Answer to Question 1
The textbook includes a discussion of three types of evidence for validity.
Content validity: how well test items cover a particular trait, body of knowledge, or skill.
Predictive validity: how well a test score predicts later performance.
Construct validity: how well a test measures a particular attribute.
It is very important to determine validity because, when testing, we are measuring qualities of people that are not directly observable. We cannot directly observe a person's math ability, so we design tests to indirectly observe that trait through the use of tasks, or items, for the examinee to complete. We make inferences regarding the person's level of that trait based upon the quality of the performance we observe, which is indicated by a score. In order to be accurate in our score-based inference making, we must collect evidence to support the assumption that the test is measuring what we intend it to measure.
Answer to Question 2
According to the information processing model described in this chapter, the correct sequence is attending to a stimulus, recognizing the stimulus, transforming it into a mental representation, comparing it to information already stored, assigning meaning to the stimulus, and acting on it.
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