BOOK REVIEWS

Psychological Testing (Fifth Edition)

Anne Anastasi
New York, NY: Macmillan, 1982, 784 pp., $24.95.

Many psychologists employed in nonacademic settings, when confronted with a new assignment,
are inclined to refer first to a relevant text acquired during school years. If the new assignment deals
with standardized testing, however, this inclination is perilous. The social and legal controversies fo-
cused on testing during the past decade have, among other things, encouraged an immense amount of
productive research on many aspects of psychological assessment. Research published as recently as
five years ago may be obsolete now. Of course, a newly revised edition of a standard text may not nec-
essarily be that helpful. Let me assure possible skeptics that reading Anastasis fifth edition of Psy-
chological Testing will produce a pleasant and rewarding surprise.
Building on the solid foundation she established in earlier editions, Anastasi has fairly smoothly
incorporated sophisticated and competent descriptions of most of the currently hot issues in assess-
ment. For a psychologist moving into problems concerned with selection and classification, or evalua-
tion, or for a person with some psychology background who has responsibility for operational and/or
policy decisions concerning such problems, careful study of this monograph can provide sufficient
understanding to avoid many embarassing, if not costly, mistakes. The book does not provide an in-
stant expertise: It is a survey of a broad field, and many issues are moving so quickly that strenuous
effort is required of individual experts to maintain currency. Anastasis thoughtful discussions and
extensive references should enable more intensive study of a specific area with a minimum of wasted
effort and missteps.
The overall outline of the text appears pedagogically useful for both formal and informal study.
The introductory chapters of Part One provide more than a review of testings history; they place this
history in the context of present social and legal concerns. The third chapter, on social and ethical im-
plications of testing, is perhaps more important in applied settings than in university and college
courses. Anastasi provides strong arguments for the use of standardized assessment procedures, but
she also skillfully picks her way through the thicket of the occasionally strident pros and cons in iden-
tifying the qualifications necessary for appropriate test use. For example, I was pleased to read a sec-
tion on the effects of training on test performance.
Part Two comprises a hefty five chapters on technical and methodological principles. This will be
the toughest going for those unfamiliar with the quantitative side of psychology but absolutely neces-
sary for adequate understanding of later material. The chapter titles are traditional, and Anastasi
does not slight classic concerns such as norms, reliability, and validity. The incorporation of new
topics such as criterion-referenced testing, test and item bias, item response theory, and cognitive psy-
chology leads to deeper understanding of the traditional concepts.

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This is followed by the four chapters of Part Three, describing tests of general intellectual level.
The final chapter of this part is devoted to concerns specific to the use of such tests. Again, the inter-
weaving of the new with the old is well done. Discussions of specific instruments include specific de-
tails pertaining to how such instruments meet the technical requirements discussed in Part Two.
Part Four discusses multiple ability batteries and how they are used in the applied settings of edu-
cation, employment, and health services. This, too, is a competent incorporation of the new into the
old, including the appropriate treatment of the Bayesian model of validity generalization.
Part Five includes four chapters on instruments measuring other than cognitive abilities. In-
cluded here is a good introduction to biographical inventories and other measures that have received
increased interest in recent years. The chapter on projective techniques is especially thoughtful;
Anastasi describes how such procedures have not met the traditional standards but also discusses the
pros and cons of their typical nontraditional use.
The text ends with several appendices, including the 1981 APA Ethical Principles of Psycholo-
gists and the 1978 Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures. The latter document may
be somewhat dated; suggestions for its revision began shortly after its publication. The second edition
of the Division of Industrial-Organizational Psychologys Principles appeared in 1980, and the APA
test standards are currently being revised. However, Anastasis choice of the 1978 document is rea-
sonable, and the reader should certainly have been alerted to the volatility of the field before reaching
the appendices.
Is there nothing wrong with the book? Of course there is, but the problems are minor. I found
myself arguing with Anastasi on a point here and a conclusion there. Frequently, these were based on
the fact that this is a revision of a well-written text rather than a new work, thus leading to some in-
consistencies. For example, the SAT scale is first given as an example of a standardized score, which
it is not, although later Anastasi describes how the SAT scale was defined in terms of a reference
population. Another example occurs in the discussion of personality inventories, where the masculin-
ity-femininity scales of the measures are initially listed without comment; but following is a section on
sex roles and androgyny, which does elaborate that femininity and masculinity may be two separate
traits. There are other examples, all trivial and all depending on the particular expertise the reader
brings to this text.
Finally, one topic which Anastasi did not discuss was that of using training achievement as a cri-
terion of job performance. Validities are typically higher for training criteria, but there is increasing
pressure for adequate prediction of the &dquo;ultimate&dquo; criterion -performance. Because of Anastasis
judgments concerning so many of the currently important topics in selection and classification, I
would like to know what she thinks about this issue.

Hilda Wing
U.S. Army Research Institute
for the Behavioral and Social Sciences

Acknowledgments
The o,~i~ei®sas expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the U..S. Army ~csecaach
Institute,
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Books on psychological testing come in three basic varieties: technical, narrative, and critical.
Anastasis book is an impressive blend of narrative and technical constituents; the critical component
is either well hidden, or not present at all. For example, the question of declining test scores is
smoothed over with a recommendation to take into consideration experiential variables when inter-
preting test scores and to update test norms frequently (p. 341). Anastasis negative enthusiasm for
controversy makes for tranquil reading, potentially useful to calm the classroom critic and to assuage
the classroom skeptic.
On the technical side, latent trait theory has made slow inroads into introductory textbooks, and
Anastasis exposure of its basic tenets compares favorably even with more measurement-oriented
books such as Allen and Yens (1979). Computer-assisted adaptive testing has also been newly in-
cluded, and its principles are elucidated fairly well. The discussion centers on recent results of Prince-
ton and Minnesota research groups on adaptive testing; two-stage
a flexilevel model is illustrated us-
ing easy-to-understand diagrams. Attention is also paid computer-stored pools of test items.
to
The classical issues of test reliability and validity are covered with the liberal arts student in mind,
diminishing to a minimum the anxiety traditionally associated with these topics. Compared with sim-
ilar chapters in Cronbach (1970), Anastasis approach is less technical but still informative. Issues re-
lated to test reliability and validity within the framework of criterion-referenced testing are discussed
in detail, with a good measure of common sense. Test validity is also discussed from the refreshing
perspective of the Bayesian model.
Unfortunately, the chapter on item analysis did not benefit from the authors efforts at renovation
of the text. The pages are cluttered with Pemberton Johnsons UL index and its ULI, ULD, and D de-
rivatives, complemented by hopelessly useless information on how to estimate a biserial correlation
using Fans tables (p. 209). As an afterthought, a sentence has been appended stating that with com-
puter facilities, correlations can be found readily from the responses of a total sample; this is a rather
disheartening example of the authors intermittent hesitancy to divest herself of the computational
paraphernalia of the mechanical calculator age.
The strength of Anastasis book is clearly in her description of major tests and test batteries. She
got them all: the big three-Wechslcr, MMPI, and Rorschach -accompanied by Raven, Miilon, and
Holtzman. Contributions by Guilford and Cattell are well sampled, and staples like the CPI, SVIB,
ACL, DAT, GATB, and TAT are described in detail. The discussion is enlivened by inclusion of the
BITCH test and Porteuss footprint recognition test, standardized on aboriginal Australians. Con-
structs such as Rotters locus of control, Witkins field dependence-independence, and Kohlbergs
moral judgment are examined. Attention is paid to assessment of environmental qualities and
ecological attitudes. In addition, Anastasi introduces to students assessment techniques for use with
persons who are handicapped, culturally disadvantaged, or mentally retarded.
Educational testing is illustrated by using the Metropolitan achievement test as a prototype; this
illustration is complemented by presentation of tests of minimum competencies in basic skills and by
discussion of the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Occupational testing and tests of psy-
chomotor skills are still exposed within the Hull-Flanagan paradigm; innovative NASA and Air Force
simulation programs, Finkles assessment center techniques, and contributions of the Dunnette
group are mentioned only in passing. Research on creativity is explicated with reference to works of
Barron, Welsh, Torrance, and Guilford, complemented by description of the IPAT Humor Test of
Personality, Basss Famous Sayings test, and the Draw-a-Horse test, standardized on Pueblo Indians.
The latest edition of Anastasis classic offers a good introduction to psychological testing. It is ad-
dressed to persons who are interested primarily in testing and only secondarily in its measurement
counterpart. In her latest update, Anastasi has been successful in bringing into the undergraduate
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curriculum some recent developments in adaptive/tailored testing and elements of latent trait theory;
however, the more technical innovations of the computerization of the testing process are beyond the
scope of this book. Facing the decision to adopt a textbook from the well-known classics, take
Anastasi if you stress elementary orientation within the area of tests and measurements and cater pri-
marily to future test practitioners in applied settings.

David J. Krus and Roxie E Covey

Arizona State University

References

Allen, M. J. & Yen, W. M. Introduction to measure- Cronbach, L. J. Essentials of psychological testing

ment theory. Monterey CA: Brooks/Cole, 1979. (third edition). New York: Harper and Row, 1970.