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Modeling The Impact Of Test Anxiety And Test Familiarity On The Criterion-Related Validity Of Cognitive Ability Tests, Charlie L. Reeve, Eric D. Heggestad, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The assessment of cognitive abilities, whether it is for purposes of basic research or applied decision making. is potentially susceptible to both facilitating and debilitating influences. However, relatively little research has examined the degree to which these factors might moderate the criterion-related validity of cognitive ability tests. To address this gap, we use Classical Test Theory formulas to articulate how test anxiety and test familiarity can influence observed scores, observed score variance, and most importantly, the criterion-related validity of observed scores. The resulting equations reveal that understanding the influence of test anxiety and test familiarity on criterion-related validity coefficients requires …