PQ Instruction Manual (On-Line version)

PQ Instruction Manual (print version)

PQ Off-Line Data Collection Form (print version) Additional data collection sheet for printing.

Additional Information about PQ (Not in the Manual)

Table of Content for Additional Material
Data Collection Procedures
Preliminary Norm construction
Instrument Properties
Training
 

Data Collection Procedures

Currently the norms for the test are based on a few cases where players have submitted their scores and other information.

Players are requested to complete the assessment as many times as they would like and submit their scores using the data collection forms. Multiple submissions over a period of weeks will allow for the calculation of reliability estimates and refinement of the test.

Players are requested to complete a survey of their current standing in leagues, player standings in tournaments and similar information. This will allow for the creation of normative tables for various scores and ability levels to be used by players and others. When sufficient data have been collected the scores can be used to handicap players.

To create norms for the test it is necessary to collect a good deal of information from a player. To protect player identity a system of pseudonyms is used. The player selects a unique name and password. This name is used when information is submitted and is used to create a player data set. Pseudonyms are not stored with the data sets. Each player is assigned a subject number and lists of pseudonyms are not maintained for data sharing. Research staff do not know the real names of the person using a pseudonym.

When data are submitted by email, the electronic transmission is destroyed as soon as the data are recorded. The research staff are not able to connect an email with a pseudonym or with any particular player. Players may submit data for themselves and for other players.

To insure that it is the same player who submits multiple data sets, a password is used each time a data set is submitted.

Through the use of a pseudonym and a password system the research staff can create large data sets for each player without knowing the player's true identity.  It is publically known that research staff cannot in any way identify individual players and it is simply not possible to reveal any personal information. We do not know or want to know the individual players. If a player contacts the web site with their pseudonym and password we will destroy the data set at the player's request.

Shown below is the format for storing pseudonyms off line. These data are not shared with others.

Shown below is a facsimile of the format for storing data that is shared with others.

When completed the data sets and the data storage procedures will be available on a reciprocal basis at no charge to any recognized organization that wants to evaluate a group of players in a cross sectional or longitudinal format. Under no circumstances will pseudonyms and passwords be shared with anyone. The data set can b used for reference purposes in some environments.

Collegial researchers with expertise in data collection and analysis are needed and encouraged to send an email outlining their credentials and proposed involvement. This is an open access, non proprietary project. Colleagues interested in working on that basis are encouraged to contact the site.

Organizations who would like to use the project results for proprietary research and evaluation may do so for personal non-commercial purposes. In essence this means the instrumentation and procedures are available for in-house use to improve one's organization but not for reproduction and / or sale of the original instrumentation. Public presentation of results are encouraged but not required.

Preliminary Norm Construction

When the instrument has been administered to enough players charts will be available on the web site. The number of players needed to create a chart will depend on the distribution of scores and the standard error of measurement for PA. These charts will be updated on a monthly basis or when 100 data sets have been received. Shown below is a sample of handicap estimates:

Instrument Properties

This section will contain standard test properties including item statistics, reliability and validly coefficients. Test-retest coefficients will be published and regression equations for predicting handicaps for various leagues.

Reliability is the ability of a test to yield the same score when it is used again. Reliability is affected by many variables including the conditions of the person, the equipment, and the circumstances under which the test is administered. Excellent tests have high reliability coefficients such as .9 for standarized IQ tests. The reliability of PQ will be established in several ways including internal reliability and test-retest reliability.

Generalizability is the ability of a test to predict performance under different conditions. With PQ the primary concern will be the ability of the test to reliability predict performance on different size tables.

Validity or the usefulness of a test is studied in many ways. One aspect of validity is the study of how well one performs in a tournament or a league versus how well one performs on PQ. One way to assess this is to collect information about past performance in leagues and tournaments to determine the ability of the instrument to predict past behavior. In general, it has been found that test behavior is related to actual behavior. However, these relationships are complicated and are affected by many variables.

One of the better assessments of the validity of the test will be its ability to predict future behavior. Another important aspect will be its ability to determine if a player benefits from some change in behavior such as after a training session or with a change in equipment. All of these uses require a test that is highly reliable.

Studies of the usefulness of PA under various circumstances such as with different equipment  and teaching conditions will be published under the articles section of the web site.

Training

The administration of PQ does not require any training. Follow the directions in the manual and a useful score will be obtained. Players who would like assistance with improving their playing ability can download instructional sets from this site and from any of several sites that will be listed in another section of the web site. See the Articles section for available downloads and the Links section for referrals to instructors and others.