empirically keyed test

an assessment in which answers are scored in such a way as to establish differences in responses among groups already known to differ. For example, on a test measuring problem solving, the correct alternative among the response choices would be the one preferred by members of a criterion group who were administered the test previously. See also empirical-criterion keying.

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Psychology term of the day

March 16th 2025

symptom specificity

a hypothesis stating that people with psychosomatic disorders display abnormal responses to stress in particular physiological systems. According to this hypothesis, a person’s complaints will center around a particular organ (e.g., the heart) and set of related symptoms (e.g., cardiovascular symptoms) rather than involving a variety of complaints about different organs or systems.