Statistics of Test of Shock and Awe

Remark: This test is no longer used in its own right but part of "Cartoons of Shock". These statistics are from the period before the test was incorporated therein.

Norms

Scores

• # candidates: 22
• Median score: 20.5
• Quartile deviation: 3.5
• Maximum possible score: 33
• Mean: 19.3
• Standard deviation: 4.61
• Male mean: 19.5
• Female mean: 17.0 (2 persons)
• Hardness: 0.42
• Resolution: 0.19

Correlation with other tests

Weighted average of correlations: 0.531

Conservatively estimated minimum g loading: 0.73

Ranking in above table is based on the unrounded correlations. All available data is present in this table, no tests are left out except for those with less than 4 score pairs. All known pairs are used to obtain the true, honest statistics; correlations are not artificially inflated by leaving out ceiling scores, outliers or other anomalies.

Additional statistics November 2014

Scores on Test of Shock and Awe

Contents type: Verbal, numerical.   Period: 2003-2005 (but with one score from 2012)

• n: 23
• Median: 20.0
• Quartile deviation: 3.5
• Range: 21
• Maximum possible: 33
• Male median: 20.0 (n = 21)
• Female median: 17.0 (n = 2)
• Hardness: 0.39
• Resolution: 0.38

Remark: This number of candidates is a bit too low for good statistics, but that is because, after inclusion of this test in a new larger one, statistics for what was previously the Test of Shock and Awe have purposely not been collected. This policy allows revision of possible problematic test items (the new scores would not be comparable to the old scores).

Correlation of Test of Shock and Awe with other tests by Paul Cooijmans

Weighted average of correlations: 0.581

Conservatively estimated minimum g loading: 0.76

Ranking in above table is based on the unrounded correlations. All available data is present in this table, no tests are left out except for those with less than 4 score pairs. All known pairs are used, including possible floor/ceiling scores or outliers.

Correlation of Test of Shock and Awe with tests by others

Weighted average of correlations: 0.439

Ranking in above table is based on the unrounded correlations. All available data is present in this table, no tests are left out except for those with less than 4 score pairs. All known pairs are used, including possible floor/ceiling scores or outliers.

Please be aware that correlations with these external tests are in most cases affected (depressed, typically) by one or more of the following: (1) Little overlap with the object test because of the much lower ceilings and inherent ceiling effects of the tests used in regular psychology; (2) Candidates reporting scores selectively, for instance only the higher ones while withholding lower ones; (3) Candidates reporting, or having been reported by psychometricians, incorrect scores.

Estimated loadings of Test of Shock and Awe on particular item types

These are estimated g factor loadings, but against homogeneous tests (containing only particular item types) as opposed to non-compound heterogeneous tests. Although tending to surprise the lay person, it is not uncommon for tests to have high loadings on item types they do not actually contain themselves. Such loadings reflect the empirical fact that most tests for mental abilities measure primarily g, regardless of their contents; that the major part of test score variance is caused by g, and only a minor part by factors germane to particular item types. It is of key importance to understand that this is a fact of nature, a natural phenomenon, and not something that was built into the tests by the test constructors.

Compound tests have been left out of this table to avoid overlap.

Balanced g loading = 0.73

National medians for Test of Shock and Awe

For reasons of privacy, only countries with 2 or more candidates are included in this table. Ranking is based on the medians, and then alphabetic.

Correlation of Test of Shock and Awe with personal details

Correlation with national I.Q.'s of Test of Shock and Awe

Correlation of this test with national average I.Q.'s published by Lynn and Vanhanen:

• r = 0.38 (n = 21)

Estimated g factor loadings upward and downward of particular scores

In parentheses the number of score pairs on which that estimated g factor loading is based. The goal of this is to verify the hypothesis that g becomes less important, accounts for a smaller proportion of the variance, at higher I.Q. levels. The mere fact of restricting the range like this also depresses the g loading compared to computing it over the test's full range, so it would be normal for both values to be lower than the test's full-range g loading.

Reliability

• Split-half (odd-even) = 0.93
• Split-half (other division) = 0.89
• Cronbach's alpha = 0.87

Error

• Standard error = 1.9 raw score points

Scores by age

Scores by year taken

r_{year taken × median score} = -0.71 (n = 23)

Robustness and overall test quality

• Robustness by chronological rank = 0.72
• Robustness by month = 0.81
• Quality = 0.66

Item analysis

Item statistics are not published as that would help future candidates. To detect bad items, answers and comments from candidates are studied, as well as, for each problem, the correlation with total score and the proportion of candidates getting it wrong (hardness of the item). Possible bad items are removed or revised, resulting in a revised version of the test.