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Finding Information on Tests & Mental Measurements

Guide

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Introduction

The goal of this guide is to assist students and faculty in finding test evaluations and understanding the procedures and policies encountered in locating test instruments through information accessible in McIntyre Library.

Library resources can be of use to specialists in psychology, education, social work, business and other fields which use mental measurements. Students may be asked to do research on particular tests or ways of measuring certain concepts. A student, researcher, or practitioner may want to develop or adapt a scale, and can find information about scales which have already been developed for their purpose.

Sections of this document include:

Test Availability

Locating test instruments can be difficult. The library does not maintain a collection of tests. Many tests are copyrighted and furthermore restricted to purchase only by qualified individuals or institutions. Test publishers are listed in the reference sources mentioned in this guide, so that you may contact them and inquire about availability.

Unpublished tests may actually be more readily available than published tests. The Directory of Unpublished Mental Measures (see below) lists tests which have been published in conjunction with articles in professional journals. If the library does not have the cited journal, the article containing the test can be obtained through interlibrary loan. Tests which have been developed too recently to have been covered in a reference book may be found by searching appropriate databases (see Databases below).

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Basic Sources in Reference

The reference collection includes resources to assist in (a) finding basic information about tests and (b) understanding theoretical orientations of tests, the appropriateness of the standardized sample, its reliability and validity, and practical considerations. The basic reference sources are:

Mental Measurements Yearbook
Tests in Print
Test Critiques
Tests: A Comprehensive Reference for Assessments in Psychology, Education and Business
Directory of Unpublished Mental Measures
Measures for Clinical Practice: A Sourcebook
Sex and Gender Issues: A Handbook of Tests and Measures
Gender Roles: A Handbook of Tests and Measures and Measures of Personality and Social Psychological Attitudes

The Mental Measurements Yearbook Z 5814 .P8 R93 (Ref), published annually by the Buros Institute of Mental Measurements, is intended to provide test users with descriptive information, references, and critical reviews of commercially published English language tests. It appears annually and attempts to include all tests which have appeared or been revised since the last edition. To find a particular test review, it may be necessary to work back through the editions to the year in which the test appeared.

The Yearbook has six indexes, so it is possible to look up a test by title, author, publisher, acronym, or category. The sixth index, the score index, allows the user to search for a test that measures a particular attribute, or score, eg., ambition. For each test, information is given on: title, purpose, population, scores, administration, manual, restrictions, price, time to complete, author, publisher, and other factors.

Tests in Print Z 5814 .E9 T47 (Ref) is also published by the Buros Institute of Mental Measurements. It consists of descriptive listing of and references to currently published tests. It can be used as a comprehensive index to tests in the Mental Measurements Yearbook which remain in print.

Test Critiques BF 176 .T418 (Ref) is a multi-volume set of test reviews. New volumes are added occasionally.

The editors of Test Critiques attempt to select for review the most frequently used psychological, educational, and business tests. Reviews generally address practical applications, technical aspects, critiques, and references. The work is intended as a "quick scanning" desk reference, and therefore intentionally omits discussion of complex factors such as reliability and validity.

Tests, A Comprehensive Reference for Assessments in Psychology, Education, and Business BF 176 .T43 (Ref) includes brief descriptions of psychological, educational, and business-oriented tests. The purpose, time to complete, age range, scoring method, cost, and publisher are given for each test.

The Directory of Unpublished Mental Measures BF 431 .G624 (Ref), covers about 1300 non-commercial experimental test instruments. This is an excellent source of information for finding tests which are not separately published. The reader is referred to a citation for a journal article which includes the test instrument. Characteristics of each test are briefly listed, and citations to any related research published by the time of the listing are also given. The directory is indexed only by author and subject.

 

Databases

Sources of tests may be found through the Health and Psychosocial Instruments database, on a microcomputer near the library’s reference desk. Articles about tests and measures may be found through searching the PsycINFO or ERIC databases. Both are available through the McIntyre Library home page. Search guides for PsycINFO and ERIC are available in reference.

To search for articles about, for example, the Toy Preference Test, enter toy and preference and test. This search statement causes the system to search for records with contain all three words.

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Resources Throughout the Collection

Many authors have reviewed test instruments in a particular subject area and developed handbooks to guide researchers in selecting effective scales. Goals of this activity are to improve and make research results more comparable, and to reduce the incidence of development of new measures where existing measures will fill the need.

Listed below are books of this type in the McIntyre Library collection. A very brief description of the contents is provided for each work, and a notation is given for whether the work contains 1) Any evaluation of the tests, however brief, 2) Sources from which the tests may be obtained, and 3) reprints of the test instruments.

 

Evaluation

Sources

Reprints

Assessing Outcome in Clinical Practice (RC480.5 .O385 1996)

Addresses concepts of measuring change and describes specific tests for global measures of outcome, assessment of outcome in specific populations, individualized outcome assessment, and moment-to-moment change.    

Y

N

N

 

 

 

 

Assessing Psychological Trauma and PTSD (RC552 .P67 A85 1997)

Reviews methods and several instruments for assessing the response to trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Y

N

N

 

 

 

 

Communication Research Measures: A Sourcebook (P91.3 .C62 1994)

Reviews measures for quantitative communication research. Covers interpersonal, mass, organizational, and instructional communication measures.

Y

Y

Y

 

 

 

 

A Compendium of Neuropsychological Tests: Administration, Norms, and Commentary (RC 386.6 .N48 S67 1998)

A compilation of the main selection of neuropsychological tests used in the University of Victoria Neuropsychology  Laboratory. Includes cognitive tests for children, achievement, attention and memory, language, visual and auditory, tactile, motor, adaptive behavior, and personality tests.

Y

Y

N

 

 

 

 

Directory of Unpublished Experimental Mental Measures  (Ref BF431 .G624 vol. 1-6)

A periodically updated directory of tests that are not currently marketed commercially. Intended for researchers to identify potentially useful tests.

N

Y

N




Evaluation


Sources


Reprints

Drug Abuse Instrument Handbook: Selected Items for Psychosocial Drug Research (Gov Pubs HE 20.8214:12) 1976

Reprints of 40 drug abuse instruments.

N

Y

Y

 

 

 

 

The ETS Test Collection Catalog, Volume 1: Achievement Tests and Measurement Devices and volume 2: Vocational tests and Measurement Devices (Ref  LB3051 .E79 1993)

Volume I covers achievement, equivalency, screening, and diagnostic tests for all grade levels. Volume 2 covers vocational tests. Tests are ordered by title, subject, and author, and briefly described.

N

Y

N

 

 

 

 

Family Assessment: A Guide to Methods and Measures (Ref  HQ518 .G75 1989)

Addresses theory and method of family assessment and reviews measures for family functioning, whole family functioning, family stress and coping, and parent-child relationships.

Y

Y

N

 

 

 

 

Family  Measurement Techniques: Abstracts of Published Instruments, 1935 - 1965 (HQ728 .S85) 1978

Y

N

N

 

 

 

 

Gender Roles: A Handbook of Tests and Measures (Ref HM253 .B43 1990)

A source of measures to use in research regarding women and women's issues. . Includes measures found in social science literature published between 1978 and 1988.

Y

Y

N

 

 

 

 

A Guide to 75 Tests for Special Education (IMC Prof LB1131 .C5416 1984)

Reviews educational assessment tests in: skill areas, perception and memory, speech and language, bilingual (Spanish and English) language, gross motor, preschool and kindergarten, and general intelligence.

Y

Y

N

 

 

 

 

Handbook of Family Measurement Techniques: Instruments and Index (HQ 728 .H267 2001)

A "tool to enable family researchers, therapists, and other professionals to easily locate the most useful and well -researched instruments for measuring the family."

N

Y

Y

 

 

 

 

Handbook of Marketing Scales: Multi-Item Measures for Marketing and Consumer Behavior Research (HF5415.3 B323 1999)

 Summaries of multi-item scales used in marketing or consumer behavior survey research.

Y

Y

Y

 

 

 

 

Handbook of Measurements for Marriage and Family Therapy (RC488.5 .F73 1987)

Intended to assist researchers and practitioners in learning to choose and use marriage and family testing instruments.     

Y

N

Y

 

 

 

 

Handbook of Multicultural Assessment: Clinical, Psychological, and Educational Applications (BF176 .H36 1996)

Addresses general, social, emotional, cognitive, and educational issues in multicultural assessment. This book includes chapters on multicultural use of the MMPI-2, Rorschach, TEMAS, and Early Memories Procedure.    

N

N

N

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evaluation

Sources

Reprints

Handbook of Psychological Assessment (BF176 .G76 1997)

This handbook aids readers in test selection and provides the basic tools for conducting tests. The Wechsler Intelligence Scales, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, California Psychological Inventory, Rorschach, Thematic Apperception Test, and Projective Drawings are described and evaluated.

Y

N

N

 

 

 

 

The Handbook of Psychological Testing (BF176 .K575 1993)

A discussion of psychological theory and the tests that have been developed from its basis, followed by descriptions and reviews of particular tests. Included are tests in educational psychology, psychometric tests in clinical psychology, tests in counseling and guidance, occupational and industrial psychology, intelligence, ability, aptitude, and attainment, personality, attitudes, and projective and objective tests.

Y

N

N

 

 

 

 

Handbook of Research Design and Social Measurement (H62 .M44 1991)

A handbook of research design that includes sociometric scales and indexes selected for their validity. Scales are included under the following categories: social status, group structure and dynamics, social indicators, measures of organizational structure, community, social participation, leadership in the work organization, morale and job satisfaction, attitudes and values, family and marriage, and personality.

Y

N

Y

 

 

 

 

Handbook of Sexually-Related Measures (Ref HQ 60 .H36 1998)

Descriptions and evaluations of instruments  that measure individual and societal sexual expression. All instruments evaluated are reproduced in this volume.

Y

Y

Y

 

 

 

 

Health Measurement Scales: A Practical Guide to Their Development and Use (RA408.5 .S77 1995)

A guide to developing scales with little mention of existing scales.

N

N

N

 

 

 

 

Hope and Hopelessness: Critical Clinical Constructs (RT86.3 F37 1995)

A scholarly study of the concepts of hope and hopelessness and of scales that measure these concepts. Several measures of hope and hopelessness are appended to this work.

Y

N

Y

 

 

 

 

Instrumentation in Education: An Anthology (Ref  Z7204 .P88 B57 1993)

Abstracts of 850 available measures in education and the social sciences that have been developed       between 1950 and 1992. Sources of both published and unpublished measures are included.

N

Y

N

 

 

 

 

Instruments for Measuring Nursing Practice and Other Health Care Variables (Gov Publ HE 20.6602:In7/3 v.1-2) 1979

Descriptions and reproductions of psychosocial  and physiological instruments from the published literature and relevant to clinical nursing research.

N

Y

Y

 

 

 

 

Marketing Scales Handbook: A Compilation of Multi-Measures (HF5415.3 B785 1992)

A compilation of multi-item, summated ratings scales to measure marketing-related constructs.

Y

Y

Partial

 

 

 

 






Evaluation



Sources



Reprints

Measures for Clinical Practice: A Sourcebook 2nd Edition (Ref BF176 .C66 1994 vols. 1-2) 1987

A collection of instruments of use in measuring the effectiveness of clinical psychological practice. Includes instruments for couples, families, children, and adults.



Y



Y



Y

 

 

 

 

Measures of Political Attitudes (Ref  JA74 .5 .M43 1999)

Reviews and instruments of use to researchers in the field of political behavior.

Y

Y

Y

 

 

 

 

Measures for Psychological Assessment: A Guide to 3,000 Original Sources and Their Applications (Ref BF698.5 .C45) 1975

A comprehensive bibliography relating to all measures of mental health and related concepts drawn from 26 journals published in the period 1960-1970.

N

Y

N

 

 

 

 

Measures of Personality and Social Psychological Attitudes (Ref BF 698 .4 .M38) 1991

Evaluations of 150 personality and attitude scales selected by experts in this field.

Y

Y

N

 

 

 

 

Measuring Health: A Guide to Rating Scales and Questionnaires 2nd Edition (RA408.5 .M38 1996)

Reviews of the leading health measurement instruments.

Y

N

Y

 

 

 

 

Measuring Self-Concept Across the Life Span (BF697.5 .S43 B97 1996)

A conceptual analysis of measuring self concept followed by descriptions and evaluations of tests. Test evaluations are arranged by age group of  target populations, and tests for special populations are also included.

Y

Y

N

 

 

 

 

Measuring Human Behavior: Tools for the Assessment of Social Functioning (BF698.5 .L34) 1973

Reviews 84 instruments that measure social functioning and are judged to deserve critical        attention. Thirty eight are oriented to personal variables, 24 interpersonal,  10 group, and 12 organizational.

Y

Y

N

 

 

 

 

Mental Measurements Yearbook (Ref Z5814.P8 R93)

 Descriptive information, references, and critical reviews of published tests.

Y

Y

N

 

 

 

 

Outcome Measures for Health Education and Other Health Care Interventions (RA440.5 .094 1996)

Scales for the assessment of health outcomes from the patient's perspective developed at the Stanford Patient Education Research Center.

Y

N

Y

 

 

 

 

Positive Psychosocial Assessment:  A Handbook of Models and Measures (Ref BF 176.P67 2003)

  References follow chapters; some chapters include appendixes with tests.

 

 Y

 Y

 Y

 

 

 

 

Preventive Stress Management in Organizations (HF5548 .85 .P762 1997)

     This work on stress in organizations contains a chapter on stress diagnostic measures.

Y

N