Fairness in Employment Testing Validity Generalization, Minority Issues, and the General Aptitude Test Battery (1989) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix A: A Synthesis of Research on Some Psychometric Properties of the GATB
Appendix A: A Synthesis of Research on Some Psychometric Properties of the GATB
Pages 303-324
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From page 303... ...
: its construct validity as supported by convergent validity evidence; its reliability; and the interchangeability of its forms. The first section presents the results of an exhaustive literature search for evidence that the GATB aptitude composites measure the same characteristics as other similarly named aptitude tests.
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From page 304... ...
Department of Labor, 1970) is entitled `'Correlations with Other Tests." The chapter contains correlation matrices resulting from studies of the GATB and a variety of other aptitude tests and vocational interest measures.
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From page 305... ...
Second, only correlations with aptitude battery components having titles similar to the GATB measure of interest were retained; for example, a correlation between GATB Aptitude G and the abstract reasoning score on the DAT was included; a correlation between GATB Aptitude G and the numerical reasoning score on the DAT was excluded. Third, in studies that reported correlations between all possible pairs of measures composed of a GATB aptitude and an aptitude from another battery, only the largest correlation between any GATB aptitude and an aptitude from the other battery was retained.
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From page 306... ...
M, Manual Dexterity Stem Leaf 5 0 NOTE: The stem unit is .1. Therefore, the stem entry 8 followed by a leaf entry of 0 indicates a correlation coefficient of .80; each digit in a sequence of "leaves" indicates a different correlation coefficient.
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From page 307... ...
The 59 convergent validity coefficients that were reported for the GATB-V aptitude ranged from .22 to .85, with a median value of .72. Considering the variety of measures with which GATB-V was correlated, and the less-than-perfect reliabilities of the GATB subtests that contribute to V and the tests with which it was correlated, a median validity coefficient of .72 provides adequate evidence of convergent validity for the GATB verbal ability measure.
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From page 308... ...
Convergent Validity of GATB Aptitude S (Spatial Aptitudej The 19 convergent validity coefficients that were found for the GATB-S aptitude ranged from .30 to .73, with a median value of .62. The GATB spatial ability aptitude (S)
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From page 309... ...
Although many of the validity coefficients found for clerical perception were larger than those found for the form perception aptitude (P) , evidence supporting the convergent validity of clerical perception was not as compelling as that found for the three cognitive aptitudes (G.
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From page 310... ...
Distributions of convergent validity coefficients for the cognitive and perceptual GATB aptitudes are summarized in Table A-2 and for ease of visual comparison, in Figure 4-2. RELIABILITY OF THE GATB APTITUDE SCORES Aptitude tests such as the GATB are intended to measure stable characteristics of individuals, rather than transient or ephemeral qualities.
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From page 311... ...
Such reliability estimates are termed "equivalent-forms reliability coei~icients." A number of studies of the temporal stability and equivalent-forms reliability of the GATB aptitude scores are summarized below. Temporal Stability of the GATB Aptitude Scores Studies of the temporal stability of GATB aptitude scores have examined a variety of time periods between test administrations, ranging from one day to four years.
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From page 312... ...
Coefficients of stability for GATB aptitudes F and M were reported to be at least .57 when estimated for samples of adult examinees over time periods up to three years. The temporal stabilities of the GATB psychomotor aptitudes are not as well estimated as are those of the cognitive and spatial aptitudes, since fewer studies have included the GATB subtests that require manipulation of objects.
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From page 314... ...
for very small time intervals and degrade slowly as the time interval is increased. Similar patterns were observed for the other GATB aptitudes, although initial values of the stability coefficient were smaller for the spatial aptitudes than for the cognitive aptitudes, and smaller still for the psychomotor aptitudes.
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From page 315... ...
The forms are designed to be psychometrically parallel; that is, equivalent in format, in length, and in the distribution of difficulties and correlations of their items. Parallel test forms are sometimes administered at the same time and are sometimes administered with an intervening time interval.
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From page 316... ...
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From page 317... ...
With the exception of these latter two aptitudes, scores on the GATB aptitudes appear to be assessed with acceptably large interform equivalence and stability for time intervals of one year or less. It is also possible to estimate the reliability of a test using data collected In a single test administration.
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From page 318... ...
In practice, of course, the differences between forms that are to be equated are not so obvious or extreme as the difference between a biology and a physics test. However, subtle differences in test content or the format of the test items can sometimes lead to important shifts in what the test forms measure and therefore to conversions that can give an unintended advantage or disadvantage to particular test takers.
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From page 319... ...
The alternate-form reliabilities of the first three aptitudes (intelligence, verbal, and numerical) are close to .90, a level that is consistent with alternate-form reliabilities of aptitude tests of high technical quality that are provided by major test publishers.
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From page 320... ...
In addition to having low alternate form reliabilities, the degree to which the alternate forms measure the same skills is brought into question by the differences in the patterns of correlations among the subtests. The intercorrelations for each pair of subtest scores are listed in Table A-7.
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The representativeness of these groups is questionable. One group had to be dropped because test scores were not comparable; the remaining total sample size was 585.
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REFERENCES American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and National Council on Measurement in Education 1985 Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
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Howe, M.A. 1975 General Aptitude Test Battery Q: an Australian empirical study.
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1952 An Analysis of the Effect of Four Years of College Training on General Aptitude Test Battery Scores. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Utah, Provo.
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