Types of Bias in Psychometric Test Translation

Types of Bias in Psychometric Test Translation

With the demand and need for psychological tests increasing in various different cultures and countries, there has been much greater awareness regarding some of the issues that are associated with the development or adaptation of tests to be used in contexts and situations that may be different from which the test was developed for. This article focuses on one of the key aspects of translating tests, the types of bias that can occur.

When utilizing the test in a new cultural group, it is not quite as simple as directly translating the test, administering it and then comparing the results for its validity. There are a number of issues that need to be considered such as whether the area assessed with the test applies to the new culture or whether is may be biased towards that group and whether what is assessed by the test also has similar behavioral indicators? These are just some of the potential areas where bias can be found in the translation of tests and affect the validity of the test being utilized in the new context.

Van der Vijer & Hambleton (1996) differentiates between three distinct types of bias that may affect the validity of tests that have been adapted for different cultural contexts and these are construct bias, method bias and item bias.

Construct bias occurs when the construct (e.g. personality) that is measured by the test displays significant differences between the original culture for which it was developed and the new culture where it is going to be utilized. These differences can occur in the way that the construct was formulated and developed as well as in the relevant behaviors that are associated with the construct. It is critical to examine whether the underlying theory of the test is subject to construct bias and this can be examined through the studies examining the construct and its associated behaviors in the context that it will be utilized in. If there are significant differences found in these studies, it may indicative that there is construct bias. Major revisions may be required to overcome this bias. If not, the validity of the test will be affected.

Method bias refers to factors or issues related to the administration of the test that may affect the validity of the test. Examples of areas that method bias can occur include social desirability, acquiescence response styles, the conditions in which the test was conducted and the motivation of the respondents. Across cultures, there potentially can be differences that can occur in these areas and these can affect the way that the respondents answer the items in the test. This potentially may lead to differences between found that can be erroneously attributed to cultural differences when in fact, these differences are the result of differences in the administration procedures. As a result, it is threat to the validity of tests that have been adapted for use in new cultures. Test developers also not only need to focus on the adaptation of the test itself but also need to be aware of issues regarding the implementation of the test in a new context.

Item bias is another source of bias that can occur in the translation of tests and these refer to biases that occur with the items in the test. This is usually the result of either poor translation choices for items or due to culturally inappropriate translations. For example, the phrase “kick the bucket” is essentially a phrase that referring to passing away in the Western context and is commonly known by most people in that culture; unfortunately, this phrase would have no meaning for people from cultures without any prior experience with that phrase. In this manner, a literal translation of that phrase would be a poor translation as it does not convey the correct meaning of the item. The items in the test need to be culturally equivalent, where the meaning of the items needs to be correctly translated so as to maintain the validity of the test in the new cultural context.

These are some of the biases that may occur during the translation of tests. Test developers will need to be aware of the sources of bias and take the appropriate measures to avoid these biases.

References:

Van der Vijer, F. and Hambleton, R. K. (1996). Translating tests: some practical guidelines. European Psychologist, 1, 89-99.


Psychometric Training in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and China
If you are serious about using psychometric tests properly then we recommend joining PsyAsia International’s Psychometric Assessment at Work Course which leads to a certificate of competence in Occupational Testing Level A and Level B from the British Psychological Society. The Course is run publically in Singapore and Hong Kong or in-house anywhere.
More details about BPS Level A and B in Singapore and Hong Kong

Online Psychometric Training – Worldwide
Alternatively, you might be interested in introductory Online Psychometric Test Training presented live by a registered psychologist. PsyAsia is offering a special fee of just US$12 for anybody who registers for the February online psychometric training course!
More details about online psychometric test training

Online Psychometric Test Training Course

Introduction
PsyAsia International is pleased to announce an exceptional offer for those interested in learning psychometric test administration from the comfort of their office or home.

Why only US$12?
Some months ago PsyAsia International was chosen to become part of the panel of beta-testers for a new online training software. The beta program will end next month as the software is almost ready to go live. In view of this PsyAsia is now ready to use the software as our final stage in the beta program with our valued clients. For this reason, rather than charging the regular fee for our online psychometric test administration training course, we are offering similar training for just a $12 registration fee.

Your facilitator
PsyAsia International is well known for professional and competent training in Psychometrics. This course will be no different. It will be facilitated live by award-winning psychologist Dr. Graham Tyler.

Course Outline
This is a first-level introductory course in psychometric test administration. The course will prepare attendees to become more competent in administering psychometric tests.

-What is a psychometric test
-Types of psychometric tests
-Requirements of good tests
-Psychometric Principles
-Reliability
-Validity
-Running a psychometric test session
-Candidate questions and deviance
-Scoring and norming of tests
-Ethical test use

More offers
Those who register for this online course, pay the US$12 fee and attend all 3 one hour sessions may also register for our 1-day BPS Test Administration Certificate Course in February in Singapore or March in Hong Kong at a 15% discount. Alternatively, you may choose to attend only the afternoon of the above training (which is mainly practical assessments) and pay only 50% of the published course fee. You will need to pay the BPS Assessment fee at the current rate if you wish to be assessed for the BPS certificate. A PsyAsia certificate will be presented to all attendees at the real-life course. Discount codes will be sent to eligible persons after the final training session.

Registration Process
Registration is simple! Click on the link below. Complete the short registration form and ensure that you provide your work email address (free accounts such as yahoo/gmail/hotmail etc will be rejected). Within one working day of completing the form you will receive an email from Paypal with a request for your US$12 payment. Click on the link in the email and pay using your credit card at the paypal site. Within one working day of your payment we will approve your registration and send you a link to download some files that we will use during the training and complete a pre-course quiz. The email will also contain a link for you to log-into each training session. Please pay the registration fee as soon as you can to avoid losing your place. Places are available on a first-paid/first-confirmed basis!!

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How the training works
You will need a computer with a reasonable internet connection along with a microphone/headphone set. The training will be transmitted to your computer in slide form and live demo of various systems and websites related to psychometrics. The facilitator will use a mic to teach you. You will also have the opportunity to share with other attendees and ask questions either by way of your microphone or text chat.

Terms and Conditions
The training is open to anybody worldwide who is able to attend on all 3 days between 5pm and 6pm Singapore/Hong Kong time and who can satisfy ALL of the following:

1. Register with accurate data and a work email account
2. Pay the US$12 registration fee
3. Have a computer with an internet connection/headset and mic. However, you may choose to telephone in rather than use a mic/headphone. In this case you must be happy calling a number in USA, New Zealand or Australia. The number will be provided with your registration.
4. Must not be already trained in test administration or BPS Level A – this is because we want to give this opportunity to those who want to learn something new rather than those who may be more interested in finding out how our system works!
5. Must not be a competitor

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Attendees will be introduced to this personality assessment which produces the most comprehensive assessment of personality on the market. Key decision-makers will also have an opportunity to trial Identity.

-Overview of the Identity Self Perception Questionnaire
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Psychometric Training: Level A & B Training in Hong Kong – New Dates

To complement our BPS Level A and BPS Level B Certificates of Competence in Occupational Testing Training in Singapore, PsyAsia International has announced new dates for the same psychometric training course in Hong Kong. PsyAsia has been running this course in Singapore and Hong Kong since 2002 and has collected many impressive delegate reviews. The course is run by a British Psychological Society award-winning resident and registered business psychologist with a PhD earned through work with validation of Psychometric Tests in Asia. For more details of the course and facilitator and to register online, please click here.

The Hong Kong Psychometric Assessment at Work course will run over the following dates: Level A: 9-11 March 2010 Level B: 16-18 March 2010 Psychometric Test Administration only: 9 March 2010

The Singapore Psychometric Assessment at Work course will run over the following dates: Level A: 27-29 January 2010 or 24-26 February 2010 Level B: 1-3 March 2010 Psychometric Test Administration only: 27 January 2010 or 24 February 2010

Delegates may opt to join Level A in Singapore and Level B in Hong Kong if they wish at no additional cost but should contact us before booking in order to ensure availability.

The day immediately following Level B is conversion training for the Saville Consulting Wave^®. Level B delegates may register for this training at 50% off the regular fee by selecting that option during the booking process.

Free Psychometric Test Training in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia!

PsyAsia International, Asia’s leading independent provider of psychometric assessment products and training today announced a free psychometric test training workshop in three prime Asian locations in December.  The workshops will cover the basics in psychometric assessment, such as reliability, validity and error, along with pointers and discussion on how to choose the right psychometric test.  Courses will be facilitated by PsyAsia’s organisational psychologists who have at least an MSc in Organisational Psychology along with the British Psychological Society Level A and B Certificates of Competence in Occupational Testing.  PsyAsia’s psychometric training courses in Asia have been the subject of many years of positive reviews (many published at the website).  This course will bring best practice and an introduction to competence to those who would otherwise not realise the issues involved in testing due to the costs of regular training courses.

PsyAsia will charge registrants a small fee to reflect the company’s costs in running the training session.  The fee is just US$70 (SG$99/HK$550).  This covers a full buffet lunch in a top hotel along with day-long refreshments, handouts and a certificate of attendance.  However, PsyAsia will even refund this fee back to any participant who registers for one of the company’s psychometric accreditation courses within 6 months!

The dates are:
Hong Kong: 3 December 2009
Kuala Lumpur: 8 December 2009
Singapore: 9 December 2009

More information
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