Separating Assessment of Subject Matter Knowledge From Assessment of Higher Order Cognitive Constructs

• In Event: On the Use and Validity of Tests in the Professions

Abstract

The need to assess higher-order cognitive skills leads to defining constructs that properly include both explicit and implicit assumptions. Prior to implementing new assessments that measure the intended construct, test developers must validate these assumptions. Borrowing from cognitive psychology paradigms, where higher-order constructs are regularly validated through theoretical models and frameworks, the current research explores an implicit assumption about the construct of clinical decision-making. Specifically, we present data from a pilot study that addresses the assumption that accurate clinical judgment requires knowledge of related subject matter. The results reaffirm the importance of disentangling two sources of decision-making errors: faulty judgment and faulty subject matter knowledge. The implications of these results are discussed.

Authors

• William Joseph Muntean, Pearson

• Marie Lindsay, Pearson Assessment & Information

• Joseph Betts, Pearson VUE

• Doyoung Kim, National Council of State Boards of Nursing

• Ada Woo, National Council of State Boards of Nursing

• Philip Dickison, National Council of State Boards of Nursing