Monitor on Psychology - February 2012 - (Page 12)

upfront APA launches a new database of tests and measures Inventories, surveys, questionnaires and scales, whatever you call them, “tests are absolutely essential to psychological research,” says Linda Beebe, senior director of PsycINFO in APA’s Office of Publications and Databases. But tracking down unpublished tests has been like searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack — until now. Last September, APA launched PsycTESTS, a comprehensive database of psychological tests and measures. Psychologists have developed thousands of tests, scales and surveys to measure everything from personality and intelligence to spirituality and addiction. But only a fraction of those assessments have been commercially published and sold in bulk. “Librarians report that finding measurement instruments is the single most frequent request from graduate students,” says APA Publisher Gary R. VandenBos, PhD. “PsycTests is an exciting tool to respond to this need, for all levels of researchers.” For the past three years, the PsycINFO team has been scouring peer-reviewed journals and emailing authors to collect as many tests as possible. The work has paid off. The database contains information about some 3,000 tests, including about 2,100 downloadable copies of the tests themselves. Previously, Beebe says, the only place to search for noncommercial tests was the database of the Educational Testing Service, which administers the SAT and other standardized tests. However, that database contains only 1,200 entries, most of which are focused on education rather than psychological assessment. PsycTESTS is the first centralized collection of psychology-specific tests. All of the assessments in PsycTESTS have been reported at conferences or in peer-reviewed journals, dissertations, technical reports or books, Beebe says. To help psychologists and students find the tests they need, the database also contains information about tests sold commercially. The database was offered to institutions beginning in September 2011, and the initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, VandenBos says. PsycTESTS is now available to individual APA members in the PsycNET package. Users can also purchase day passes to search the PsycTESTS database for 24 hours. PsycTESTS continues to grow, and new tests are added monthly. Psychologists who have developed their own assessments are encouraged to submit them to the database. For more information about the database, including a video tutorial about how to submit your own tests, visit www. apa.org/pubs/databases/psyctests. —k. WEiR Watch for a new member benefit: “APA Access” looking for ways to get more involved in your association? Want to nominate a colleague for an award? Want more information on APA’s 2012 Annual Convention? information on all these association activities and much more appears in “APA Access,” the new bimonthly newsletter distributed to all members via email. Read the newsletter at www.apa.org/ pubs/newsletters/access. For more information, contact Steven Schwark at sschwark@apa.org. Apply now for this summer’s Advanced Training Institutes APA is offering four Advanced Training Institutes (ATIs) this summer of 2012 to expose advanced graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, new and established faculty, and other researchers to state-of-the-art research methods and emerging technologies. This year’s ATIs are: • Structural Equation Modeling in Longitudinal Research, University of California, Davis, May 29–June 2. Apply by March 20. • Exploratory Data Mining in Behavioral Research, University of California, Davis, June 4–8. Apply by March 20. • Research Methods with Diverse Racial & Ethnic Groups, Michigan State University, June 11–15. Apply by March 27. • Non-Linear Methods for Psychological Science, University of Cincinnati, June 18–22. Apply by March 27. To get complete information about these programs, go to www.apa.org/science/resources/ati. 12 M o n i t o r o n p s y c h o l o g y • F e b ru a ry 2 0 1 2 http://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/psyctests http://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/psyctests http://www.apa.org/oubs/newsletters/access http://www.apa.org/oubs/newsletters/access http://www.apa.org/science/resources/ati

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - February 2012

Monitor on Psychology - February 2012
Letters
President’s column
Contents
From the CEO
APA files two briefs in support of same-sex couples
New registry seeks to understand addiction recovery through ‘crowdsourcing’
APA launches a database of tests and measures
Watch for new member benefit: “APA Access”
Apply now for APA’s Advanced Training Institutes
PsycTHERAPY, APA’s new database, brings therapy demos to life
In Brief
APA scientists help guide tobacco regulation
A-mazing research
‘A machine for jumping to conclusions’
Judicial Notebook
Random Sample
Righting the imbalance
The beginnings of mental illness
Science Directions
Improving disorder classification, worldwide
Protesting proposed changes to the DSM
Interventions for at-risk students
Harnessing the wisdom of the ages
Anti-bullying efforts ramp up
Hostile hallways
R U friends 4 real?
Support for teachers
Speaking of Education
Record keeping for practitioners
Going green
At the intersection of law and psychology
Division Spotlight
Grants help solve society’s problems
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - February 2012