Archived News
Has Intelligence Been Rising? A Lecture By James FlynnOn the 15th December 2006 an audience at Trinity College, Cambridge had the opportunity to listen to and question one of the leading participants in intelligence studies; James Flynn, the discoverer of the 'Flynn Effect'
Published: Dec 16, 2010
Effective interviewing: Tips from The Psychometrics Centre
Employers, researchers and job seekers talk a lot about interviews: are they a pointless conversation, or a tool that matches the right person to the right job? Are they fair? How do you present yourself in the best possible light to get a job? How do you arrange interviews to attract the best recruits?
Published: Nov 9, 2010
17th International Meeting of the Psychometric Society (IMPS2011)
The Psychometric Society held its 17th International Meeting in Hong Kong from the 19th to the 22nd of July 2011. The Psychometric Society is an international non-profit professional organisation devoted to the advancement of quantitative measurement practices in psychology, education and the social sciences.
Published: Aug 5, 2010
Why psychometrics training is more important than ever
Psychometrics is going through its most exciting period of development in many years. Usage is increasing dramatically in the UK in areas ranging from the treatment of mild mental disorder to organisational selection. Yet the Secretary General of the National Union of Teachers argues that "The idea of psychometric tests is a dead end that in many other walks of life has been shown to be highly dubious and very unreliable." Ian Florance considers what we can learn from this debate.
Published: May 15, 2010
University of Cambridge 6th Form Psychology Essay Prize
The Department of Social and Developmental Psychology at the University of Cambridge announces an Essay Competition for 6th Form students. Closing date 30th June 2010. The essay title this year “In an era of genetics, are psychological studies of environmental influences irrelevant?” . The prize is £500: £300 for the pupil and £200 for the school or college. The writer of the winning essay and his/her subject teacher will be invited to receive the prize at a lunch at Newnham College, Cambridge (travel expenses within the UK will be paid).
Published: Apr 19, 2010
Psychometric Centre receives new ESRC training award
The Economics and Social Research Council (ESRC) has shown its continued support for the Psychometrics Centre at the University of Cambridge by repeating its award of a Researcher Development Initiative. The previous grant, which expired in September 2009, had enabled the Centre to develop its web-based resouces and to make a significant contribution to training in the the latest techniques of psychometric analysis. These activities are now assured of contuinued support for a further few years.
Published: Oct 23, 2009
Research Post in Statistical/Psychometric Epidemiology
The University of Cambridge Developmental and Life-Course Epidemiology Group (Professor Peter Jones, Dr Tim Croudace and Dr Jennifer Barnett) is seeking to recruit a research fellow to work on a set of linked psychiatric, cognitive and genetic epidemiology projects funded by a grant from The Wellcome Trust. In collaboration with the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing (Dr Marcus Richards and Dr Darya Gaysina), the department has been awarded a project grant to relate longitudinal data on cognition, personality and mental health and molecular genetics, in the 1946 British birth cohort study (the MRC National Survey of Health and Development).
Published: Oct 23, 2009
Prize for best school essay on a psychometric topic
It’s good news that psychology is becoming such a popular subject in schools. To support this encouraging trend, we’re posting an essay by Ketan Ahuja, a pupil at St. Paul's School, London, which wins the University of Cambridge Psychometrics Centre’s prize as the best school essay on a psychometric topic. We were impressed that, rather than focusing analytical theories or eye-catching applied areas, he concentrates on underlying issues, including statistical phenomena which many students find off-putting. There’s also a sense that Ketan is addressing a subject of some personal interest, a sure way of making theory and research come alive.
Published: Oct 9, 2009
16th International Meeting of the Psychometric Society (IMPS 2009)
The Psychometric Centre at the University of Cambridge hosted IMPS 2009 in St John's College, Cambridge this year. The Psychometric Society is an international non-profit professional organisation devoted to the advancement of quantitative measurement practices in psychology, education and the social sciences.
Published: Jul 28, 2009
UK teenagers are not (necessarily) getting dumber
Reports last week in the international press state that new data proves ‘British teens are getting dumber’ and ‘have lower IQ scores than a generation ago’. ‘ Not so!’ says Professor John Rust, the UK academic who originated the data on which the claims are based. ‘ Across the developed world, IQ gains are naturally leveling out. In some ways we’re watching the effects of educational success.’
Published: Feb 17, 2009
Six Ph.D. studentships available in the Department of Psychiatry
The Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge invites applications from outstanding individuals, including recent graduates and current NHS staff, to compete for six fully funded PhD Studentships in Applied Mental Health Research. These opportunities are available as part of a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) award that brings together internationally renowned researchers over the next five years to conduct and disseminate applied research and to improve services in NHS settings.
Published: Dec 23, 2008
16th International Meeting of Psychometric Society in Cambridge, July 2009
The Psychometrics Centre at the University of Cambridge will be hosting the 16th International Meeting and the 74th Annual Meeting of the Psychometric Society in St John’s College, Cambridge from the 20th to the 24th July 2009. The Psychometric Society is an international non-profit professional organisation devoted to the advancement of quantitative measurement practices in psychology, education and the social sciences.
Published: Aug 9, 2008
The Psychometrics Centre moves in the University of Cambridge
The Psychometrics Centre opens new offices in the Mond Building in central Cambridge, dedicated to its focus on a growing international research and development agenda within the assessment world. This move consolidates the Centre's association with the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences and the Department of Psychiatry, and coincides with the closure of the Centre's office in Cambridge Assessment.
Published: Apr 1, 2008
New ESRC training initiative to help shape the future of testing
A new ESRC funded Researcher Development Initiative in Applied Psychometrics marks a new stage in the development of The Psychometrics Centre at the University of Cambridge; a centre of excellence in teaching, research and the application of human measurement in many fields.
Published: Feb 7, 2008
A New Award For Professor James Flynn
Professor James Flynn, Distinguished Associate of the Psychometrics Centre, was elected to a Fellowship of the Royal Society of New Zealand on 7th November 2007.
Published: Nov 16, 2007
Frequently Asked Questions About Psychometrics
Every school, most hospitals and around 70% of companies with over 50 employees use psychometric tests. Yet 'psychometrics' still sounds like a black art and 'testing' gives people flashbacks to sweating over exam papers. Let's clear away some of the mystery and misunderstanding, using business to illustrate what psychometrics is all about.
Published: Mar 18, 2007
Psychometric Centre Appoints Two Distinguished Associates
The Psychometrics Centre is pleased to announce that Professor Robert J Sternberg and Professor James R Flynn have agreed to become Distinguished Associates.
Published: Mar 7, 2007
Extension of The Psychometrics Centre Training Consultancy Activities
Professor John Rust, the Director of the Centre, comments: "Our aim is not to transport the UK model overseas but to reflect the specific needs and cultures of other parts of the world. Running the first courses taught us a lot about these."
Published: Mar 6, 2007
Tips on Taking A Test
When I was 12 I bought a copy of a paperback called 'TEST YOUR OWN IQ'. The answers to the questions were included at the back of the book. It seemed to me the most intelligent thing to do would be to look up the answers. I turned out to be a genius. Later events have shown the weakness of this 'cheating' strategy; I've been something of a failure in my successive attempts to be the new Shakespeare, Einstein and Michelangelo.
Published: Jan 5, 2007
Diversity At Work - A New PhD Student Reflects on The Psychometrics Centre
Emily Savage-McGlynn is the first recipient of a Psychometrics Scholarship, awarded by Cambridge Assessment. She took time from her studies to describe how she fits in to such a diverse environment.
Published: Dec 11, 2006
The Psychometrics Centre Wins A Major Project From Harcourt
The Psychometrics Centre has been awarded a £300,000 contract from Harcourt Assessment to undertake the full UK schools standardisation of the Ravens Progressive Matrices and Vocabulary Scales
Published: Dec 6, 2006
Innocence and Experience
The law on age discrimination in organisations came into effect on 1st October. It joins legislation on gender, ethnicity, disability, religious belief and sexual orientation and, like these, applies to how people are treated by a variety of organisations when they apply for a job or are in employment.
Published: Oct 4, 2006
Financial Risk Profiler Developed With Distribution Technologies Ltd
During late 2005, Distribution Technologies approached us to develop a new instrument to assess individual's attitude to financial risk.
Published: Jul 4, 2006
Shortage of Psychometricians Reported Across America
The following article by David M. Herszenhorn appeared in the New York Times on the 4th May 2006, and also in the Sarasota Herald Tribune and the Amhurst Times on the 5th May.
Published: Mar 5, 2006
The Psychometrics Centre moves to Cambridge
On 1st November 2005 The Psychometrics Centre moved from City University, London to its new home at Cambridge Assessment, a department of the University of Cambridge.
Published: Nov 1, 2005
Launch of The UK's First pan Online Testing Centre
The official launch of the UK's first pan Online Testing Centre, a partnership between pan testing and the Psychometrics Centre at City University, London, took place on 19th October 2004.
Published: Oct 20, 2005
Management in Two Minds
People Management magazine reports (June 8th) the launch of the 'Newbury Index Rating' of human capital value - a framework for objectively measuring employee value. Good!
Published: Jun 16, 2005
Feeling Good or Doing Better?
Professor John Rust was invited to lead a Masterclass at The Royal Society aimed at psychologists and HR practitioners for the British Psychological Society's Learning a Living Programme. Here is a summary of the day's activities.
Published: Jun 1, 2005
A Spoon Full of Sugar
The US hit television series 'The Apprentice' pitted a series of candidates against flamboyant entrepreneur Donald Trump. They were given a series of tasks which weeded them out until a winner was offered a job in Trump's organisation. In The UK Sir Alan Sugar is cast in the Donald Trump role.
Published: Feb 9, 2005
Work/Life or Work/Work - How Do We Strike The Balance
The term 'work/life balance' refers to how we meet the often conflicting demands of work and home. The best analogy is that of a juggler: some of us happily juggle many balls at any one time, others prefer to juggle fewer. Occasionally, all of us will drop some balls.
Published: Jan 5, 2005
Landmark Clinical Study of Use of Testosterone Patch
Earlier this month, Procter and Gamble announced the results of a safety and efficacy study of treatment with a female testosterone patch. The study showed increased satisfying sexual activity and desire in patients with Hypoactive Desire Sexual Disorder (lack of sexual desire causing a woman personal distress) who previously had both ovaries removed.
Published: May 20, 2004
CELF-IV UK - A Major Test Adaptation
The new 4th Edition of the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF-4) is to be standardised in the UK .
Published: Apr 14, 2004
Recruiting and Keeping Older Workers
Since the 1960s business thinking has emphasised youth and what youth supposedly carries with it: vitality, energy, creativity. Remember the dot.com bust and you'll question whether youth knows what it's doing.
Published: Apr 11, 2004
Creativity in an Organisation
If change is a condition of business existence, where do the new ideas come from? Almost any technological or product advance can be copied in a couple of months - where does an organisation's competitive advantage live? The answer to both of these questions seems to be 'people'. You can't innovate by committee. Your unique identifiers may well be your customer service team; they can also be the personalities, knowledge and originality of key staff. What Is creativity?
Published: Apr 10, 2004
Tangled up in the net
Spend on on-line recruitment advertising has just passed spend on its print equivalent. Organisations are realising that training on-line saves money in travel, hotel bills and time spent away from work. Given these trends it's a sure bet that most tests will be delivered on-line within five years. Should we rejoice or bewail this inevitable development?
Published: Mar 9, 2004
City Insights Lecture - People Who Need People
Professor John Rust, Director of The Psychometrics Centre, delivered his lecture "People Who Need People: Does Psychometrics Have A Place in Staff Selection?" on 26th February 2004 in the Oliver Thomson Lecture Theatre at City University.
Published: Feb 27, 2004
Launch of The WPPSI-III UK
The Psychometrics Centre at City University, London has been working on the UK standardisation of the long-awaited WPPSI-III UK. Harcourt Assessment (formerly The Psychological Corporation) have now published the scales.
Published: Feb 23, 2004