Psychometric properties of the Social Training Achievement Record (the STAR profile)

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Seven hundred and sixty‐eight Social Training Achievement Records were collected independently in two settings during routine assessment of mentally handicapped people, mostly adults in hospital. All scales and total scores were highly internally consistent. Factor analysis on one sample yielded two factors named General Adaptive Behaviour and Community and Equipment Skills. This factor structure was replicated on the second sample. This factor solution is highly similar to that reported for the Adaptive Behavior Scale (Nihira, 1976). Two new scales were derived on the basis of these factor analyses which were also highly internally consistent. Parallel forms of these scales were also satisfactorily developed. Total scores and scores on the two new scales were adequate in routine clinical practice and showed good concurrent and criterion group validities. Reliabilities of individual items were less satisfactory. Suggestions for future developments of this scale are made.

The psychometric properties of the Social Training and Achievement Record: II. Reliabilities and concurrent validities

“…Formal studies of the test-retest and inter-rater reliabilities of the STAR are, therefore, required. Sturmey et al (1988) also reported concurrent validation with other measures of adaptive behaviour. Concurrent validity of STAR total scores with the Vineland Social Maturity Scale (Doll, 1947) was 0-920 and with the Adaptive Behavior Scale (Nihira et al, 1974) was 0-890.…”

“…It was designed specifically for assessment prior to skills teaching. In a previous study (Sturmey et al, 1988), the authors reported a factor analysis on two independent samples. This showed a replicable factor structure which yielded two factors, named General Adaptive Behaviour and Community and Equipment Skills.…”

Staff perceptions of sadness among people with mental handicaps

“…Unreliability may also arise from care staffs ability to report behaviour per se. Several studies have indicated that, although care staff may broadly agree on total scores of composite measures such as total scores of scales or sub-scales, agreement on individual items is usually more modest (Sturmey et al, 1988;Olurin & Sturmey, 1989). This may be the case even for relatively sahent behaviours which are of consequence for care staff; for example, incontinence (Stnith et al, 1975).…”

Dimensions of social competence in a population of adults with mental handicap

“…These authors concluded that a substantial portion of the adaptive behaviour construct is represented by a large personal independence factor. Other studies of various scales and measures have suggested that a multifactorial structure underlies adaptive behaviour, measured on various scales (Sturmey, Crisp, and Newton, 1988;Lambert and Nicoll, 1976;Widaman, Gibbs, and Geary, 1987). By contrast, Katz-Garris et al (1980) found a single, large factor underlying the Adaptive Behavior Scale (Nihira et al, 1975).…”