Understanding Pretest and Posttest Reactions to Cognitive Ability and Personality Tests

• Main Authors: CHAN, David, SCHMITT, Neal, SACCO, Joshua M., DESHON, Richard P.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 1998
• Subjects: relations among belief in tests and pretest reactions amd test performance and posttest reactions for cognitive ability and personality tests; college students; Personality and Social Contexts
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/226
• Institution: Singapore Management University

To understand the nature of test reactions and their relationship to test performance, the relationships among belief in tests, pretest reactions, test performance, and posttest reactions were modeled for cognitive ability and personality tests. Results from structural equation models that were fitted to responses from 197 undergraduate examinees supported the hypothesized relationships. On the cognitive ability test, pretest reactions affected test performance and mediated the relationship between belief in tests and test performance. Test performance affected posttest reactions even after taking into account the effect of pretest reactions. On the personality test, belief in tests affected pretest and posttest reactions, but the three variables were unrelated to test performance (Conscientiousness scores). Conceptual, methodological, and practical implications of the findings are discussed in the context of research on test reactions and test performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved). (from the journal abstract)