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Behavioral Tests & Measures in the Health Sciences

A Bibliographic Resource Guide

Introduction

This guide describes major resources used to locate materials on psychological or behavioral questionnaires, surveys, measures, tools, scales, and instruments as related to the health sciences. The guide will refer to these as "tests". This guide will NOT cover medical diagnostic or physical tests.

There is no simple way to find a test or its related literature, so it will be necessary to check several different resources. These include directories, textbooks, and databases. For assistance in using a resource, please ask the library staff at the Information Desk.

The resources described may be used for three main purposes:

  • Obtain the actual test instrument
  • Locate literature discussing the application, validity, and reliability of a particular test
  • Find out what tests are available to measure a specific behavior or phenomenon

Directories of Tests

Directories contain a brief description, the name and address of a contact person or organization, and often include references that discuss or evaluate the test. The description may include information on the availability, reliability and validity of the test. The directories often contain subject indexes as well as author and title indexes. The Medical Library has the following directories in its reference collection located in the Information Room:

Advanced research methodology: an annotated guide to sources. R. Barker Bausell. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1991.
Ref 2 ZH62 B28 1991

Assessment scales in old age psychiatry. Alistair Burns, Brian Lawlor, Sarah Craig. Malden, Mass.: Distributed in the United States by Blackwell Science, 1999.
Ref 16 RC473 P78 +B876 1999

The Bech, Hamilton, and Zung Scales for mood disorders: screening and listening: a twenty years update with references to DSM-IV and ICD-10. Per Bech. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 1995.
Ref 16 RC537 B378 1995

The Behavioral outcomes and guidelines sourcebook: a progress report and resource guide on mental health and substance abuse management. Washington, DC: Faulkner & Gray's Healthcare Information Center, 1995-
Ref 16 RA790.6 +B44 2001

Child health assessment: a handbook of measurement techniques. James R. Rodrigue, Gary R. Geffken, Randi M. Streisand. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2000.
Ref 16 RJ50 R625 2000

Compendium of neuropsychological tests: administration, norms, and commentary. 2nd ed. Otfried Spreen, Esther Strauss. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Ref 16 RC386.6 N48 S67 1998

Comprehensive, annotated bibliography of selected psychological tests: interpersonal checklist, MMPI short forms, the Blacky pictures. Earl S. Taulbee and Thomas L. Clark. Troy, NY: Whitston Pub. Co., 1982.
Ref 2 ZBF176 T38 1982

Directory of unpublished experimental mental measures, volumes 1-7. Bert A. Goldman Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 1996 -
Ref 16 BF431 +G624

Gender roles: a handbook of text and measures. Carole A. Beere. New York: Greenwood Press, 1990.
Ref 16 HM253 B43 1990

Handbook of assessment methods for eating behaviors and weight-related problems: measures, theory, and research. David B. Allison, ed. London: Sage Publications, 1995.
Ref 16 RC552 E18 H357 1995

Handbook of psychiatric measures. American Psychiatric Association, Task Force for the Handbook of Psychiatric Measures. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2000
Ref 16 RC473 P78 +A46 2000

Handbook of psychological and educational assessment of children: intelligence and achievement. Cecil R. Reynolds, Randy W. Kamphaus, editors. New York: Guilford Press, 1990.
Ref 16 BF722 H33 1990 1

Handbook of psychological and educational assessment of children: personality behavior and context. Cecil R. Reynolds, Randy W. Kamphaus, editors. New York: Guilford Press, 1990.
Ref 16 BF722 H33 1990 2

An Introduction to psychological tests and scales. Kate Miriam Loewenthal. Philadelphia; Psychology Press, 2001.
Ref 16 BF176 L64 2001

Measuring Disease: a review of disease-specific quality of life measurement scales. Ann Bowling. Philadelphia; Open University Press, 2001.
Ref 16 RA407 B68 2001

Measurement tools in patient education. Barbara K. Redman, editor. New York: Springer Pub. Co., 1998.
Ref 16 R727.4 M43 1998

Measures for clinical practice: a sourcebook. 2nd ed. Joel Fischer New York: Maxwell Macmillan International . 1994 Vol 1: Couples, Families and Children; Vol. 2: Adults
Ref 16 BF176 C66 2000

Measures of family functioning for research and practice. Kathleen J. Sawin, Marcia P. Harrigan ; Pierre Woog, editor. New York : Springer Pub. Co., c1995.

Measures of need and outcome for primary health care. David Wilkin, Lesley Hallam, and Marie-Anne Doggett. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993.
Ref 16 RA407 W55 1993

Measuring health : a guide to rating scales and questionnaires. Ian McDowell, Claire Newell. 2nd ed. New York : Oxford University Press, 1996.
Ref 16 RA408.5 M38 1996

Mental health outcome measures. Graman Thornicroft, Michele Tansella, eds. New York: Springer, 1996.
Ref 16 RA790.5 M45 1996

Mental measurements yearbook. 14th edition. Highland Park, N.J.: The Mental Measurements Yearbook, 2001.
Ref 16 BF431 M4 2001

MMPI-2: assessing personality and psychopathology. 3rd ed., John R. Graham. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Ref 16 RC473 M5 G73 2000

Personality tests and reviews II: a monograph consisting of the personality sections of the seventh Mental Measurements Yearbook (1972) and Tests in Print II (1974). Oscar Krisen Buros, editor. Highland Park, N.J.: Gryphon Press, 1975
Ref 16 BF431 M42 1975

Personality tests and reviews: including an index to The Mental Measurements Yearbook. Oscar Krisen Buros, editor. Highland Park, N.J.: Gryphon Press, 1970.
Ref 16 BF431 M42 1970

Practitioner's guide to developmental and psychological testing. Glen Aylward P. New York: Plenum Medical, 1994.
Ref 16 RJ503.5 A94 1994

Rating scales in mental health. Martha Sajatovi, Luis F. Ramirez. Hudson, OH: Lexi-Comp, 2001.
Ref 16 RC473 P78 S24 2001

Sex and gender issues: a handbook of tests and measures. Carole A. Beere. New York: Greenwood, 1990.
Ref 16 BF692 B38 1990

Source book of geriatric assessment (Evaluations en gerontologie. English). Liliane Israel, Djordje Kozarevic, Norman Sartorius. New York: Karger, 1984.
Ref 16 RC451.4 A5 +I87 1984 1+2

Sourcebook of adult assessment strategies. Nicola S. Schutte and John M. Malouff. New York : Plenum Press, c1995.
Ref 16 RC473 P78 S38 1995

Tests: a comprehensive reference for assessments in psychology, education, and business. 4th edition. Taddy Maddox, general editor. Austin, Tex.: Pro-Ed, 1997.
Ref 16 BF176 T43 1997

Tests and measurements in child development: handbook II. Orval G. Johnson. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1976.
Ref 16 BF722 J632 1976 1 + 2

Tests in print V: an index to tests, test reviews, and the literature on specific tests. Linda L. Murphy, Jane Close Conoley, James C. Impara, eds. Lincoln, Neb.: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1999.
Ref 16 LB3051 T47 1999

Books on Tests and Measures

Books, especially textbooks, can provide another valuable source for tests. Books may give an overview to the general subject area as well as provide discussion of the application, reliability, and validity of the tests.

Search ORBIS (Library Catalog) under the following suggested subject headings:

psychological tests
education tests and measurements
intelligence tests
neuropsychological tests
personality assessment
personality tests
psychodiagnosis
achievement tests

Consider searching by keyword to cross a subject topic with keywords for tests, such as test?, measurement?, assessment? (? is the truncation/wildcard symbol in ORBIS). For example, to locate books on measuring aging, you would do the following search:

aging and (test? or measurement? or assessment?)

Use keyword searching for the name of a test in order to find books written about a specific test, especially an established, widely used test. For example, to search for books on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory you would do the followi ng search:

(minnesota multiphasic personality inventory) or mmpi

Orbis (Library Catalog)
Orbis (the library catalog) allows you to locate books and journal titles available in the Medical Library and other Yale libraries. Books and journals are cataloged under both Library of Congress (LSCH) and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH).

Tests in the Journal Literature

The journal literature will often contain articles that discuss the application and validity of specific tests. The actual instruments or scales are sometimes included as part of the article, or, a contact person and address may be given. There are sev eral databases (both electronic and print formats) that may be searched to create a bibliography on a particular test or to locate a test on a topic.

Computerized versions of the periodical indexes are a powerful tool for searching the literature. The computer allows you to combine topics easily and rapidly as well as search for words or phrases in the titles and abstracts of journal articles effici ently.

To Find a Specific Test
Search for the name of a particular test as a keyword or textword search to find the name in the article title or abstract. Search all the variations in the test's name such as acronyms versus the full name, e.g., MMPI, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality I nventory. Also consider searching by the name of the test creator as an author search to find articles s/he may have written about the test.

To Find Tests on a Subject
Create a search on the subject area of interest, then narrow the search down to articles on tests by crossing the topic with the list of terms below that describe the concept of 'tests'. The test terms may be searched either as subjects or textwords/keywo rds, depending upon the particular index.

Test Term Synonyms
test or tests
pretest or pretests
subtest or subtests
posttest or posttests
inventory or inventories
survey or surveys
scale or scales
measure or measures or measurement or measurements
questionnaire or questionnaires
rating or ratings

Example
To find literature discussing scales to measure anxiety attacks, do a subject search for "anxiety". Create a search for the "test" terms. Then, cross the two topics with the Boolean AND.

1. anxiety or panic
2. scale or scales or rating or ratings
3. 1 and 2

Databases Available for You to Search

Databases are available from the Library's website (http://www.med.yale.edu/library) on the sidebar under Major Resources.

Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)
CINAHL is the major bibliographic database for the English-language journals in nursing and allied health fields. 1200 journals are selectively or comprehensively indexed. Publications of the American Nurses' Association and the National League for Nursing are included as well as books in nursing and allied health fields, which include physical therapy, respiratory therapy, cardiopulmonary technology, medical and laboratory technology, occupational therapy, radiologic technology, social services in health care, emergency services, medical records, health sciences librarianship, medical assisting, the physician's assistant, surgical technology, and health education.

Tips for Searching CINAHL

  • Research Instrument as publication type
    Research instrument is assigned to documents created by CINAHL for a particular research instrument. Document records include such information as population studied, psychometrics, scoring, how to obtain, modifications. Full-text of the instrument is prov ided only when CINAHL has been given permission from the copyright owner.

Use research instrument when you are looking for a known instrument or you want to find specific information about research instruments on a particular topic.

For example, if you wanted to find research instruments on coping, you would first conduct a subject search on 'coping'. Then you would either limit the search to publication type by selecting the limit icon and choosing 'research instrument' as a publica tion type, or you could type the search string 'research instrument.pt.'
For example:

1. coping
2. 1 and research instrument.pt.

  • Instrumentation Field
    The instrumentation field is a keyword searchable field. This field contains the names of instruments used in the research study (article) being indexed. You could use this field to find all studies that used a particular instrument in their research.

ERIC/AE Test Locator
ERIC includes three databases:

  • The Educational Testing Service Test Collection (ETS/ERIC Test File) database contains records on over 10,000 tests and research instruments. These records describe the instruments and provide availability information
  • Test Review Locator allows you to search for citations to reviews of educational and psychological tests and measures that The Buros Institute of Mental Measurements and ProEd (book publisher) have included in their directories
  • Buros/ERIC Test Publisher Directory allows you to search for the names and addresses of over 900 major commerical test publishers. This database was compiled by The Buros Institute of Mental Measurements.
    The Test Locator is a joint project of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation at the Catholic University of America, the Library and Reference Services Division of the Educational Testing Service, the Buros Institute of Mental Measurements at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, the Region III Comprehensive Center at GW University, and Pro-Ed test publishers.

Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HaPI)
HaPI provides ready access to information on measurement instruments (i.e., questionnaires, interview schedules, checklists, index measures, coding schemes/ manuals, rating scales, projective techniques, vignettes/scenarios, tests) in the health fields, p sychosocial sciences, organizational behavior, and library and information science. HAPI assists researchers, practitioners, educators, administrators, and evaluators, including students, to identify measures needed for research studies, grant proposals, client/patient assessment, class papers/projects, theses/dissertations, and program evaluation. By creating an organized resource of previously unavailable measurement information, HAPI: (a) provides a means of locating a variety of instruments, (b) helps to reduce inefficiency and cost, and (c) eliminates duplication and "reinvention of the wheel."

Tips for Searching HaPI

  • HaPI uses subject headings from both APAs Thesaurus of Psychological Terms and the National Library of Medicine's Medical Subject Headings. Another effective way to search HaPI is to do a textword search using unique words from the titl e of the particular instrument or the acronym of the test.

For example:

1. social readjustment.tw.

Another example:

1. srrs.tw.

MEDLINE
MEDLINE, produced by the National Library of Medicine, provides extensive coverage of the world's biomedical journal literature. MEDLINE covers more than 4000 journal titles and is international in scope. Broad coverage includes basic biomedical research and the clinical sciences since 1966 including nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, allied health, and pre-clinical sciences. MEDLINE also covers life sciences that are vital to biomedical practitioners, researchers, and educators, including some aspects of biology, environmental science, marine biology, plant and animal science as well as biophysics and chemistry. Increased coverage of life sciences began in 2000. MEDLINE is available from both Ovid and PubMed.

PsycInfo/Psychological Abstracts (PA)
The PsycINFO database covers the professional and academic literature in psychology and related disciplines including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, and other areas. Coverage is worldwide, and i ncludes references and abstracts to over 1300 journals and dissertations in more than 30 languages, and to book chapters and books in the English language. Over 50,000 references are added annually. Popular literature is excluded.

Web of Science
The Web of Science (ISI Citation Databases) collectively index more than 8,000 high quality, peer-reviewed journals cover-to-cover, providing users with complete bibliographic data, full-length author abstracts, and cited references from the world's most influential research with online backfiles access now completely matching the print editions:

  • The Science Citation Index Expanded covers over 5,300 journals (2000 more titles than the print or CD-ROM version) and is updated with 16,000 new records every week. (1945 to present)
  • The Social Sciences Citation Index covers over 1,700 journals and is updated by 2,800 new records every week. (1956 to present)
  • The Arts & Humanities Citation Index covers over 1,100 journals and is updated by 2,200 new records every week. Through the Web of Science, these multidisciplinary databases are available independently or in any combination