The Mental Measurements Yearbook and the Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale

Mental Measurements Yearbook (mmy) and ADHD Summary

Describe the Mental Measurements Yearbook and summary of ADHD

Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMY)

The Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMY) is a collection of evaluative information and test reviews of over 3000 testing instruments. MMY is available online and in print format. The two version are similar and contain the same information. The MMY is published by the Buros Center for Testing located at the University of Nebraska. MMY comprises of information for evaluating test products in education, psychology, business, and leadership (Buros Center for Testing, n.d). The series does not offer full text of the actual tests, but rather it contains evaluative materials or reviews conducted by professionals. Leading experts in the test area conduct the reviews, which ensures that the review is unbiased and professional. All tests reviewed by the MMY are commercially available, which makes it easy for others to access the tests and determine if the reviews are genuine. Commercial availability also ensure that the tests can be found easily, and interested persons can make use of them when required.

The reviews published in the MMY contain edited reviews that are published by leading experts, publisher of the test, purpose, and pricing. This information is beneficial to the readers. Armed with such information an interested person would be better informed in their test selection process. The reviews offered by the MMY are consumer-oriented, timely, and offer appraisal information. Timeliness of the review ensures that the consumer can be notified of a test within a short time after it is published. This is beneficial to the consumer as they can evaluate the effectiveness of the test for their situation. The criteria for reviewing a test demands that a test be in English, commercially available, be new, widely used, or revised. Starting from the fourteenth edition it is a requirement that all test seeking review must provide sufficient documentation that supports their technical quality. The MMY can be accessed from the EBSCOhost platform, which offers all the yearbooks since the first publication in 1938.

ADHD Summary

A review of the Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale Third Edition by Timothy J. Makatura and Jamie G. Wood. Timothy is a consulting Psychologist, and Jamie is an associate professor of Psychology. The third edition is the latest version of the instrument developed by Stephen B. McCarney aimed at providing a comprehensive method for assessing symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The instrument has both home and school version that comprise of 46 items for the home version and 60 items for the school version (McCarney & Arthaud, 1995). The third edition was designed to offer an objective and comprehensive assessment for critical behaviors associated with diagnosing ADHD. It also offers resources that suggest objective goals, and behavior interventions. According to Timothy, the author does not indicate differences between the third edition and the second edition. The documentation for the third edition does refer to the second edition, but there is no indication of item changes or updates.

13 and 15 standardization groups were developed for HV and SV respectively. This was due to the significant age and gender differences. The HV normative information is obtained from 2,848 children, and for SV obtained from 3,903 students. Rating 156 children determined the reliability of the HV. Rating 855 students determined the SV reliability. All the test subjects were randomly selected from the standardization sample. The reviewer notes that thought this might be a newer version of the instrument that has good psychometric properties. The scale is easy to administer and has various formats for considering the scores. The reviewer does not see the need for the third edition since it utilizes the rating scales found in the second edition. There were not apparent differences noted during the review for the second and third versions. Therefore, the advantage of this third edition is yet to be seen.

According to Jamie, the rating scale also contains two subscales (Hyperactive-Impulsive, Inattentive), which is found in the HV and SV. School personnel or teachers who know the student well can easily complete the forms. Both scales are appropriate for children aged 4 to 18, and each item is rated on a scale of 0 to 5. The developers of the instrument employed a test-retest, internal consistency, and interrater methodology. The sample was retested 30 days from the first rating, which indicated a strong reliability that ranged from .82 to .86 for the HV and .88 to .92 for the SV (McCarney, 1995). The interrater was determined by paring educators or parents to rate a student. Construct, content, and concurrent validity is offered by both scale versions. Content validity is determined by involving professionals. Factor analysis supports construct validity.