Abstracts
Résumé
Les tests psychométriques sont appliqués à divers usages et pour différentes clientèles. Ils sont utilisés pour circonscrire la « personnalité » du répondant en obtenant un score sur chacune de quelques échelles descriptives, pour estimer l’aptitude d’une personne en vue d’une tâche et d’un rendement ciblés, pour repérer le risque de tentative suicidaire ou de commission d’un crime, etc. Ces tests, la plupart basés sur une échelle de mesure supposée quantitative, se caractérisent techniquement par leur fidélité, leur validité et leur appareil normatif, c’est-à-dire la norme ou les normes qui permettent au testeur de formuler un jugement comparatif à partir du score obtenu par la personne évaluée. C’est de la précision de ces normes, c’est-à-dire les seuils psychométriques ou seuils centiles, que traite le présent essai et donc, corrélativement, d’un aspect non négligeable de la valeur du jugement porté.
Mots-clés :
- seuils psychométriques,
- centiles échantillonnaux,
- décision psychométrique,
- erreur de mesure,
- contrôle de l’erreur
Abstract
Psychometric testing is used in various contexts and for different clienteles. Tests serve to characterize the “personality” of an individual by means of scores on a few descriptive scales, to estimate a candidate’s aptitude for some foreseen task or job output, to uncover someone’s tendency for suicide or for the commission of a crime, etc. The tests, generally based on one or a few measurement scales, are technically defined by their reliability, their validity and their norms of interpretation. This article deals with the determination of the tests’ norms, specifically with the accuracy of the psychometric thresholds, or percentiles, and, as a corollary, with the validity of the ensuing decision based on these norms.
Keywords:
- psychometric thresholds,
- estimated percentiles,
- psychometric decision,
- measurement error,
- error control
Resumo
Os testes psicométricos são utilizados para diversos fins e para diferentes públicos : definir a « personalidade » do respondente através de uma pontuação em cada uma das escalas descritivas, avaliar a aptidão de uma pessoa para uma tarefa e um desempenho-alvo, identificar o risco de tentativa de suicídio ou de prática de um crime, etc. Estes testes, geralmente baseados numa escala de medição, são tecnicamente caracterizados pela sua fidelidade, validade e normas de interpretação, isto é, normas que permitem ao testador formular um juízo comparativo a partir da pontuação obtida pela pessoa avaliada. Este primeiro artigo trata da determinação das normas dos testes, especificamente da precisão dos limiares psicométricos ou percentis, e, como corolário, da validade da decisão tomada com base nessas normas.
Palavras chaves:
- limiares psicométricos,
- percentis estimados,
- decisão psicométrica,
- erro de medição,
- controlo do erro
Appendices
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