Great psychometric resource: The Wiley Handbook of Psychometric Testing

I just received my two volume set of this excellent resource on psychometric testing.  There are not many good books that cover such a broad array of psychometric measurement issues.  This is not what I would call "easy reading."  This is more like a "must have" resource book to have "at the ready" when seeking to understand contemporary psychometric test development issues.

Book Nook: Contemporary Intellectual Assessment, Third Edition: Theories, Tests, and Issues

Hot of the press

Contemporary Intellectual Assessment, Third Edition: Theories, Tests, and Issues [Hardcover]. Dawn P. Flanagan PhD (Editor), Patti L. Harrison Phd (Editor)

I. The Origins of Intellectual Assessment

1. A History of Intelligence Assessment: The Unfinished Tapestry, John D. Wasserman

2. A History of Intelligence Test Interpretation, Randy W. Kamphaus, Anne Pierce Winsor, Ellen W. Rowe,and Sangwon Kim

II. Contemporary Theoretical Perspectives

3. Foundations for Better Understanding of Cognitive Abilities, John L. Horn and Nayena Blankson

4. The Cattell–Horn–Carroll (CHC) Model of Intelligence, W. Joel Schneider and Kevin S. McGrew

5. Assessment of Intellectual Profile: A Perspective from Multiple-Intelligences Theory, Jie-Qi Chen andHoward Gardner

6. The Triarchic Theory of Successful Intelligence, Robert J. Sternberg

7. Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, Successive (PASS): A Cognitive Processing–Based Theory of Intelligence, Jack A. Naglieri, J. P. Das, and Sam Goldstein

III. Contemporary Intelligence, Cognitive, and Neuropsychological Batteries (and Associated Achievement Tests)

8. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) and the Wechsler Memory Scale–Fourth Edition (WMS-IV), Lisa Whipple Drozdick, Dustin Wahlstrom, Jianjun Zhu, and Lawrence G. Weiss

9. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence–Third Edition (WPPSI–III), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fourth Edition (WISC–IV), and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test–Third Edition (WIAT–III), Dustin Wahlstrom, Kristina C. Breaux, Jianjun Zhu, and Lawrence G. Weiss

10. The Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition (SB5), Gale H. Roid and Mark Pomplun

11. The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children–Second Edition (KABC-II) and the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement–Second Edition (KTEA-II), Jennie Kaufman Singer, Elizabeth O. Lichtenberger, James C. Kaufman, Alan S. Kaufman, and Nadeen L. Kaufman

12. The Woodcock–Johnson III Normative Update (WJ III NU): Tests of Cognitive Abilities and Tests of Achievement, Fredrick A. Schrank and Barbara J. Wendling

13. The Differential Ability Scales–Second Edition (DAS-II), Colin D. Elliott

14. The Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT): A Multidimensional Nonverbal Alternative for Cognitive Assessment, R. Steve McCallum and Bruce A. Bracken

15. The Cognitive Assessment System (CAS): From Theory to Practice, Jack A. Naglieri and Tulio M. Otero

16. The Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS) and the Reynolds Intellectual Screening Test (RIST), Cecil R. Reynolds, Randy W. Kamphaus, and Tara C. Raines

17. The NEPSY-II, Robb N. Matthews, Cynthia A. Riccio, and John L. Davis

18. The Wechsler Nonverbal Scale of Ability (WNV): Assessment of Diverse Populations, Jack A. Naglieriand Tulio M. Otero

IV. Contemporary Interpretive Approaches and Their Relevance for Intervention

19. The Cross-Battery Assessment (XBA) Approach: An Overview, Historical Perspective, and Current Directions, Dawn P. Flanagan, Vincent C. Alfonso, and Samuel O. Ortiz

20. Cognitive Hypothesis Testing (CHT): Linking Test Results to the Real World, Catherine A. Fiorello, James B. Hale, and Kirby L. Wycoff

21. Processing Approaches to Interpreting Information from Cognitive Ability Tests: A Critical Review,Randy G. Floyd and John H. Kranzler

22. Testing with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations: Moving beyond the Verbal–Performance Dichotomy into Evidence-Based Practice, Samuel O. Ortiz, Salvador Hector Ochoa, and Agnieszka M. Dynda

23. Linking Cognitive Abilities to Academic Interventions for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), Nancy Mather and Barbara J. Wendling

V. Assessment of Intelligence and Cognitive Functioning in Different Populations

24. Cognitive Assessment in Early Childhood: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives, Laurie Ford, Michelle L. Kozey, and Juliana Negreiros

25. Use of Intelligence Tests in the Identification of Giftedness, David E. McIntosh, Felicia A. Dixon, andEric E. Pierson

26. Use of Ability Tests in the Identification of Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) within the Context of an Operational Definition, Dawn P. Flanagan, Vincent C. Alfonso, Jennifer T. Mascolo, and Marlene Sotelo-Dynega

27. Assessment of Intellectual Functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Laura Grofer Klinger, Sarah E. O’Kelley, Joanna L. Mussey, Sam Goldstein, and Melissa DeVries

28. Cognitive and Neuropsychological Assessment of ADHD: Redefining a Disruptive Behavior Disorder,James B. Hale, Megan Yim, Andrea N. Schneider, Gabrielle Wilcox, Julie N. Henzel, and Shauna G. Dixon

29. Intellectual and Neuropsychological Assessment of Individuals with Sensory and Physical Disabilities and Traumatic Brain Injury, Scott L. Decker, Julia A. Englund, and Alycia M. Roberts

30. Use of Intelligence Tests in the Identification of Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), Kathleen Armstrong, Jason Hangauer, and Joshua Nadeau

VI. Contemporary and Emerging Issues in Intellectual Assessment

31. Using Joint Test Standards to Evaluate the Validity Evidence for Intelligence Tests, Jeffery P. Bradenand Bradley C. Niebling

32. Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to Aid in Understanding the Constructs Measured by Intelligence Tests, Timothy Z. Keith and Matthew R. Reynolds

33: The Emergence of Neuropsychological Constructs into Tests of Intelligence and Cognitive Abilities,Daniel C. Miller and Denise E. Maricle

34. The Role of Cognitive and Intelligence Tests in the Assessment of Executive Functions, Denise E. Maricle and Erin Avirett

35. Intelligence Tests in the Context of Emerging Assessment Practices: Problem-Solving Applications,Rachel Brown-Chidsey and Kristina J. Andren

36. Intellectual, Cognitive, and Neuropsychological Assessment in Three-Tier Service Delivery Practices in Schools, George McCloskey, James Whitaker, Ryan Murphy, and Jane Rogers

Appendix. The Three-Stratum Theory of Cognitive Abilities, John B. Carroll




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Book nook: Review of Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence

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Book nook: Keith Widaman review of Earl Hunts "Human Intelligence"

The journal Intelligence has an "in press" review of Earl Hunt's relatively new book on human intelligence. Dr. Keith Widaman, one of my favorite intelligence and measurement scholars, provides a very balanced review. More info and final conclusion below (double click on images to enlarge)

Book nook: Reference book on scientific evidence

Thanks to Kevin Foley for bringing the following National Academy of Sciences publication to my attention. It is possible to download PDF copies of the entire book or select chapters by going to this link and registering and following the instructions. Below is a copy of the table of contents

Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence: Third Edition
Committee on Science, Technology, and Law





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intelligence intelligence testing Atkins cases ICDP blog psychology school psychology neuropsychology forensic psychology criminal psychology criminal justice death penalty capital punishment ABA IQ tests IQ scores psychometrics adaptive behavior AAIDD mental retardation intellectual disability scientific evidence Daubert standard expert testimony law and science

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Book Nook: An Introduction to Psychometrics

People always ask me for recommendations for a good intro book on psychometrics. Until recently, there have been no such books. There are older texts by Thorndike and Nunally, and a boat load of highly topic-specific advanced books (IRT; factor analysis, etc.), but few books suitable for a first course in psychometrics.

I recently ordered the above book and have been skimming sections when I find time. I believe that this is probably one of the better contemporary introductory texts on psychometrics. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the basics of psychometrics.


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Book nook: Roger's 3rd edition on clinical assessment of malingering--book review

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intelligence intelligence testing Atkins cases ICDP blog psychology school psychology neuropsychology forensic psychology criminal psychology criminal justice death penalty capital punishment ABA IQ tests IQ scores adaptive behavior AAIDD mental retardation intellectual disability malingering

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Review of Earl Hunts "Human Intelligence" available via PsycCRITIQUES

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intelligence IQ tests IQ testing IQ scores CHC intelligence theory CHC theory Cattell-Horn-Carroll human cognitive abilities psychology school psychology individual differences cognitive psychology neuropsychology neuroscience psychology special education educational psychology psychometrics psychological assessment psychological measurement IQs Corner general intelligence intelligent IQ testing validity intellectual assessment Earl Hunt

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Book nook: Essential Ethics for Psychologists (APA)

New book (available August 2010) from APA regarding ethics for psychologists.

Technorati Tags: psychology, APA, ethics, ethics for psychologists, death penalty, Atkins cases, death penalty

MR and capital punishment cases: "Presiding over a capital case" (Elwyn & Piasecki, 2010)

This chapter is available on the internet.  Click here to access

Technorati Tags: Psychology, forensic psychology, forensic psychiatry, neuropsychology, intelligence, IQ, IQ tests, IQ scores, adaptive behavior, intellectual disability, mental retardation, MR, ID, criminal psychology, criminal defense, ABA, American Bar Association, Atkins cases, death penalty, capital punishment

iPost: Book--Capital punishment on trial

Check it out at DPIC blog

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Book review: More on the Last Lawyer

More reviews on The Last Lawyer...this time from DPIC.

Technorati Tags: psychology, forensic psychology, ABA, American Bar Association, death penalty, capital punishment, mental retardation, Last Lawyer

Book review: The Last Lawyer: The Fight to Save Death Row Inmates

I just finished reading "The Last Lawyer" last night.  I would recommend it to anyone who has not been privy to the lengthy, complex and personal winding road of death penalty appeals and the court proceedings.  I agree with Leonard Pitts (one of my favorite syndicated columnist) who, on the book jacket, describes the book as reading "like first-class legal fiction, but it's far more compelling because it is, tragically, legal fact."  So true.  It was an extremely easy read and felt like story unfolding before me.  I found myself frequently saying "just one more short chapter" before going to bed.  Extremely well written.

Readers of this blog will likely find the later half of the book (starting on page 130) particularly interesting (and sobering) as the use of intelligence test scores and the diagnosis of MR/ID becomes a major point of the story.  How some of those in the legal field (and one judge in particular) played with the IQ scores and failed to recognize that they are imperfect measures (the need to recognize measurement error)  is eye-opening and sobering to those of us involved in intelligence testing development and research.

I give it two big thumbs up.

THE LAST LAWYER: A NEW BOOK ABOUT A BORDERLINE MENTALLY RETARDED DEATH ROW INMATE (GUEST POST BY AUTHOR JOHN TEMPLE)

Click here for more information about the book and a link to the authors web site.

Technorati Tags: The Last Lawyer, Last Lawyer, John Temple, book, ABA, American Bar Association, psychology, forensic psychology, criminal psychology, criminal justice, neuropsychology, educational psychology, school psychology, adaptive behavior, intelligence, IQ, IQ tests, mental retardation, intellectual disability, death row, North Carolina death penaly, capital punishment, Atkins case

Book: Clinical Judgement in mental retardation classification

FYI (no comment) post.  Clinical judgment in MR/ID determination is a complicated issue for courts to deal with in Atkins MR/ID death penalty cases.  I recently read an article where this AAIDD book was recommended reading.  I do not have a copy nor have I read the book.  Click here to learn more and/or order

Technorati Tags: psychology, forensic psychology, clinical psychology, developmental disabilities, MR, ID, mental retardation, intellectual disability, school psychology, educational psychology, special education, AAIDD, Atkins cases, death penalty, capital punishment

Book: ABA e-book: Representing clients with mental physical, and sensory disabilities

This is an FYI (no comment) post.  I received notification via an RSS feed of this book at the ABA web store.  Don't have a copy...have not read...can not provide any guidance regarding relevance and worth to Atkins cases.

Technorati Tags: forensice psychology, ABA, American Bar Association, criminal justice, mental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, MR, mental retardation, Atkins cases

Books: ABA mental health and disablity law reference books

FYI (with no comment or review - I do not have copies nor have I read these books)

The ABA web store has three books (one in e-pdf format) related to mental health and disability law, evidence, testimony, etc.  Click here to view

Technorati Tags: mental health, psychology, mental disability, intellectual disability, mental retardation, ABA, American Bar Association, Atkins cases, intellectual disability, mental retardation, law reference books

New book on capital punishment (McCafferty, J.; Editor)

FYI (no comment post).  New edited book on capital punishment by James McCafferty.

Technorati Tags: psychology, forensic psychology, criminal psychology, criminal justice, capital punishment, death penalty, book review, James McCafferty, Atkins cases, SCOTUS

The Last Lawyer: A new book about borderline mentally retarded death row inmate (Guest post by Author John Temple)

THE LAST LAWYER: A NEW BOOK ABOUT A BORDERLINE MENTALLY RETARDED DEATH ROW INMATE (GUEST POST BY AUTHOR JOHN TEMPLE)

In 2001, North Carolina passed a law banning the execution of the mentally retarded.  Among other conditions, the law required that defendants produce proof of a reliable IQ test of 70 or below.  As described in my new book, The Last Lawyer, the law set off a flurry of activity among the state’s capital post-conviction lawyers.

The Center for Death Penalty Litigation, a non-profit law firm in Durham, NC, that represents death row inmates and provides assistance to lawyers who take on capital post-conviction cases, led the response to the mental retardation law.  The CDPL organized an effort to screen the case of every inmate on North Carolina’s death row (at that time, about 200) for evidence of mental retardation.  Some anti-death penalty activists wanted to file mental retardation claims on behalf of all death row inmates – even the most able-minded – in hopes of clogging the system with pleadings.  That idea was discarded and, in the end, claims were developed on behalf of 52 inmates, a full quarter of the inmates on death row.

One of the claims involved a North Carolina farmhand named Levon “Bo” Jones, whose case provides the main narrative of The Last Lawyer.  Jones’s case shows how difficult it is for attorneys to gather strong evidence in borderline mental retardation cases. 

Jones had taken at least four IQ tests throughout his life, but the scores fell across a wide range: 71, 80, 83 and 98.  He was placed in Educably Mentally Retarded classes in the sixth grade, but if an IQ test had placed him there, those records had been lost.  Most frustrating of all, from his lawyers’ point of view, Jones refused for years to take a new IQ test.  A stubborn character, Jones hated any mention of the word “retarded” and believed his lawyers should have been focused on proving his innocence, not testing his intelligence
.
Undaunted, lawyers and investigators from the CDPL spent months and years crisscrossing the rural communities of North Carolina, gathering evidence about Jones’s life skills and abilities.  They interviewed Jones’s family members, former employers and teachers and developed a case for mental retardation despite of their own client’s opposition.

For more information about The Last Lawyer, please visit my website.

Technorati Tags: The Last Lawyer, Last Lawyer, John Temple, book, ABA, American Bar Association, psychology, forensic psychology, criminal psychology, criminal justice, neuropsychology, educational psychology, school psychology, adaptive behavior, intelligence, IQ, IQ tests, mental retardation, intellectual disability, death row, North Carolina death penaly, capital punishment, Atkins case

New APA book on educational and psychological testing.

Just learned of this book.  Do not yet have copy.  If any one reads and has opinions, please consider a guest post.

Lilienfeld, S. O., & Thames, A. D. (2009). Correcting Fallacies About Educational and Psychological Testing, by R.P. Phelps. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 24(6), 631+.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, psychological testing, APA, books

Total vs part IQ composite scores in mental retardation determination

In a prior post I recommended a book that dealt with eligibility for social security benefits due to mental retardation.  The content is relevant to the current blog since it represents one of the few recommendations from a national panel of experts re: mental retardation eligibility issues (at the same IQ cut-point pivotal in Atkins cases), issues that are very similar to those often raised in Atkins mental retardation death penalty cases.

I've now extracted the main recommendations/statements from the book that are relevant to the total vs part IQ score issue raised in the CA Vidal (2007) decision.  Emphasis (underline/italics) in the material below was added by the blogmaster.  As noted in the prior post, there was a dissenting opinion expressed by Dr. Keith Widaman.  I plan to add his dissenting comments later. 

As someone who was a practicing school psychologist for 10+ years (where I saw many profiles with wild splits in scores due to many different reasons), and who now is primarily an applied psychometrician conducting research in the domain of intelligence theory and testing, I have a complex set of opinions re: the total vs part score issue.  I have yet to crystallize my opinion regarding the Vidal (2007) decision....in fact...I find it has raised many questions which has resulted in myself digging through books, articles, and analyzing datasets. 

The recommendations and statements below reflect the opinion of the Committee on Disability Determination for Mental Retardation as summarized in the above referenced book.  They do not necessarily reflect my opinions at this time.

Extracted from the book:

A client must have an intelligence test score that is two or more standard deviations (SD) below the mean (e.g., a score of 70 or below, if the mean = 100 and the standard deviation = 15.

• Composite score is 70 or below:  If the composite or total test score meets this criterion, then the individual has met the intellectual eligibility component.

• Composite score is between 71 and 75:  If the composite score is suspected to be an invalid indicator of the person’s intellectual disability and falls in the range of 71-75, a part score of 70 or below can be used to satisfy the intellectual eligibility component.

• Composite score is 76 or above:  No individual can be eligible on the intellectual criterion if the composite score is 76 or above, regardless of part scores. (p.5)

Only part scores derived from scales that demonstrate high g-loadings—that is, ones that are better representations of general intellectual ability (e.g., crystallized , fluid measures of intelligence)—should be used in place of the composite IQ score when its validity is in doubt.  Many intelligence tests assess several facets of intelligence, but not all facets are equally important or predict life events equally well.  Those intellectual facets that are heavily “g-saturated” provide the best sources for replacing the composite IQ score when its validity is questionable. (p.5)

The use of part scores, most often from the Wechsler measures, introduces an important consideration in the clinical use of intelligence measures for disability determination.  Current scientific conceptions of intelligence focus primarily on fluid and crystallized abilities, with recognition that working or comprehensive memory is also important to overall intellectual functioning.  Many intelligence tests are based on these distinctions.  The Wechsler measures are also moving in this direction, with a focus on factor scores that are analogous to crystallized intelligence (e.g., verbal comprehension index), fluid intelligence (e.g., perceptual organization index), and working/comprehensive memory (e.g., working memory index).  Consequently, the committee has recommended continued use of part scores in eligibility determination, but is advocating use of part scores that are consistent with current scientific thinking. (p.6)

During the next decade, even greater alignment of intelligence tests and the IQ scores derived from them and the Horn-Cattell and Carroll models is likely.  As a result, the future will almost certainly see greater reliance on part scores, such as IQ scores for Gc and Gf, in addition to the traditional composite IQ.  That is, the traditional composite IQ may not be dropped, but greater emphasis will be placed on part scores than has been the case in the past.  As this movement to part scores develops, it will most likely occur first for Gc and Gf, the most central of the second-stratum factors, and then extend to other second-stratum dimensions as they are determined to be useful for differential prediction. (p.94)