Psychological Assessment

Seniors’ In-Service Training

Worksheet #4

Name: AICES JANNAE L. TABAC RUCEL MAE A. TROCIO JANELLA LOUISE P.

BULA
Date: JULY 29, 2020

KEY TERM EXERCISE:

Key Term Definition
Scatter Diagram It is a picture of the relationship between
two variables.
Correlation Coefficient It is a mathematical index that describes
the direction and magnitude of a
relationship.
Positive Correlation This means that high scores on Y are
associated with high scores on X, and low
scores on Y correspond to low scores on
X
Negative Correlation Higher scores on Y are associated with
lower scores on X, and lower scores on Y
are associated with higher scores on X
Regression Line It is defined as the best-fitting straight line
through a set of points in a scatter
diagram.
Regression Coefficient Slope of the regression line
Intercept Value of Y when X is 0
Residual The difference between the observed and
the predicted score.
Spearman’s Rho Method of correlation for finding the
association between two sets of ranks
True Dichotomous They naturally form two categories
Artificially dichotomous variables It reflects an underlying continuous scale
forced into a dichotomy.
Biserial Correlation It expresses the relationship between a
continuous variable and an artificial
dichotomous variable.
 Key Term Definition
Tetrachoric r It is used if both dichotomous variables
are artificial.
Phi It is used if variables are dichotomous
and at least one of the dichotomies is
“true.”
Standard Error of Estimate The standard deviation of the residuals.
Coefficient of Determination The correlation coefficient squared.
Coefficient of Alientation It is a measure of nonassociation
between two variables.
Shrinkage The amount of decrease observed when
a regression equation is created for one
population and then applied to another.
Cross Validation Ensuring that proper references are being
made through the use of the regression
equation to predict performance in a
group of subjects other than the ones to
which the equation was applied and
obtaining a standard error of estimated
for the relationship between the values
predicted by the equation and the values
actually observed
 IDENTIFYING DIFFERENT CORRELATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Based on the illustrations below, indicate whether the correlation relationship for each
scatterplot is strong, moderate, or weak. Additionally, indicate whether the relationship
is positive or negative.

perfect positive relationship strong positive relationship moderate positive

no correlation moderate negative strong negative perfect negative

 REGRESSION
This is the regression equation with an indication of what each variable means in the
equation.
 SPEARMAN’S RHO
Fill in the blanks.
The Spearman rank correlation coefficient, rs, is the nonparametric version of
the Pearson correlation coefficient. Your data must be ordinal, interval or ratio.
Spearman’s returns a value from -1 to 1, where:

+1 = a perfect positive correlation between ranks

-1 = a perfect negative correlation between ranks
0 = no correlation correlation between ranks.

KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRUE DICHOTOMOUS AND

ARTIFICIALLY DICHOTOMOUS VARIABLES
Indicate whether a variable is True Dichotomous by putting (TD) or Artificially
Dichotomous (AD) in each example.
1. Male and Female TD
2. Pass and Fail AD
3. Rich and Poor AD
4. Heads and Tails TD
5. High and Low Achiever AD
FAMILIARIZING YOURSELF WITH APPROPRIATE CORRELATION COEFFICIENTS
FOR RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DICHOTOMOUS AND CONTINUOUS
VARIABLES

Variable X
Variable Y Continuous Artificial True Dichotomous
Dichotomous
Continuous Pearson r Biserial r Point biserial r
Artificial Biserial r Tetrachoric r Phi
Dichotomous
True Dichotomous Point Biserial r Phi Phi

In the table below, please provide an example of a variable for each category.
Variable X
Variable Y Continuous Artificial True Dichotomous
Dichotomous
Continuous age and height depression level relationship
between the test
takers getting a
specific item correct
and the total test
performance of the
sample
Artificial relationship hypothetical ratings relationship
Dichotomous between passing by two raters on between passing
and failing the bar presence or and failing the bar
examination and absence of examination and
the GPA in law schizophrenia gender; living/dead;
school black/white;
success/failure
True Dichotomous relationship relationship relationship
between gender between passing between passing
and GPA and failing the bar and failing the bar
examination and examination and
gender; living/dead; gender; living/dead;
black/white; black/white;
success/failure success/failure

ESSAY QUESTIONS:
 1. Explain the correlation-causation problem.

It should always be taken note that if two variables are correlated, that they do not necessarily
cause each other. Similar to the example to the book, aggressive behavior and the number of hours
viewing the television does not mean that when a child watches too much television, it will also lead to
behaving aggressively. Another example would be that physically active older people live longer but that
does not necessarily mean exercise causes it. Correlation does not prove causality but it might also lead
to other researches that can verify its causal relationship.

2. What is the third variable explanation?

Third variable explanation means that there may be another external variable that is not included
in the analysis that influences the two variables. Poor social adjustment is one factor that may influence
aggressive behavior and television viewing even though it was not stated. Chronic diseases or genetics
may also play a role in the variables sedentary lifestyle and shortened life expectancy, respectfully, of
individuals.

3. What is the problem with restricting the range of scores?

When a researcher needs to know the general QPI of the Psychology department but instead of
calculating the mean of the whole population, only the mean of one section is calculated. Through this,
there is a restricted range of score that is happening. When these happens, the sample data that was
calculated would not necessarily reflect the QPI of the whole population. The restricted data could have
high or low QPI than the rest of the population. When there is a restriction of scores, significant
correlations are hard to find.

4. In what way does factor analysis help one develop a test?

Since factor analysis reduces the information to a more manageable chunks of dimensions, it
helps the test developers narrow and accurately specify the test results. It also gives the test its specific
purpose and goal so that it may not be too broad or too rigid. A matrix is first created that shows the
correlation between a variable and every other variable. Then the principal components or the linear
combinations of the variables that describe the interrelationships are determined. Many principal
components will be derived from the variables. The first component will be the most successful in
describing the variation among the variables, with each succeeding component somewhat less
successful. Thus, we often decide to examine only a few components that account for larger proportions
of the variation. The few principal components are called factors, which then makes up of what the test
will be all about.
 5. What is discriminant analysis and how is it used in test development?

Discriminant analysis finds the linear combination of variables that provides a maximum
discrimination between two categories. For example, it is used to identify what test items are accountable
to provide credible differences in two groups, say “language disabled” and “normal” children. This new
information can be used to develop further tests and learn more about the differences between the two
and eventually lead to better understanding of the problem and its possible treatments.

References:

Kaplan, R. & Saccuzzo, D. (2017). Psychological Testing: Principles, Applications, and Issues (9
ed.). United States of America: Cengage Learning.

Stephanie Glen. "Point-Biserial Correlation & Biserial Correlation: Definition, Examples" From
StatisticsHowTo.com: Elementary Statistics for the rest of us!
https://www.statisticshowto.com/point-biserial-correlation/

Stephanie Glen. "Phi Coefficient (Mean Square Contingency Coefficient)" From

StatisticsHowTo.com: Elementary Statistics for the rest of us!
https://www.statisticshowto.com/phi-coefficient-mean-square-contingency-coefficient/

Introduction to the Tetrachoric and Polychoric Correlation Coefficients. (n.d.). Retrieved July 28,
2020, from http://john-uebersax.com/stat/tetra.htm