Psychological Assessment & Measurement Techniques Flashcards

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) differs from Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) primarily because CFA:

Answer: Tests a pre-specified factor structure against data

CFA tests whether a theoretically derived factor structure fits the observed data, whereas EFA explores data to identify factor structures without prior constraints.

The concept of 'bandwidth-fidelity tradeoff' in personality assessment refers to the tension between:

Answer: Broad trait measurement versus narrow, specific trait measurement

The bandwidth-fidelity tradeoff describes how broad measures (like Big Five domains) capture wide coverage but less precision, while narrow facets offer greater specificity for predicting specific criteria.

Which assessment center dimension has consistently shown the highest validity for predicting managerial performance?

Answer: Problem solving/cognitive ability

Meta-analytic research shows that problem-solving and cognitive dimensions in assessment centers tend to have the highest validity for predicting managerial job performance.

A researcher finds that a personality scale has high convergent validity but low discriminant validity. This means the scale:

Answer: Correlates highly with measures of different constructs it should not correlate with

Low discriminant validity means the scale correlates too highly with measures of theoretically different constructs, indicating the scale may not measure a unique construct.

The primary advantage of computerized adaptive testing (CAT) over fixed-form testing is:

Answer: Greater measurement precision with fewer items

CAT adaptively selects items near the examinee's estimated ability level, providing greater measurement precision while using fewer items compared to fixed-form tests.

When scoring situational judgment tests (SJTs), which scoring key approach requires subject matter experts to rate the effectiveness of each response option?

Answer: Expert consensus keying

Expert consensus keying uses SME ratings of response option effectiveness to establish the scoring key, rather than deriving the key empirically from incumbent data.

Ipsative scoring on personality assessments, compared to normative scoring, is particularly problematic for selection because it:

Answer: Produces scores that are not independent, making comparisons across people invalid

Ipsative scores are forced-choice rankings within a person, making them interdependent; this violates the assumptions needed for valid between-person comparisons in selection contexts.