This study provides a detailed analysis of evaluation of English pronoun reference questions which are created automatically by machine. Pronoun reference questions are multiple choice questions that ask test takers to choose an antecedent of a target pronoun in a reading passage from four options. The evaluation was performed from two perspectives: the perspective of English teachers and that ...

The main challenge of ability tests relates to the difficulty of items, whereas speed tests demand that test takers complete very easy items quickly. This article proposes a conceptual framework to represent how performance depends on both between-person differences in speed and ability and the speed-ability compromise within persons. Related measurement challenges and psychometric models that ...

In this article, the authors show that test makers and test takers have a strong and systematic tendency for hiding correct answers-or, respectively, for seeking them-in middle positions. In single, isolated questions, both prefer middle positions to extreme ones in a ratio of up to 3 or 4 to 1. Because test makers routinely, deliberately, and excessively balance the answer key of operational t...

According to many research findings, the presence of discourse markers (DMs) enhances readers’ comprehension of the texts they read. However, there is a paucity of research on the relationship between knowledge of DMs and reading comprehension (RC) and the present study explores the relationship between them. Knowledge of DMs is measured through examining the subjects’ recognition of DMs. To ca...

This paper describes the development and evaluation of Interaction Competence Elicitor (ICE), a spoken dialog system (SDS) for delivery paired oral discussion task in context language assessment. The purpose ICE is to sustain topic-specific conversation with test taker order elicit discourse that can be later judged assess taker's ability, including interactional competence. reported detail pro...

The present study contributes to the emerging field of gamification in personnel selection by examining validity and acceptance Gamified Set-Shifting Task (GSST), which is based on a well-established neuropsychological test cognitive flexibility, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Results sample 180 participants an online provided preliminary support for construct criterion-related validity. G...

Previous negotiation research predominantly focused on psychological factors that lead to suboptimal compromises as opposed to integrative agreements. Few studies systematically analyzed factors that impact the emergence of hurtful partial impasses (i.e., nonagreements on part of the issues). The present research investigates negotiators' egoistic motivation as a determinant for the emergence o...

PURPOSE The health effects of antenatal maternity leave have been scarcely evaluated. In California, women are eligible for paid benefits up to 4 weeks before delivery. We explored whether leave at > or =36 weeks gestation increases gestation and birthweight, and reduces primary cesarean deliveries among full-time working women. METHODS Drawing from a 2002--2003 nested case-control study of p...

I examine treatment effect heterogeneity within an experiment to inform external validity. The local average treatment effect (LATE) gives an average treatment effect for compliers. I bound and estimate average treatment effects for always takers and never takers by extending marginal treatment effect methods. I use these methods to separate selection from treatment effect heterogeneity, genera...

Penalty takers in association football adopt either a keeper-independent or a keeper-dependent strategy, with the benefits of the keeper-independent strategy presumed to be greater. Yet, despite its relevance for research and practitioners, thus far no method for identifying penalty kick strategies has been available. To develop a validated and reliable method, Experiment 1 assessed characteris...