January 2013 AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Division Five: Evaluation • Measurement • Statistics NEWSLETTER VOL XXXV. NO 1 Instructor’s Corner The focus of this column is to inform and would like more information about their educate Division 5 members on topics of symposium, please contact them directly or interest. Each issue will contain a column contact Julie Lackaff, The Score Editor, at written by a member with expertise in a [email protected]. INSIDE particular area. The intent is to educate Division 5 members on topics and issues INSTRUCTOR’S CORNER spanning the core missions of the division. Understanding and Understanding and Predicting Violent For this issue, Drs. Andberg, Freeman, Predicting Violent Behavior: A Variety Schmidt, Weiner, Harlow, and Patelis of Pathways ......................1 share the abstracts of the papers they Behavior: A Variety presented at their 2012 APA Symposium of Pathways Division 5 Membership session that discussed the pathways and Services .............................4 predictors of violent behavior. Dr. Susana Division 5 Receives APA Urbina was a discussant at this symposium. Chair: Marcia M. Andberg, PhD Division International More specifically, they illustrate how the Marcia M. Andberg Associates LLC, Activities Grant ................5 different pathways of qualitative inquiry, North Oaks, MN measurement, assessment, statistics, [email protected] HumRRO: Custom and program evaluation can improve Solutions for Your understanding of underlying psychological Discussant: Susana Urbina, PhD Measurement processes and the prediction of violent University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Challenges ........................5 behavior. FL [email protected] The Society for General Given the recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Psychology Call for Elementary School in Connecticut, this The use of scientific methods to investigate Nominations for Awards for Year 2013 .................6 article seemed particularly timely and societal challenges is central to psychologi- important. The presenters want to add that cal research. Violence against young people Vote for Section in their APA session, they discussed that it is and by young people themselves is one Representatives .................7 extremely difficult to predict a single violent example of a persistent societal problem act, although it is very useful to try and amenable to investigation by psychologi- University of Kansas understand violent behavior from a number cal methodologies. A recent report from Stats Camp .......................8 of diverse perspectives and approaches. the Centers for Disease Control showed The summaries try to shed light on how that in 2007 alone, 5,764 young people STUDENT’S CORNER researchers could approach this topic, ages 10 to 24 were murdered—an aver- The Art of while realizing that it is important to age of 16 each day—and in 2008 more Self-Motivation ................9 consider even more ways of researching than 656,000 young people ages 10 to 24 What’s New ........................11 such behavior, and to include even more were treated in emergency departments people and perspectives into these efforts. for injuries sustained from violence (CDC, Advertise in the Given the recent tragic events, we think 2010). Because most psychologists tend Score ................................12 that it is important to widely share our to be thoroughly familiar with only a few input to reach a broad array of researchers, of the available methods used in research, professionals and policy makers. If you have any questions for these authors or Continued on page 3 ©2013, Division 5, American Psychological Association. All rights reserved. 2 the score newsletter • January 2013 The Score is the official newsletter of APA Division 5—Evaluation, Mea- surement, and Statistics—and is published quarterly in January, April, July and October. In keeping with this mission, The Score publishes the division’s business meeting minutes, committee reports, and announcements. http://www.apa.org/divisions/div5/ In addition, where appropriate and space permits, short articles (800– Division 5 Officers and Committees 1000 words) on technical issues and professional activities of Division 5 mem- bers, or on topics of current interest may be accepted. Brief announcements Executive Officers and calls for presentations related to conferences or meetings of particular President Representatives to APA Council Stephen G. West Deborah L. Bandalos interest to Division 5 members may also qualify. Submissions should be sent to [email protected] [email protected] Score Editor, Julie Lackaff: [email protected]. President-Elect Susana Urbina Submission deadlines are one month prior to publication: March 1 for the Keith F. Widaman [email protected] April issue, June 1 for July, September 1 for October, and December 1 for [email protected] January. Members-at-Large to the Past President Executive Committee Marcia Andberg Patrick Shrout The Score is published solely online and distributed via e-mail notification. [email protected] [email protected] Division 5 members receive the e-mail notice through the Division 5 DIV5ANN email listserv (see the box below). Financial Officer Amy Schmidt Jodi Casabianca [email protected] Guidelines for advertising appear elsewhere in this issue. Paid [email protected] Mark Daniel advertisements are solicited from a variety of sources and are not officially en- Coordinating Officer & Secretary [email protected] dorsed by Division 5. James A. Bovaird [email protected] Guidelines for the “What’s New?” column are provided with the column. Committees Urgent announcements should be submitted to the Division 5 Elections Fellowship e-mail lists, described in the box below. Marcia Andberg, Chair Wayne Camara, Chair [email protected] [email protected] Todd D. Little Deniz S. Ones [email protected] [email protected] Irving B. Weiner Steve Reise [email protected] [email protected] E-mail Lists Historian Program Kristin Koskey Krista Mattern, Chair [email protected] [email protected] Keep up with the absolute latest Division 5 news through its two e-mail lists. Membership Fred Oswald Emily Shaw, Co-Chair [email protected] DIV5 [email protected] serves as a vehicle for discussion among members on topics Carol Woods related to evaluation, measurement statistics, and assessment. Noel Card, Co-Chair [email protected] [email protected] DIV5ANN is used exclusively for announcements from Division Diversity Public & International Affairs Beverly Vandiver, Chair leadership, such as convention or workshop information or policy Barbara Byrne, Chair [email protected] changes. This is a “one-way” list that does not support listwide replies [email protected] Eun-Young Mun (that is, it is not structured to support discussion). Leigh Wang [email protected] [email protected] To subscribe to either or both lists, send the following message to Newsletter Website Julie Lackaff, Editor [email protected]: Mark Daniel, Listserv Moderator [email protected] [email protected] Michael Edwards, Associate SUBSCRIBE DIV5ANN John Doe Alan Reifman, Website Editor Editor [email protected] [email protected] SUBSCRIBE DIV5 John Doe Awards Early Career Psychologists Patrick Shrout, Chair Network (change “John Doe” to your name) [email protected] Vacant If you have any questions, contact Mark Daniel at Amy Schmidt [email protected]. [email protected] Mark Daniel [email protected] 3 the score newsletter • January 2013 are found both in narrative psychology and in qualitative inquiry Understanding and Predicting more generally, can productively work in tandem with nomothetic Violent Behavior approaches in generating valid and valuable knowledge of human behavior and experience. Continued from page 1 Measuring Violent Behavior they may not appreciate the value that different approaches to a Amy E. Schmidt, PhD problem can contribute. Thus, they may fail to seek collaboration Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ with colleagues with expertise on additional methods that could be [email protected] used in their investigations. Division 5 houses a variety of meth- odological specialties and is ideally suited to provide a discussion When a measurement professional is faced with developing a and illustration of five different approaches to the same problem. new assessment, there is a series of crucial questions that must The panelists in this session will discuss how the different path- be answered. In the case of measuring violent behavior, the most ways of qualitative inquiry, measurement, assessment, statistics, salient questions are “How can we measure violent behavior in a and program evaluation can improve understanding of underlying particular population?” and “What are the most reliable indicators psychological processes and the prediction of violent behavior. and predictors of violent behavior in this population, and how can we combine them in such a way as to make the most efficient Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based injury and valid measure possible?” During this portion of the session, statistics query and reporting system (WISQARS) [Online]. we will discuss how these questions get answered, and in doing (2007). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, so, will cover a variety of topics that need to be considered in any Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). [2010 good test design, such as construct definition, population