An Introduction to Psychological Tests and Scales

by Kate Miriam Loewenthal, Christopher Alan Lewis

Overview

This text is a vital resource for those with little or no prior knowledge of computing or statistics to aid in the development of reliable and valid tests and scales for assessment or research purposes. It serves as a clear, concise and jargon-free primer for all those embarking in fieldwork or research analysis.

The book contains detailed guidelines for locating and constructing psychological measures, including descriptions of popular psychological measures and step-by-step instructions for composing a measure, entering data, and computing reliability and validity of test results. Advanced techniques such as factor analysis, analysis of covariance, and multiple regression analysis are presented for the beginner. This new edition has been revised throughout and includes updated statistical test procedures in line with the new version of SPSS and the inclusion of current academic articles.

It serves as an invaluable resource for undergraduates and postgraduates across the behavioral and social sciences, as well as professionals in related disciplines, including those working in management and medical sciences.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138674264
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/16/2020
Edition description:	3rd ed.
Pages:	150
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Kate Miriam Loewenthal is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK; and Visiting Professor at Glyndwr University (Wales), UK, and NYU London, UK.

Christopher Alan Lewis is at the School of Behavioural Sciences, Leeds Trinity University, UK; and Distinguished Visiting Professor at Bashkir State University, Russia.

Table of Contents

1. What is a good psychological measure?
2. A guide to finding and using existing tests and scales
3. Writing
4. Testing
5. Scoring and preliminary analysis
6. The final scale and its validation

Appendices

Editorial Reviews

3 Stars from Doody

Reviewer: Gary B Kaniuk, PsyD (Cermak Health Services)
Description: The book describes how to find and/or construct a reliable and valid measure of a simple, single psychological construct. It also gives information on statistical software packages, specifically SPSS for Windows users. The first edition of this book was published in 1996.
Purpose: According to the author, the book "aims to meet the need for an introductory text covering the basics of psychological test and scale construction," particularly for undergraduate students in psychology. These are very worthy objectives. Every budding psychologist must know the basics of test construction, since psychological testing is an important tool in the repertoire. In addition, it is impossible to evaluate any research without having a solid understanding of the basics. This book is a nice beginning toward that end. The book does meet the author's objectives.
Audience: The book is targeted at undergraduate students in psychology, according to the author. The book is written on a fairly basic level for those who have little or no previous knowledge of test construction and the obvious audience would be undergraduates. The author is a credible authority in the subject matter.
Features: The book describes the factors involved in evaluating and constructing measures of simple, single psychological constructs. It also includes information on statistical software packages, specifically SPSS for Windows. It is simply written and explains the basic concepts well. It is good at helping the beginner go through the necessary steps in order to create a measure of a simple psychological factor. The book has one shortcoming — appendixes comprise more than half the book.
Assessment: The book is useful in communicating the basic concepts of test construction. It is simply written and gives good examples. This edition adds information on statistical computer software, i.e. SPSS for Windows and therefore does justify replacing the previous edition.

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