Psychology D05: Psychometric Theory


Psychology D05: Psychometric Theory (Personality Assessment)
William Revelle
Swift 315
email: revelle@northwestern.edu
491-7700

Objectives:

TEXTS:

Sizable portions of several texts will be assigned.

Requirements:


Overview:


Prerequisites:

Some basic familiarity with each of the following areas is highly recommended. Relevant readings are:

How to view the reading list:

This reading list can be seen as a general set of readings about psychometric theory and personality assessment. Not all of the readings are equally important. References in bold face are considered important and are well worth reading. The other readings are useful background if you want to explore a particular area in more depth. Except for Nunnally and Bernstein, the items on the reading list are not expected to be read for this course. Most of the items are meant to supplement your understanding of each particular area.

In general, the more you understand Nunnally and Bernstein, the more you will understand the lectures. Similarly, the more you ask questions in class, the more you will understand Nunnally and Bernstein. The purpose of understanding Nunnally and Bernstein, of course, is that the more you understand the more you will be able to apply fundamental principles of measurement to your own research. It is the basic assumption of this course that all research can be improved by improving the quality of measurement used in that research.

General Comment:

Questions are encouraged. Remember, you probably are just as confused as your colleagues. Do not believe that you are the only person who does not understand. The overriding purpose of this course is to help you understand the fundamentals of measurement and personality assessment. Please ask questions if you do not understand. In the unlikely case that you are the only person who does not understand something, then see me after class or during office hours for further help.

Some of the lectures are supplemented on the web with links from the syllabus. Also use the Psych Lit and the Social Science Citation Index search engines.


General References


Course Outline and Associated Readings

I. Individual differences and experimental psychology: The role of assessment. II. Models of Measurement III. Test Theory and Practice