Online cognitive assessment in the era of COVID-19: Examining the validity of the MEZURE.

Developed more than 2 decades ago, the MEZURE (Assessment Technologies, 1995-2020; https://www.mezure.com/) has received increased attention as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the first individualized test of cognitive ability created to use an online (local or remote) assessment modality. The MEZURE claims to be aligned both with the extended Gf-Gc theory and the Cattell-Horn-Carroll model of abilities. Whereas the test publisher claims it used exploratory factor analysis to investigate the instrument's factor structure, only the subtest factor loadings on the Gf-Gc factors were furnished. No other structural validity information was provided, suggesting that users of the instrument should interpret the scores produced by the MEZURE with caution. Accordingly, the present study used exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to more fully investigate the structural validity of the MEZURE. The results revealed that the MEZURE contains a combined perceptual reasoning (i.e., [Gf/Gv]/working memory [Gwm]) group factor, a verbal ability group factor, and a relatively weak general factor that is dominated by perceptual reasoning. The finding of a paltry general factor that is weakly loaded by verbal subtests is inconsistent with the broader research on traditional cognitive ability assessment and could be related to the online administration format of the test. Future research is required to better understand this finding. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Vineland-3 Measurement Non-Invariance in Children With and Without Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Measurement of adaptive skills is important in the diagnosis, intervention planning, and progress monitoring of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Thus, ensuring accurate measurement, including measurement invariance, across children with and without IDD is critical. In this study, we evaluate the measurement invariance using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) of the Vineland-3 Comprehensive Interview (CIF) across children ages 6-21 years with and without IDD (N = 1,192) using archival data. Results showed that the Vineland-3 CIF exhibits configural invariance but may show some metric non-invariance in children with and without IDD. Suggestions for using the Vineland-3 CIF in this population are provided and future research and measure development needs are discussed.

Conducting Psychoeducational Assessments During the COVID-19 Crisis: the Danger of Good Intentions.

Decision-makers in school psychology are presently engaged in the process of determining how to, if possible, move forward with conducting mandated psychoeducational evaluations of students in schools during the pandemic. Whereas prominent organizations within the profession (e.g., American Psychological Association, National Association of School Psychologists) have issued guidance and encouraged practitioners to delay testing, it is not clear whether that is a viable option in every jurisdiction. Accordingly, professionals are now considering the potential use of telehealth platforms to conduct assessments, in some form, as we move forward and deal with this crisis. The goal of this brief commentary is to raise some provisional limitations associated with the use of telehealth to conduct psychological assessments that we believe will have to be considered as use of these platforms is debated. Recommendations for professional practice are also provided.

Is the Vineland-3 Comprehensive Interview Form a Multidimensional or Unidimensional Scale? Structural Analysis of Subdomain Scores Across Early Childhood to Adulthood.

As the Vineland Scales are among the most relevant, well-developed, and popular measures of adaptive behavior available for use, this study evaluated the factor structure and dimensionality of the Vineland-3 Comprehensive Interview Form. Drawing data from 2,560 participants in the norming sample, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were completed across two independent samples from four age-groups ranging from preschool-age children to adults. Results from exploratory factor analysis revealed evidence for a unidimensional model across age-groups, but results from confirmatory factor analysis indicated that multidimensional models were better fitting than unidimensional models for each age-group. Discussion focuses on whether the Vineland-3 Comprehensive Interview Form is truly a unidimensional or multidimensional measure.