Examiner Accuracy during Protocol Completion

Abstract

This study investigated examiner accuracy in the completion of protocols during actual test sessions. The performances of 22 language handicapped preschoolers, each tested by a familiar and strange examiner, were videotaped. Eleven examiners were inexperienced; another 11 examiners were professionally experienced. Protocols generated by the actual examiners and by independent raters, who viewed the tapes, were scored. Analysis of variance revealed that examiners' protocols yielded significantly higher scores than did raters' protocols; children scored significantly higher when tested by familiar, rather than unfamiliar examiners; and children's scores were similar whether examiners were experienced or inexperienced. Additionally, a significant three-way interaction among protocol completer (rater vs. examiner), familiarity, and examiner experience indicated that examiner in- accuracy was greater for inexperienced testers during familiar testing sessions, but greater for experienced testers during unfamiliar sessions. Implications for psychoeducational assessment are discussed.