Assessment of adult cognitive abilities in Greece: A differential item functioning study of the General Ability Measure for Adults (GAMA)

Manuscript
Published: Apr 15, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/psy_hps.34184
Keywords:
Intelligence assessment, Intercultural assessment, Differential element/question function
Gary Rempe
Neuropsychological Services of New Mexico
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8309-0552
Achilles N. Bardos
Edumetrisis, LLC
Zoe Bablekou
Child Psychology and Education Lab (PSYCHE), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4559-2738
Panagiotis Simos
University of Crete
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0116-8564
Maria Doropoulou
Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2119-5252
Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the generalizability and possible adaptation for use of a non-verbal measure of intelligence developed in the United States, the General Ability Measure for Adults (GAMA; Naglieri & Bardos, 1997) in Greece. As a validity evidence the study examined the differential item function of its questions in order to explore potential item bias utilizing the disproportionate group probabilities of participants’ correctly endorsing test items. The analysis was performed using a logistic regression procedure with samples from the United States (n = 2,369) and Greece (n = 1,273). The findings indicate a small (<1%) number of items that work differentially between these two cultural groups. Implications for the development and weighting of cross-cultural intelligence assessment tests using non-verbal measures are discussed.

Article Details
  • Section
  • RESEARCH PAPERS
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

The journal PSYCHOLOGY adopts a Platinum open-access policy. Submission, processing or publication costs are waived by the Hellenic Psychological Society. Papers published in the journal PSYCHOLOGY are licensed under a 'Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International' licence. The authors reserve the copyright of their work and grant the journal the right of its first publication. Third-party licensees are allowed to use the published paper immediately after publication as they wish, provided they retain the defined by the license copyright formalities, regarding the reference to its author(s) and its initial publication in the journal PSYCHOLOGY. Moreover, any adjusted work should be shared under the same reuse rights, so with the same CC license.

Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Angoff, W. H. (1993). Perspectives on differential item functioning methodology. In P. W. Holland & H. Wainer (Eds.), Differential item functioning (pp. 3-23). Lawrence Erlbaum.
Bond, L. (1987). The golden rule settlement: A minority perspective. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 6(2). 10-20. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3992.1987.tb00406
Dorans, N. J., & Holland, P. W. (1993). DIF detection and description: Mantel-Haenszel and standardization. In P. W. Holland & H. Wainer (Eds.), Differential item functioning (pp. 35-66). Lawrence Erlbaum.
Flynn, J. R. (1984). The mean IQ of Americans: Massive gains 1932–1978. Psychological Bulletin, 95(1). 29–51. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.95.1.29
Green, A., Bardos, A. N., & Doropoulou, M. (2016). The General Ability Measure for Adults-second edition. In R.S. McCallum. Handbook of Nonverbal Assessment. pp 207–216. Kluwer Academic.
Golden Rule Insurance Company v. Washburn, 419-76 Illinois Cir. Ct., 7th Ind. Cir. Ct. (1984). Consent decree.
Holland, P. W., & Thayer, D. (1988). Differential item performance and the Mantel Haenszel procedure. In H. Weiner & H. I. Braun (Eds.), Test validity (pp. 129-145). Lawrence Erlbaum.
International Test Commission. (2001). International guidelines for test use, International Journal of Testing, 1(2), 93-114. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327574IJT0102_1
Lemonaki, R., Xanthopoulou, D., Bardos, A.N., Karademas, E., & Simos, P. (2021). Burnout and job performance: a two-wave study on the mediating role of employee cognitive functioning. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 30(3), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2021.1892818
Li, H. H., & Stout., W. (1996). A new procedure for detection of crossing DIF. Psychometrica, 61(4), 647-677. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ540314
Monahan, P., McHorney, C., Stump T., & Perkins A. (2007). Odds ratio, delta, ETS classification, and standardization measures of DIF magnitude for binary logistic regression, Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, 32(1), 92 – 102. https://doi.org/10.3102/1076998606298035
Naglieri, J. & Bardos, A. (1997). General Ability measure for Adults. National Computer Systems.
Ong, Y., M., Lamprianou, I., & Williams J. (2015). Exploring crossing differential item functioning by gender in mathematics assessment. International Journal of Testing, 15(4), 337-355. https://doi.org/10.1080/15305058.2015.1075639
Penfield, R. D. (2003). Applying the Breslow-day test of trend in odds ratio heterogeneity to the analysis of nonuniform DIF. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 49(3), 231-243. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2003-10912-002
Roivainen, E. (2013). Are cross-national differences in IQ profiles stable? A comparison of Finnish and U.S. WAIS norms. International Journal of Testing, 13(2), 140-151. https://doi.org/10.1080/15305058.2012.657315
Simos, P., Papadopoulou, S., Vakis, A., Tsagaraki, P., Papastefanakis, E. & Bardos, A. N. (2014). Anterograde verbal episodic memory deficits after traumatic brain injury: The effects of trauma severity and presence of executive deficits. Hellenic Journal of Psychology, 11(1), 1-25.
Spyridaki, E., Simos, P., Avgoustinaki, P., Demirtzaki, E., Venihaki, M., Bardos, A.N. & Margiotis, A. (2014). The association between obesity and fluid intelligence impairment is mediated by chronic low grade inflammation. British Journal of Nutrition. 112, 1724-1734 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114514002207
Stalikas, A., Triliva, S., & Roussi, P. (2012). Ta psychometrica ergaleia stin Ellada [Psychometric tools in Greece]. Pedio.
Swaminathan, H., & Rodgers, H. J. (1990). Detecting differential item functioning using logistic regression procedures. Journal of Educational Measurement, 27, 361–270. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3984.1990.tb00754.x
Trahan, L., Stuebing, K. K., Hiscock, M. K., & Fletcher, J. M. (2014). The Flynn Effect: A Meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 140(5), 1332–1360. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037173
Walker, C. M. (2011). What's the DIF? why differential item functioni analyses are an important part of instrument development and validation. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 29(4), 364-376. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282911406666
Wechsler, D. (2014). WAIS IV GR Κlimaka Noimosinis gia enilikes WECHSLER –Tetarti ekdosi: Egxeiridio xorigisis kai aksiologisis NCS Pearson, (Greek Edition) [WAIS-IV GR-Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - 4th Edition Administration and Scoring Manual]. ΜΟΤΙΒΟ.
Zumbo, B. D. (1999). A handbook on the theory and methods of differential item functioning (DIF): Logistic regression modeling as a unitary framework for binary and Likert-type (ordinal) item scores. Directorate of Human Resources Research and Evaluation, Department of National Defense.
Most read articles by the same author(s)