Dr. Lanning
Spring 2008

Syllabus for Psychology 4302 and 4302L:
Psychometrics and psychological testing,
Laboratory in psychometrics and psychological testing

Psychology 4302 provides an introduction to the field of psychological testing and measurement.  Psychology 4302L is a co-requisite lab.

In the seminar, we will have three primary goals:

First, we will consider tests from a consumer standpoint.  Ethical concerns surrounding testing-in-general will be addressed, as well as some principles for addressing the costs and benefits of using particular tests in particular situations.

Second, we will evaluate tests from a more technical standpoint.  This will include an in-depth consideration of the core psychometric concepts of validity, reliability, and generalizability.

Third, in order to understand how test scores are used in psychological research, we will examine correlational techniques as a general system for data analysis. 

The lab will provide a hands-on introduction to the assessment of lives, framed by a unique conjunction of two classic works in different media - Jack Block's Lives Through Time, which will provide us a template and a set of methods, and Michael Apted's Up film series, which will provide the targets of our assessment. You'll also get a more-than-pedestrian introduction to a handful of measures used in personality, vocational, and intelligence testing.

Instructor: Dr. Kevin Lanning (lanning@fau.edu). My office is in room 220 of the Wilkes Psychology building; office hours are Tuesday and Thursday 8-9:30 and 11-12:30.

Readings: For the seminar, there are three texts, only one of which is required:

Murphy, K. R., & Davidshofer, C. O. (2005) Psychological Testing: Principles and Applications, 6th Ed. NY: Prentice- Hall. (Required)

Cohen, Cohen, West, & Aiken (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences, 3rd ed. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. (Recommended)

Harris, M.  (2007). The Writer's FAQ: A pocket handbook (3rd ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. (Recommended; other editions are acceptable).

For the lab, there are two books, neither of which is required: .

Block, J. (1971). Lives though time.  Berkeley, CA: Bancroft (Recommended, but may be hard to find)

Singer, B. (Ed.)  (1998). 42 up. New York: New Press.  (Recommended)

Note that additional readings may be assigned.

Grading: Grades for both lecture and lab will be based on the following

A midterm exam (25 points) and a final exam (25 points). The final exam will be cumulative.

A class project which will include two parts, an (idiographic) case study and a (nomothetic) analysis of a portion of the data we will be collecting over the term.  Taken together, these will be worth 25 points.

Class participation will be expected, and will be assessed in part through brief (ungraded) in-class assignments. Participation will be worth up to 25 points.

Other

Please consult this page frequently (http://wise.fau.edu/~lanning/pmetric/index.htm), as dates are subject to change.  

Projected schedule 

 Up to Dr. Kevin Lanning, Honors College, Florida Atlantic University

   Revised 01/08/08