Finding Psychological and Educational Testing Instruments

at Penn State Harrisburg Library


Finding psychological and educational tests instruments can make anyone "testy"!

This guide helps answer these basic questions:

 

I’m looking for a test. I know the topic (like, personality) but I don’t know the name of a specific test. Where should I start?

Unfortunately, there is no database that provides free, full-text copies of psychological instruments. Yet, there could be hundreds of tests out there, depending on the people you want to assess, and what you want to learn about them. So your first step is to find basic information about available tests, to narrow yourself down to a few that are REALLY worth your time and money. Here are the most comprehensive sources that allow you to search by topic. They’ll give you basic information, like the test name, purpose, population, scoring system, validity, price, and publisher.

 

Can you give me some search tips for finding test information?

 Test instruments can be tricky to find, especially in the online version of MMY. Here are the most common problems:

 

Are there other resources for finding tests or test questions?

Yes. University researchers, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, consultants, and others sometimes develop their own instruments. If they have published a journal article, research paper, book, or web page about their research, a copy of the testing instrument might be included in the text or in an appendix.

So how do you search for this stuff? There are several strategies:

 

How do I know whether this is a “good” or “bad” test? Is the test well-designed?

In sources like MMY, reviewers often discuss the “validity” of tests. According to the Sage Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods, validity is “the extent to which any measuring instrument measures what it is intended to measure.” Validity is an important indication of whether a test will be useful. BUT as the Sage Encyclopedia explains, validity not only depends on the instrument itself, but HOW YOU USE the instrument. Even if a test is generally considered to be “valid,” it might not be applicable to the particular group, behavior, or situation you are trying to study (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2004, p. 1171). At this point, the library doesn’t have staff with expertise to recommend or evaluate tests. It really depends on your project. So, contact your professor.

  

If I find a copy of a test, can I just go ahead and use it?

No. For one thing, some tests can only be purchased, administered, or interpreted by a licensed or certified professional. Even if you are qualified to administer the test, there are a lot of other things you may need to do first. These include, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

 

How do I get in contact with the author or publisher of a test?

If your test was printed in a journal article or book, remember that many university professors have faculty web pages, and that many consultants and employees are listed on corporate web pages, or have posted resumes and other information on the Internet. So, look for the e-mail address or institutional affiliation of the author (often you can find it on the first or last page of a journal article, or on the jacket or back pages of a book). If you have the author’s name and his/her place of work, you can usually locate him/her by using a search engine like Google (http://www.google.com).

If your test is distributed by a publisher, it can be tough to find the current publisher, especially for older tests. This is because smaller publishing companies are constantly being bought out by larger corporations. Here are some of the well-known publishers and their web sites:

 

Why do I have to pay $77 to a company called Harcourt Assessment for copies of the “Beck Depression Inventory,” (created by Aaron T. Beck)?

A test’s design is a piece of intellectual PROPERTY, analogous in some ways to how a car is personal property. General Motors owns a Chevy truck until the truck is sold to a dealership, or sold to you. In a similar way, the person or company which creates the test OWNS the test, until he/she/it sells it to someone else.

Taking this example a step further, GM can manufacture a car model and sell the same car to numerous people for a certain price. Similarly, whoever owns the test design can choose to “publish” it by printing and selling copies.

Even if you see a car parked on the street, you still have to ask the owner whether you can drive it. Similarly with a test, if you see it in a journal, book, or on the Internet, you still have to GET PERMISSION to use it on clients or research subjects. A nice person may let you use his or her car for free, but companies like Budget or Enterprise make you pay rental fees! Similarly, many test publishers will make you pay to use their tests. 

 

I heard that the Library has copies of actual psychological tests. Is this true?

Yes, HOWEVER, THESE TESTS CAN ONLY BE USED BY GRADUATE STUDENTS ON A PRE-APPROVED LIST. If you aren’t on the list, contact Dr. Kimberly Schreck (kas24(at)psu.edu), Dr. Thomas Bowers (dvo(at)psu.edu), or your professor.

The tests are located in Reserves, on the first floor of the library. We have copies of about 25 instruments, including Bayle, HRNB, KAAIT, MMPI-2, WAIS III, WISC III, WISC IV, and Woodcock-Johnson. You can borrow a test for 3 days.

You can find a list in the “course reserves” part of the library catalog (the CAT, at http://cat.libraries.psu.edu/). They are listed under:

 

Does the library have scoring manuals that I can borrow for longer periods?

In general, no. Official manuals are often expensive, and should only be available to professionals. However, some commercial publishers have published “how to” guides and other information about popular tests. You can find some in the CAT, Penn State’s library catalog (http://cat.libraries.psu.edu).

One useful series of books is Wiley’s Essentials of … (series), edited by Alan S. Kaufman and Nadeen L. Kaufman. These provide notes on administering, scoring, interpretation, and reporting of various tests. The series includes volumes on:

If Penn State doesn’t have a manual for your test, another option is to check WorldCat (available from Penn State’s “E-Resources List (A-Z)" at http://www.libraries.psu.edu). WorldCat is a database of college and public libraries throughout the world. If you find a manual in WorldCat, click on its title. Then, you’ll see links to a list of “libraries worldwide that own the item” and a link to “Request the Item via ILL.” After you log in and fill out the request form, Penn State’s Interlibrary Loan team will contact the other libraries and (hopefully) borrow a copy for you. If you are a Penn State Harrisburg student, it will be delivered to our library’s circulation desk. NOTE: This option is usually a “last resort.” Many libraries do not loan test manuals because they are very expensive. Also, it may take several weeks for the manual to arrive, depending on how quickly the other library acts upon your request.

 

Does the library have other information about administering tests?

Yes. Take a look at these:

 

What if I want to design my own instrument?

Penn State University Libraries (including Harrisburg) have numerous books that can coach you in designing instruments. If you’ve never worked with tests and you want an easy-to-read introduction, try Neil Salkind’s Tests and Measurements for People Who Think They Hate Tests and Measurements (Sage, 2005. Call number LB3051.S243 2006). Another good book is Theresa J.B. Kline’s Psychological Testing: A Practical Approach to Design and Evaluation (Sage, 2005. Call number BF176.K583 2005). You can find other books in the library catalog, (the CAT, http://cat.libraries.psu.edu/) by searching for keywords like:

 

Can someone help me with research design and analysis?

 Yes. Try these:

 

Are there rules, regulations, or guidelines for performing tests?

Yes. Penn State, government agencies, and professional organizations all have rules and guidelines for psychological research. Here are SOME (BUT NOT ALL):

 

How do I find reliable information about “classic” psych experiments?

Are you an experimenter who wants to follow in the footsteps of Harry Harlow, Stanley Milgram, or Philip Zimbardo? Penn State Harrisburg Library has books that describe famous psychological experiments. Try these resources first, since each includes multiple experiments:

You can also search for books or journal articles about the PERSON who conducted the experiment. You might be able to find information ABOUT the person (biography), or something he or she WROTE. Here are some good resources:

 

I tried everything, and nothing’s working!!! What can I do?

Ask a librarian or your professor for help. A librarian will help you find information using tools on the Internet, in the Library, and other resources. On the other hand, you and your professor should work together in deciding which tests are most relevant to your research

Penn State Harrisburg’s Behavioral Sciences and Education Librarian is:

Bernadette A. Lear

(717) 948-6360

Penn State Harrisburg Library (office: room 102A)

351 Olmsted Dr.

Middletown, PA 17057

 

 

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Copyright 2006, Bernadette A. Lear. Please contact me for permission to use this page.