Find over 25,000 psychological definitions


standard error of measurement

(symbol: SEM) an index of the reliability of an assessment instrument, representing the variation of an individual’s scores across multiple administrations of the same test. The larger the standard error of measurement, the greater the score variation across administrations. In essence, the standard error of measurement provides an indication of how confident one may be that an individual’s obtained score on any given measurement opportunity represents his or her true score.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

April 28th 2024

double standard

double standard

the hypocritical belief that a code of behavior is permissible for one group or individual but not for another. For example, a double standard is held by the man who believes that free sexual expression is acceptable only for males, thus insisting on his daughter’s virginity while encouraging or ignoring his son’s philandering.