Cognates are known to facilitate second language acquisition and use, as learners tend to assign to a new L2 word the meaning of a similar L1 word. Consequently, for L2 tests that rely largely on lexical items, performance may prove inflated for examinees whose L1 shares many cognates with the language being tested. This article examines the…

We analyzed a pool of items from an admissions test for differential item functioning (DIF) for groups based on age, socioeconomic status, citizenship, or English language status using Mantel-Haenszel and item response theory. DIF items were systematically examined to identify its possible sources by item type, content, and wording. DIF was…

The paper reports on the adaptation of a D-KEFS test battery for Slovakia. Drawing on concrete examples, it describes and illustrates the key issues relating to the transfer of test items from one socio-cultural environment to another. The standardisation sample of the population of Slovak pupils in the fourth year of primary school included 250…

Background: Previous research with earlier versions of the WISC and WAIS has demonstrated that when administered to people who have intellectual disabilities, the WAIS produced higher IQ scores than the WISC. The aim of this study was to examine whether these differences still exist. A comparison of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third…

Results suggest that a significant proportion of observed race differences on some performance tasks may be attributable to a failure of many blacks to use spontaneously an efficient verbal strategy rather than a genetic reasoning deficit. (Author/DEP)

Investigated cultural bias in 79 items of three verbal tests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). Administered three subtests to 40 Anglo- and 40 Native-American Navajo subjects. Results indicated 15 of 79 items (information, similarities, and vocabulary subtests) were biased against the Navajo sample. (Author)

Performance of high-scoring males and females on the mathematics section of three forms of the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT-M) was examined to determine how item content, solution strategy, and speededness differentially affect performance. The mathematical and verbal sections of the SAT were also compared for similarities in the…