Malingering response styles on the memory assessment scales and symptom validity tests.

This study identified malingering strategies of test performance and investigated their presence in the responses to computer-mediated versions of Rey's Dot-Counting and 15-Items tests, a forced-choice symptom validity procedure and the Memory Assessment Scales (MAS). Sixty volunteer subjects were randomly assigned to control (n = 30) or malingering (n = 30) groups. The control subjects were instructed to perform their best and the malingerers were instructed to fake a poor performance on the tests. As expected, malingering subjects scored significantly worse than control subjects on virtually all tests. Malingerers had slower response times on most tests. They also performed worse on recognition tasks in contrast to performance on recall tasks. Their response style was characterized by intentional wrong and random responding on recognition tasks. Malingerers did not show the expected worse-than-chance responding on the forced-choice symptom validity procedure. Current tests of symptom validity may not have sufficient sensitivity to detect milder forms of malingering.     

An investigation of the construct validity of the Tennessee self-concept scale

A common factor analysis was utilized to extend the validation of the Tennessee Self Concept Scale to adolescents, a group for which no previous study has been available. Product-moment correlation coefficients were calculated on the 100 items of the Tennessee Self Concept Scale for a sample of 237 secondary school students from a large southwestern metropolitan area in the United States. A total of 46 items were found to contribute to the factor structure, which produced nine factors that accounted for 36.4% of the original variance. The results of this investigation concur to some degree with Fitts' model of the construct of self-concept.     

The ecological validity of clinical tests of memory and attention in multiple sclerosis.

Ecological validity--the degree to which clinical tests of cognitive functioning predict functional impairment--has recently become an area of interest in neuropsychology. The current study used a sample of 31 cognitively and functionally impaired multiple sclerosis (MS) patients to determine if tests commonly used to assess memory and attentional functioning in MS are ecologically valid. Two methods of improving the ecological validity of cognitive testing were employed. Stepwise multiple regression analyses suggested that tests of memory and attention more analogous to everyday tasks are better predictors of functional impairment in MS than both standard clinical tests of memory and attention, and memory questionnaires completed by the patient or a significant other. Nonetheless, both standard clinical tests and more ecologically valid tests significantly predicted functional impairment. Importantly, they were not significantly correlated with one another, suggesting that the inclusion of both types of tests in evaluating MS patients is warranted.     

An investigation of construct validity of humanistic clinical skills on a medical licensure examination

Objective

To test construct validity of humanistic clinical skills measured by a medical licensure performance examination using multitrait-multimethod confirmatory factor analysis.

Methods

Two hundred and twenty-seven third- and fourth-year undergraduate osteopathic medical students in 2007-2008 were randomly sampled. The Global Patient Assessment Tool (GPAT), designed to assess professionalism, interpersonal relationship, and doctor-patient communication was tested under two measurement methods: standard examination ratings and peer performance ratings of the same examinee. Two concurrent validity factors (data gathering and written patient notes) were included.

Results

Convergent validity was supported under the two methods of scoring. Moderate to strong correlations among trait factors indicated weak discriminate validity. Method effects were indicated. The relationship between GPAT and two concurrent validity factors indicate measures of relatively different constructs.

Conclusion

Evidence of construct validity for the GPAT indicate scores should be interpreted as measuring a humanistic clinical skills construct consisting of homogeneous measures of professionalism, interpersonal relationship, and physician-patient communication. Findings are consistent with the interpretation and use of the GPAT as an important part of medical licensure examinations.

Practical implications

The implications to medical licensure standardized-patient examinations are discussed in terms of the GPAT as a valid measure of medical students’ humanistic clinical skills.     

The construct validity of subjective well-being measures: An assessment via quantitative research syntheses

The construct validity of subjective well-being was assessed by quantitative research syntheses of U.S. studies of the correlates of subjective well-being appearing before 1980. The classes of evidence examined in this article include reports of reliability, estimates of correlation between different measures of subjective well-being, and estimates of correlation between measures of subjective well-being and measures of other constructs (adjustment, neuroticism, and work and family satisfaction). Generally, measures of subjective well-being showed adequate reliability (M = .80). Measures of subjective well-being were moderately associated with adjustment (M = .38), neuroticism (M = − .33), and work (M = .33) and family (M = .29) satisfaction. Although measures of subjective well-being were substantially interrelated (M = .52), validity coefficients based on two different subjective well-being measures purported to tap the construct of happiness (M = .45) were slightly lower than validity coefficients based on subjective well-being measures purported to tap the constructs of happiness and life satisfaction (M = .49). In selecting measures of subjective well-being, community psychologists are urged to consider their theoretical framework and traditional psychometric criteria.     

Concurrent validity of the Luria-Nebraska memory scale

Investigated the concurrent validity of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB) Memory Scale using the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) as the criterion. For 32 psychiatric patients, the LNNB Memory Scale yielded a significant correlation with the WMS MQ, r (30) = −.65, p <.001. Moreover, there was a 72% agreement between the two scales with respect to the identification of memory impairment. Memory-impaired Ss earned a significantly higher (p <.01) mean T-score on the LNNB Memory Scale than did Ss without memory problems. It was concluded that the LNNB Memory Scale is an adequate measure of short-term memory.     

Intercorrelation of clinical tests of verbal memory.

The Wechsler Memory Scale, Buschke Selective Reminding Test, and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test were administered to 25 patients with known or suspected cerebral dysfunction. Intercorrelation of subscales revealed generally modest relationships among measures, indicating that there may be considerable variability in an individual's performance across the three tasks. This finding has significant clinical and research implications.     

The construct validity of interview-based assessments in family counseling

The construct validity of family therapists' assessments of client functioning was evaluated with data collected in a clinical setting (N = 1,165). The assessments were provided by the therapists in the context of the intake interview. The convergent and discriminant validities of various dimensions of client functioning were evaluated through analyses conducted within the therapist-generated judgments and with data collected directly from clients. The analyses were generally supportive of the construct validity of the assessments. A factor analysis of the client functioning data also is reported.     

An examination of the construct validity and factor structure of the Groton Maze Learning Test, a new measure of spatial working memory, learning efficiency, and error monitoring

This study examined the construct validity of the Groton Maze Learning Test (GMLT) in assessing processing speed, working memory, and aspects of executive function in healthy adults. Performance on GMLT outcome measures was compared to performance on tests of psychomotor speed, working memory, and learning from the CogState computerized cognitive test battery (CGS; http://www.cogstate.com/). The factor structure of the GMLT was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis. The stability of this factor structure was examined in a large sample of patients undergoing parathyroidectomy or thyroidectomy. Results of this study suggest that the GMLT measures of spatial learning efficiency and error monitoring correlate with CogState measures of attention, working memory, and learning. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a two-factor solution of error monitoring and learning efficiency, which was stable across repeated assessments.     

A further note on the construct validity of the multidimensional aptitude battery

A hierarchical factor analysis was performed on MAB subtest intercorrelations for a sample of 300 male felons to provide a further test of the construct validity of that test. The ability hierarchy thus obtained showed a high degree of congruence with the results of the Wallbrown, Carmin, and Barnett (1988) findings for male felons and the Lee and Wallbrown (in press) for Jackson's (1984) sample. That is, a general (g) factor was loaded positively by all 10 subtests and accounted for 45% of the total subtest variance. A verbal-educational (v:ed) factor was defined by the five verbal subtests and accounted for 21% of their variance. Similarly, a spatial-perceptual (k) factor was defined by performance subtests and accounted for 15% of their variance.     

Reliability and construct validity of the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) mood scale.

The reliability and construct validity of the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) mood scale (AMS) were examined using concurrent, well-validated measures of mood and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with a sample of 210 volunteer college students. The AMS was given in computerized format with multiple adjectives using a visual analog Likert scale yielding seven dimensions of mood including vigor, restlessness, depression, anger, fatigue, anxiety, and happiness. All seven mood dimensions of the AMS demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability and internal consistency. Also, the AMS anxiety dimension correlated strongly with the Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory (r=0.67) and the AMS depression dimension correlated strongly with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (r=0.71). CFA revealed that the AMS 7-factor mood model fit the data well and significantly better than an alternative, theoretically plausible model. When concurrent measures of mood were incorporated in the CFA model, the AMS demonstrated both convergent and discriminant validity. The AMS 7-factor model explained 55.12% of the total variance in the items. It was concluded that the AMS provides a brief yet reasonably complete and valid assessment of mood.