This study tests the basic assumptions underlying Fishbein's Model of Attitudes by correlating an individual's selective exposure to types of television programs (situation comedies, family drama, and action/adventure) with the attitudinal similarity between individual attitudes and attitudes characterized on the programs. Twenty-three college…

Of all the areas related to the validity of the Commonwealth Secondary Scholarship Examination (CSSE) tests, that of predictive validity seems to have been studied most intensively. Since the inception of the CSSE scholarship scheme, a series of studies which have either examined the predictive validity of certain aspects of the scholarships, or…

A large amount of professional interest has been focused upon the ambiguities and problems involved in the conduct of professional licensing and certification through examinations. What seems to be a simple problem on the surface, that being the policing of professionals for competence and the practice of conducting this policing so that it offers…

The purpose of this study was to develop a screening procedure for undergraduate pilot training (UPT). This procedure was based upon the use of ground-based instrument trainers in which UPT candidates, naive to flying, were evaluated in their performance of job sample tasks; i.e., basic instrument flying. Training and testing sessions were…

Recent empirical evidence concerning sex and racial bias in testing is discussed in terms of three primary sources of bias: (1) content of the test itself, (2) atmosphere in which the test is administered, and (3) the use to which the test results are put. Test content that is demonstrably more difficult for one group than another should be (1)…

The conventional paradigm for testing expectancy theory predictions of work behavior has been to correlate expectancy-value reports with concurrent measures of motivation and performance. Although this static, two-variable approach has typically yielded statistically significant results, correlations have not been sizable. This study, using a…

This study is phase one of a 4-year project. It was aimed at examining the predictive validity of six preschool screening instruments on later academic achievement. The six instruments were (1) the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test, (2) the Sprigle School Readiness Screening Test, (3) the Anton Brenner Developmental Gestalt Test of School…

The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of 2 measures of student quality, high school percentile ranks and ACT composite standard scores, in predicting the first-year academic success of freshmen entering Wisconsin State University (WSU) at Stevens Point. The average high school percentile rank for the 2,172 entering freshmen in…

The relationships between grades of Hofstra students at the end of the freshman year and such predictor variables as high school standing and scores on the SAT are considered. Data are also presented on the overall performance of the class and on the relationship between performance of students who stayed at Hofstra and those who dropped out.…

The grades which foreign students receive are not always based on the same criteria as the grades assigned to native American students. The use of standardized test scores provides a common data base from which to evaluate the relative proficiency level of foreign students. This study examines the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and…

This report describes the development and validation of the Weekly Activity Record (WAR), an instrument for the analysis and prediction of criminal behavior and recidivism. The 18 items on the instrument record the hours per week devoted to various activities: vocational, avocational, social, physical, antisocial, personal, and interpersonal. The…

This study was designed to determine the predictability of an officer's career decision and to evaluate relationships between career intent, various demographic, environmental and attitudinal factors, and career status. Survey data were collected from individuals before they entered active duty, and annually, through five years of active military…

One phase of an investigation of the high attrition rate of junior colleges, this study sought to determine whether it is possible to predict, before classes begin, if an entering student will stay through or withdraw during the first semester. Data obtained in Phase One of the study of 653 entering students were augmented with high school test…

In a training situation, the standard procedures for predicting performance entail long delays between the request for a predictive instrument and its delivery. Methods were developed for constructing psychological prediction instruments at the time of the request, rather than waiting for the maturation of the criterion data. The two synthetic…

The main objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the degree to which SAT scores and high school grades were effective in predicting the freshman grades of disadvantaged/minority students; (2) to examine the validity of these same predictor variables for subgroups of minority freshmen formed on the basis of sex, ethnic background and…