Imagine That You Want to Develop a Test to Measure

question 79

Multiple Choice

Imagine that you want to develop a test to measure depression. You gather a set of 100 potential test items and ask a sample of people diagnosed with clinical depression and a sample of nondepressed people to respond to the items. For your final version of the test, you decide to keep only the 15 items that the depressed and nondepressed groups answered differently. You are using a(n) ________ method of test construction.

• A) factor analytic
• B) rational
• C) projective
• D) empirical

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Definitions:

Classical Conditioning

The process of acquiring knowledge by forming connections between a stimulus found in the surroundings and one that arises on its own, which leads to the development of a learned reaction.

Reinforcement

In behavioral psychology, a process that increases the likelihood of a behavior by applying a stimulus after the behavior is exhibited.

Reinforcers

Stimuli that, when presented after a behavior, increase the likelihood of that behavior being repeated.

Neutral Stimulus

A stimulus that initially produces no specific response other than focusing attention until it is paired with an unconditioned stimulus.