Psychometrics: The Science Of Psychological Assessment
MA –I- Psychology CBCS Syllabus 2019-20 (SPPU)
Objectives and learning outcomes:
To create critical understanding of measurement issues and techniques in psychological inquiry.
To enable students to develop skills and competencies in test construction and standardization.
To understand the various biases in psychological testing and assessment.
Unit-1. Perspectives on psychometrics
1.1. Scientific method, realism, truth and psychology
1.2. Scientific measurement in psychometrics and measurement in the natural sciences
1.3. Measurement models: Classical test theory, Latent variable model, Representational measurement model
1.4. The theory of true scores, the statistical true score, the platonic true score, Psychological vs. Physical true score, the true psychometric: trait or function
1.5. Ethical issues in psychological testing
Unit-2. Process of test construction:
2.1. Knowledge-based and person-based questionnaire
2.1.1. Objective and open-ended tests
2.1.2. Norm-referenced and criterion-referenced testing
2.1.3. The correction for guessing in objective knowledge based test
2.2. Item analysis
2.2.1. Classical item analysis statistics for knowledge-based tests
2.2.2. Classical item analysis for person-based tests
2.2.3. Item analysis in criterion-referenced testing
2.3. Item response theory (IRT)
2.4. Relation of IRT and Classical test theory
2.5. Item characteristic curve
Unit-3. Standardization of tests
3.1. Reliability: Concept and types of reliability, forms of error; Spearman-Brown correction, cautions in the use of reliability coefficient
3.2. Validity: Concepts and types of validity; Political validity; Confusion between validation and validity.
3.3. Normalisation: Algebraic normalisation, graphical normalisation
3.4. Types of norms
3.5. The use of Factor Analysis in test construction
Unit- 4. Bias in testing and computer applications
4.1. Forms of bias
4.1.1. Item bias: Identifying item bias
4.1.2. Differential item functioning, item offensiveness
4.2. Intrinsic test bias: Statistical models of intrinsic test bias
4.3. Extrinsic test bias: Extrinsic test bias and ideology; legal aspects of extrinsic test bias; guidelines in case of test bias
4.4. Computerization in psychological Testing
4.5. Artificial intelligence and psychological testing
READINGS:
Borsboom, D. (2005). Measuring the mind: Conceptual issues in contemporary psychometrics. UK: Cambridge University Press.
Chadha, N. K. (2009). Applied psychometry. New Delhi, India: Sage.
Kline, P. (1998). The new psychometrics: Sciences, psychology and measurement. London & New York: Routledge.
Michell, J. (1990). An Introduction to the logic of psychological measurement. Hillsdale, MI: Erlbaum.
Rust, J., & Golombok, S. (2009). Modern psychometrics: The science of psychological assessment. London and New York: Routledge.