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Psychological Testing and Assessment Book Cover
Psychological Testing and Assessment: An Introduction To Tests and Measurement, 5/e
Ronald Jay Cohen
Mark Swerdlik

Assessment, Careers, and Business


Aptitude test  A test that usually focuses more on informal as opposed to formal learning experiences and is designed to measure both learning and inborn potential for the purpose of making predictions about the testtaker's future performance; also referred to as a prognostic test and, especially with young children, a readiness test, 300-306, 509-515
Assessment center  An organizationally standardized procedure for evaluation involving multiple assessment techniques, 522-524
Attitude  A presumably learned disposition to react in some characteristic manner to a particular stimulus, 532
Burnout  A psychological syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment, 531-532
Classification  A rating, categorizing, or "pigeonholing" with respect to two or more criteria; contrast with screening, selection, and placement; 518
Consumer panel  A sample of respondents selected by demographic and other criteria, who have contracted with a consumer or marketing research firm to respond on a periodic basis to surveys, questionnaires, and related research instruments regarding various products, services, and/or advertising or other promotional efforts, 539.
Consumer psychology  The branch of social psychology dealing primarily with the development, advertising, and marketing of products and services, 536
Critical incidents technique  In workplace settings, a procedure that entails recording employee behavior evaluated as positive or negative by a supervisor or other rater, 527
Diary panel  A variety of consumer panel in which respondents have agreed to keep diaries of their thoughts and/or behaviors, 539.
Dimensional qualitative research  An adaptation of Lazarus's multimodal clinical approach for use in qualitative research applications, designed to ensure that the research is comprehensive and systematic from a psychological perspective and guided by discussion questions based on the seven modalities (or dimensions) named in Lazarus's model, which are summarized by the acronym BASIC ID (behavior, affect, sensation, imagery, cognition, interpersonal relations, and drugs). Cohen's adaptation of Lazarus's work adds an eighth dimension, sociocultural, chang-ing the acronym to BASIC IDS, 541-542
Extrinsic motivation  A state in which the primary force driving an individual comes from external sources (such as a salary or bonus) and external constraints (such as job loss), 531
False negative  (1) In the general context of the miss rate of a test, an inaccurate prediction of classifica-tion indicating that a testtaker did not possess a trait or other attribute being measured when in reality the testtaker did; (2) in drug testing, an individual tests negative for drug use when in reality there has been drug use, 169, 525
False positive  (1) In the general context of the miss rate of a test, an inaccurate prediction or classifica-tion indicating that a testtaker did possess a trait or other attribute being measured when in reality the testtaker did not; (2) in drug testing, an individual tests positive for drug use when in reality there has been no drug use, 169, 525
Focus group  Qualitative research conducted with a group of respond-ents who typically have been screened to qualify for participation in the research, 540-541
Forced distribution technique  A procedure entailing the distribution of a predetermined number or percentage of assessees into various categories that describe performance (such as categories ranging from "unsatisfactory" to "superior"), 527
Integrity test  A screening instrument designed to predict who will and will not be an honest employee, 516-517
Intrinsic motivation  A state in which the primary force driving an individual comes from within, such as personal satisfaction with one's work; contrast with extrinsic motivation, 531
Job satisfaction  A pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one's job or job experience, 532-533
Organizational commitment  The strength of an individual's identi-fication with and involvement in a particular organization, 533
Organizational culture  The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns characteristic of an organization or company, including the structure of the organization and the roles within it, the leadership style, the prevailing values, norms, sanctions, and support mechanisms, as well as the traditions and folklore, methods of enculturation, and characteristic ways of interacting with people and institutions outside the culture (such as customers, suppliers, competition, government agencies, and the general public), 533-535
Performance task or test  (1) In general, a work sample designed to elicit representative knowledge, skills, and values from a particular domain of study; (2) in employment settings, an instrument or procedure that requires the assessee to demonstrate certain job-related skills or abilities under conditions identical or analogous to conditions on the job, 318
Personality assessment  The measurement and evaluation of psychological traits, states, values, interests, attitudes, worldview, acculturation, personal identity, sense of humor, cognitive and behavioral styles, and/or related individual characteristics, 324, 328-363
Placement  A disposition, transfer, or assignment to a group or category that may be made on the basis of one criterion, 518
Poll  A type of survey used to record votes, usually containing questions that can be answered with a "yes/no" or "for/against" response, typically used to gauge opinion about issues, 537
Portfolio  A work sample; referred to as portfolio assessment when used as a tool in an evaluative or diagnostic process, 9, 318
Productivity  Output or value yielded relative to work effort, 527-528
Race norming  The controversial practice of norming on the basis of race or ethnic background, 101, 185, 514.
Screening  A relatively superficial process of evaluation based on certain minimal standards, criteria, or requirements; contrast with selection, classification, and placement, 518
Selection  A process whereby each person evaluated for a position is either accepted or rejected; contrast with screening, classification, and placement, 518
Semantic differential technique  An item format characterized by bi-polar adjectives separated by a 7-point rating scale on which respondents select one point to indicate their response, 338, 539
Survey  In consumer psychology, a fixed list of questions administered to a selected sample of persons, typically to learn about consumers' attitudes, beliefs, opinions, and/or behavior regarding targeted products, services, or advertising, 537-539
Team  Two or more people acting interdependently toward a com-mon goal, who have each been assigned specific roles or functions, 528