometric testing of the Teachers' Attitude and Comfort Scale. This…

The paper reviews a construct validation framework for research on the selection and evaluation of residents. The application of the proposed methodology to surgery residents is described. The need to measure non-cognitive and neuropsychological factors in addition to cognitive knowledge and technical ability is emphasized. (Author/MLW)

Examines 73 participants on the relationship between verbal recall and listening, using measures of listening behavior as a criterion. Considers three possible models: (1) isomorphic, (2) confounding, and (3) recall ability as antecedent to listening. Finds that a model stipulating verbal recall ability as antecedent to listening provides the best…

Communicative oral language tests have claimed high content validity, but have also elicited concern that the assessment scales are based on theory with little empirical justification. A new approach to construct validity can be found in discourse analysis, which could lead to the development of new communicative discourse tests in all skills. (CB)

Examines a popular perceptual construct, user satisfaction, through a review of information systems effectiveness literature. Problems with this construct are highlighted, social psychology literature is used to clarify these problems, and principles are offered for utilizing user satisfaction as a measure of information systems effectiveness.…

This study determined psychometric properties of the Pediatric Emotional Distress Scale (PEDS) with an ethnically diverse sample of 383 children 2 to 7 years of age exposed to interpersonal violence and participating in a community-based intervention. Means and alpha coefficients for the total scale and 3 subscales fell within previously reported…

Differential and combined influence of implicit and explicit self-esteem (SE) on individual's response to negative feedback was examined in a controlled experiment. Sixty-three psychology undergraduates performed a simulated social interaction task, followed by an artificial negative feedback on their performance. Self-reported (explicit) SE was…