Psychometrics

Course Description

Description
This subject deals with the models and techniques used for constructing the tools for measuring
psychological variables.

Contents
1. Introduction. Basic concepts.
Measuring, tests, historical background, classical theories, etc.

2. Constructing a psychological test
Phases. Writing up the items. Acquiescence and social desirability.

3. Reliability
Reliability index and coefficient, measuring errors, different types of reliability (test-retest,
alternate and parallel forms, etc.)

4. Validity
Types of validity, multitrait-multimethod approach (multifactorial analysis)

5. Item analyses
Difficulty index, discrimination index, TRI

6. Test scores
Percentile scores, standard scores, etc.

7. Ethical issues
Ethical principles when constructing a test, ethical principles when evaluating, etc.

Methodology
The strategies and the distribution of the students’ tasks will be:
-Theorical and practical presentations of the course. It will consist of presentations of the
teacher but also individual and group study by the student (60% of the time).
-Elaboration of practices (class-room activities in the computer room with PASW 18.0 software
(20% of the time).
-Elaboration of the group work (20% of the time).
-Tutorials

Assessment
The exam will consist in 45 items with 3 response options. The errors will not be punished but
30 items right will be required to pass the exam. With the exam the contents of the subject will
be evaluated as well as the specific competences E2.1, E3.1, E3.3, y E3.4.

-Class-room activities - 2 points (20% of the final mark)
These practices will allow evaluating the generic and specific competences (E2.1, E3.1, E3.3)
while performing a transferring of the contents of the subject in an applied way.

-Group Work - 3 points (30% of the final mark)
The group work will be about the elaboration and validation of a psychological questionnaire
that will mostly evaluate the generic competence and the E3.4 specific competence.

To pass the subject it will be compulsory to pass the exam, the group work and assist to the
class-room activities.