Aptitude measurement in U.S. subcultures

Abstract An item development effort aimed at measuring aptitudes in (minority and female) subpopulations is described. The project, completed under contract with the U.S. Coast Guard, developed items in the areas of mechanical knowledge and comprehension and arithmetic reasoning. A cross-cultural orientation guided the endeavor. Item development is described and preliminary reliability and validity information is reported. Results are discussed in terms of future considerations to help guide work on item development.