Study was designed to provide some indication as to whether the gain in test reliability from confidence scoring results from relevant or irrelevant sources. If the increase in reliability is the result of a gambling response style, it is conceivable that validity could actually decrease even though reliability is increased. (Authors/CB)

Students change their response to interpretations of American history whether or not they have taken a course in American history, inferring that there are other influences contributing to changes in students' responses. (JB)

Data indicate that performance is better when feedback is provided after, rather than before, the response. (MB)

Analyses indicated that varying the range of test stimuli changes the discriminability of the stimuli within that range, even though the physical differences among these stimuli remain constant. (Author)

Spanish/English bilinguals were administered a written test that contained emic and etic questions in an attempt to explain why bilinguals provide different responses when answering in each of their two languages. Results show that social desirability accounts for the largest number of differences found. (AOS)

Subjects were given positive, negative, or neutral information concerning an attitudinal questionnaire. The positive information group obtained the lowest scores, followed by the negative information group, with the neutral information group obtaining the highest mean score. (Author/GK)

Two forms of an undergraduate examination were constructed. Tests varied with respect to item truth value (true, false) and method of phrasing (positive, negative). Negatively stated items were more difficult but not more discriminating than positively stated items. False items were not more difficult but were more discriminating than true items.…

Presented for 64 subjects a replication of the Family Environment Scale's maximum likelihood factor structure for which the two-factor, Varimax-rotated solution was found to be stable when the correlations among the subscales were corrected for the effects of social desirability response bias. (Author)

Evaluations of experimental interventions which employ self-report measures are subject to contamination known as response-shift bias. Response-shift effects may be attenuated by substituting retrospective pretest ratings for the traditional self-report pretest ratings. This study indicated that the retrospective rating more accurately reflected…

These studies indicated preschool children show a high degree of variability when responding to the same test questions within short time intervals. In two studies, children were inconsistent in responding. In a third, one-third of the children responded inconsistently. Studies with standardized test items revealed inconsistency among most…

When scores from a modified (modification affecting response bias) Sheehan/Betts imagery questionnaire were reanalyzed, previous findings--that females report more vivid imagery than males--were not confirmed. It is argued that previously reported sex differences may be artificial in so far as imagery vividness scores are concerned. (Author/KC)

The taxonomy of test wiseness constructed by Millman and others is discussed. Other aspects of test wiseness are reviewed, such as additional influencing factors, manifestations, theoretical approaches, correlates, measures, and methods of minimizing its effects. (MH)

The Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) and the Couch and Keniston Agreement Response Scale (ARS) were administered to 70 male and 72 female undergraduates. Using the ARS scores as the dependent variable in an analysis of variance, a lack of relationship was found between the BSRI and acquiescence. (Author/JKS)