Psychological tests: A guide to the Lloyd Sealy Library resources

Lloyd Sealy Library John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Psychological tests:
A guide to the Lloyd
Sealy Library resources

Ellen Sexton, 2004

Psychological tests are widely used tools in applied psychology. They may be either published, that is, for sale from a commercial distributor, or they may be unpublished tests available in complete form only from their developer or creator. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 is a well-known published test about which much has been written in textbooks, monographs and journal articles. It is published by the University of Minnesota Press. Its use is restricted to trained professionals. In contrast, a little-used unpublished test might only be described in the journal article where its use was first reported. An unpublished test might be used and revised over a period of years before being made available commercially as a published test. Standardized tests are those for which strict procedures have been developed which are followed when the test is administered. They are usually administered to a control group as well as to the candidates of interest.

We do not keep a collection of tests in the library. Tests are normally copyrighted, and cannot be used without the permission of the copyright owner. In effect this means that you buy as many copies as you are planning to use from the publisher. A publisher may be willing to provide a specimen test on request. If you want to use an unpublished test, you must ask for permission to use it from the creator of the test.

The following works can be used to identify suitable tests, and to locate the copyright owner. The contact information for acquiring the tests may be relevant. Use the Mental measurements yearbook to get current contact information. Some tests are sold or otherwise provided only to people who are considered as qualified to administer them correctly.

Identification of published tests:
The Mental measurements yearbook.
Buros, O. (Ed.). Highland park, NJ: Mental Measurements Yearbook.

Reference LB1131.B9

This is the most comprehensive list of published tests available. This work was originally published in 1938, and updates are published frequently. The most recent edition is the 15th edition, which was published in 2003. This yearbook lists and critically reviews tests that are available commercially. The updates contain information on any new tests that were considered for inclusion since the previous edition was published, and any information on older tests that have been revised. Thus, unlike most reference works, it is important to consult not just the latest edition, but the original volume and the subsequent editions as well. Alternatively, you can consult the index to the entire series, which is on the World Wide Web at http://www.unl.edu/buros/.
The library subscribes to the electronic format of this work, covering the 9th through 15th editions. Access is through "Electronic Information Sources" on the library's homepage.

Tests: a comprehensive reference for assessments in psychology, education and business.
Maddox, T. (Ed.). (1997). Austin, TX: Pro-ed.

Reference BF176.T43 1997

Tests are described briefly, and information is provided as to where they can be purchased. The tests are not critically reviewed in this work, and no references are provided.

Tests in print IV: an index to tests, test reviews and the literature on specific tests.
Murphy, L. (1994). Lincoln, Nebraska: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements.

Reference LB3051.T455 1994

Lists and briefly describes tests that were available commercially at the time this work was published. It can be used as a cumulative index to the Mental measurements yearbook series. A directory of publishers is included.

Psychware sourcebook: a reference guide to computer-based products for assessment in psychology, education and business. 4th ed.
Krug, S. (1993). Kansas City, Mo. : Test Corp. of America

Reference BF176.2.P77 1993

Describes psychological tests for which software is available. The supplier and price for each product is provided.

Testing adolescents: a reference guide for comprehensive psychological assessments.
Harrington, R. (Ed.). (1987). Kansas City: Test Corporation of America.

Reference BF724.25.T47 1987

The appendix lists and describes briefly the tests referred to in the text. Publishers and prices are noted. As this book was published before the development of the MMPI for adolescents, that test is not discussed.

Adult assessment: a source book of tests and measures of human behavior
Andrulis, R. (1977). Springfield, IL: Thomas.

Reference BF176.A52

Lists, describes, and critiques 155 tests used to assess adult behavior, all of which were available from a commercial or research organization in 1977. Entries are arranged according to the parameter being measured, e.g. personality, aptitude, etc.

Reading tests and reviews II: a monograph consisting of the reading sections of the Seventh mental measurements yearbook (1972) and Tests in print II (1974).
Buros, O. (Ed.). (1975). Highland park, NJ: Gryphon Press.

Reference LB1050.46.B87 1975

Measures for psychological assessment: a guide to 3,000 original sources and their applications.
Chun, K. (1975). Ann Arbor, MI: Survey Research Center of the Institute for Social Research.

Reference BF698.5C45

This is essentially a list of references to tests that were cited or described in certain psychological journals published between 1960 and 1971. It consists of three main parts – the indexes, the primary references and the applications section. Use the indexes to identify a test, and get the complete reference from the primary reference section. There are subject/descriptor and author indexes. This work covers both published and unpublished tests.

Personality: tests and reviews.
Buros, O. (Ed.). (1970). Highland Park, N. J. : Gryphon Press

Reference BF698.5B87.

Reprints the reviews of personality tests that were originally published in the Mental measurements yearbook series. Two volumes. The second volume was published in 1975.

Identification of unpublished tests:

Directory of unpublished experimental mental measures.
(1970-1997). NY: Human Sciences Press.

Reference BF431.G625.

A brief description of each test is provided, along with the citation of the article where use of the test was first described. The tests listed here are considered non-standardized tests, still under development. Entries are very brief, but a bibliographical reference is provided for each, citing the journal article where the test was first described. Each volume covers journal articles that were published over a range of years. Volume 1 covers 1970, volume 2 covers 1971-72, volume 3 covers 1973, volume 4 covers 1974 to 1980, volume 6 covers 1986-90, volume 7 covers 1991-95. Volume 5 (1981-1985) is not owned by the library at present. The index in volume 7 covers all of the volumes.

Tests and measurements in child development: a handbook.
Johnson, O. (1971). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Reference BF722.J64.

Lists and describes unpublished tests that were considered as generally available to professionals when this book was published.

Tests in microfiche: annotated index.
Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.

Reference LB3051.T45 1975-1986.

This index lists and describes unpublished tests that have been used to perform psychological and educational assessments. We do not have the actual tests themselves here in the John Jay Library, but the library at the Graduate Center owns the complete set, including indexes, from 1975 to 1996. The index to the collection is now included in the ETS Test File index on the World Wide Web at http://ericae.net/testcol.htm .

Books in which scales are reproduced:

Handbook of scales for research in crime and delinquency.
Brodsky, S. (1983). NY: Plenum Press.

Reference and stacks HV9274.B76 1983

Reviews and criticizes scales that have been used in various criminal justice testing situations. The original questionnaire used to perform the test is reproduced. References direct the reader to more sources of information. Scales from both published (if the copyright holder granted permission) and unpublished tests are included.

Handbook of psychiatric rating scales - 2nd edition.
Rockville, MD: NIMH.

Reference BF698.5.L9 1973

Describes the scales, and provides bibliographic references where more information can be found.

Scales for the measurement of attitudes.
Shaw, M. (1967). NY: McGraw-Hill.

Reference BF378.A75S45

Reproduces scales that have been used for assessing attitudes. The authors recommend that the scales be used only for group testing and research purposes.

Books about some specific tests:

The Rorschach: a comprehensive system.
Exner, J. (1993). NY: Wiley.

Reference BF698.8.R5E87 1993.

This work consists of three volumes discussing the Rorschach test. Topics covered include the history of the test, administering and scoring it, interpreting the results, and practical applications.

The MMPI: an interpreters manual.
Greene, R. (1980). NY: Grune and Stratton.

Reference BF698.8.M5G74

This work describes and discusses the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory test which is used to assess abnormal behavior.

The house-tree-person technique. Revised manual.
Buck, J. (1970). Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.

Reference BF698.8.H6B8 1970

Interpreting drawings.

A catalog for the qualitative interpretation of the house-tree-person (H-T-P).
Jolles, I. (1971). LA: Western Psychological Services.

Reference BF698.8.H6B8J64 1971

World Wide Web sites for tests

ETS Test Collection

URL:	http://www.ets.org/testcoll/index.html This is an index to over 10,000 tests, including both published and unpublished tests. A brief description of each test and contact information for the publisher/creator is provided.

Buros Institute of Mental Measures

URL:

http://www.unl.edu/buros/
The Buros Institute publishes the Mental measurements yearbook which is the most comprehensive source of information about published tests. This site provides information about the Institute, its books and how to use them, and a link to the Test Review Locator described below.

Test Review Locator

URL:

http://buros.unl.edu/buros/jsp/search.jsp
Use this index to identify reviews that have been written about specific published tests. A citation to each review is provided. The reviews themselves are published in the Mental measurements yearbook and Tests in print (both of which we have in our library) and Test critiques, which we do not own at present.

Frequently Asked Questions on psychological tests

URL:	http://www.apa.org/science/faq-findtests.html The American Psychological Association has posted information here about psychological tests, including how to find and use them.

Using PsycINFO to identify tests

This electronic index of articles published in psychology journals can be used to identify tests discussed in the periodical literature. The descriptor term used in this database is “measures” and not the word “tests”. For efficient searching, use the phrase measures in de in addition to your other search terms. This database can be searched from the computers in the library.

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