pabloc Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 Confession time - I am a Blues fan and a psychologist. I am in the process of developing some abstract reasoning tests and need to trial them. People on the Blues forum have been trying these tests. Why not have a go here - in the spirit of friendly rivalry and helping my research? Plus.... people who try out tests before 16th July get entry into a draw for an i-pad. http://marmoset.assessmenttrials.co.uk/runTrialsgenShortnew.aspx?c=av Top self-reported score on the Blues Forum was 11/14. The above link takes you to a site with several short tests (14 questions and 10 minutes to do them). When you have done one, you can see a link to a couple of very difficult tests (27 questions and 40 minutes to do them), should you be up for the challenge. Feel free to circulate the address to anyone who might be interested. The performance of people in general is shown in the graph below - so the tests are quite tough. Thanks. Pabloc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted July 6, 2012 Administrator Share Posted July 6, 2012 Please link your your privacy policy and let us know what you are going to do with the results. The vague promise of an ipad suggests that someone is making money from this and you post anonymously, so please explain or I'll delete it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiggyrichard Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 I read the first line...get the taser!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pabloc Posted July 6, 2012 Author Share Posted July 6, 2012 Please link your your privacy policy and let us know what you are going to do with the results. The vague promise of an ipad suggests that someone is making money from this and you post anonymously, so please explain or I'll delete it. Hi Limpid, Sorry, not trying to do anything dodgy or underhand. Hope the following helps. We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office under the Data Protection Act. I don't want to contravene your rules, so do delete the post if it is problematic. Everything is explained on the linked site. But anyway, below are some bits from the site. But, basically, there is no requirement to give any information at all about yourself (though obviously if you want to go into the i=pad draw you need to give a contact). You can do the tests and give no information at all, other than to say Q1 answer = B (or whatever). This is not about selling anything and not exploiting anyone. Some people who are applying for jobs where they need to do tests, practice doing tests so they can perform at their best in the job assessment process. Some people are juts curiou and enjoy solving problems. The Blues fans' site enjoyed doing them and trying to outdo each other, so I thought maybe the Villa fans might like to have a go in the sense of some fun rivalry. I am developing such tests and need to get people to try them out, and I do use their answers to test questions (i.e. not personal info) to see if the tests are working properly. A range of people have beein trialling them (Blues fans forum; Student Room; University of London Careers Service). I will eventually sell the test. There is a contact email on the front page and a company address on the Terms and Conditions. The T&C specify all about the i-pad draw, so there is nothing vague there. ======== We would also like you to provide some information about yourself. This is held completely confidentially and securely and is crucial for us in ensuring that the tests we develop are fair. However, this is optional – you can take the test without giving us any information about yourself. ======== Confidentiality All information about you will be held confidentially and securely. Your name and email will be held only until the i-pad draws have been completed, after which they will be deleted (unless you have asked us to contact you by email about any future trials we may run). ======== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted July 6, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted July 6, 2012 The Blues fans' site enjoyed doing them and trying to outdo each other Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted July 6, 2012 Administrator Share Posted July 6, 2012 Thanks. Personally I'd still not give any information to someone posting anonymously (you still don't say who "we" are), but that's just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brumerican Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 I wouldn't piss on a nose if they were on fire, let alone help one out . Unless I was pissing petrol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrackpotForeigner Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 People on the Blues forum have been trying these [intelligence] tests. The results, so far, have all been "negative", haven't they? Be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunRickyRun Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 People on the Blues forum have been trying these [intelligence] tests. The results, so far, have all been "negative", haven't they? Be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted July 6, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted July 6, 2012 pabloc - you just knew you were going to get this response, didn't you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Posted July 6, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted July 6, 2012 Pabloc have any of the noses managed to get past the opening link yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trekka Posted July 6, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted July 6, 2012 I'm a bit uncomfortable with this. I would have said this looks harmless until... I seen that the opening page asked for name and email. If this is really important (and he says that it is not necessary to give any personal information) why include it on the first page? I do actually believe that this is part of a trial but in these days of "spam-attacks" etc, we have to be careful. If it is that important in terms of defining statistical significance then personal information is not needed at all (and I do stats tests daily...goooo me!). I understand the prompt to win an "i=pad" but really, this should be a prompt at the end where you can choose to submit an additional form or disregard the results. It should also be made clear at the start that in order win said prize (and submit the results), people are required to give their email and personal information (I class the name as personal and if you are in the frame to win the "i=pad", it has to real, does it not?). Sorry if I seem harsh but we all need to be careful nowadays. Is that image above from Minitab or R? Edit: Closer inspection states that this is a HR consultancy (specialising in psychology) from Blandford Forum in Dorset (nice place!). I highly doubt that the original poster is a blues fan... I thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pabloc Posted July 6, 2012 Author Share Posted July 6, 2012 Hi Trekka, Thanks for your comments, and I understand your concerns. There is a lot of text (too much probably) to get through. In fact it does say in the 4th line of text...."In return, we will enter you into the prize draw for an i-pad - provided you give us your name and email so that we are able to contact you." The main reason for having an identifier at the start is so that when someone goes in to do further tests, they will not be given the same test again. People use the site for practicing and so want to try several different tests. There are currently 6 tests up there. You can do the test and get your results without giving any personal information - just leave everything blank. But you wouldn't be contactable if you won the i-pad and you might get the same test again if you went in to so a subsequent test. Image is from SPSS. Cheers. Edit: That's very cynical Trekka. For info - I've been a true blue since about 1960. Born and bred in Yardley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trekka Posted July 6, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted July 6, 2012 Sorry for the character assassination (or my attempt at it) but I guess my concern is that you can only submit the form unless you submit your personal details (or have I read it wrong?). Is there not a way where you can let people complete the form anonymously - possibly via email without their name? I am fairly sure that you would get a higher sample. What if people submitted false names in the form? The only way you can guarantee individuality and hence, individual results is by verifying every entry - I'm a bit lost as to why you would want to advertise this on a football forum where you state you support the rival. Surely you must realise that this could only tempt people into posting fake results? Whichever way you look at it, the results would not be "normal" based on your prompt to us wanting to beat the score of our rivals (which you state is 11/14). Actually, getting into it, why would you want to split the results of people from different clubs at all? Cynical me thinks that you've said that you support Villa on the Blues forum... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trekka Posted July 6, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted July 6, 2012 Have I passed the abstract reasoning test? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunRickyRun Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 Cynical me thinks that you've said that you support Villa on the Blues forum... +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troon_villan Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 On behalf of my brothers from Birmingham, we don't need tests to determine which half of the City is the more intelligent. It's fairly obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pabloc Posted July 6, 2012 Author Share Posted July 6, 2012 Trekka, I am not particularly interested in splitting the results by football club. But I am interested in knowing which approaches are working in terms of people taking up the trial. I guess the blues fans were more up for taking it all at face value as they know me as a poster on the forum. I would like to get a broad range of the population trying the tests, and football suporters are quite good in that respect. Football cuts across many boundaries (age, class, job, income) providing diversity in the sample, but it is not so good in other respects (i.e. mostly blokes from Brum). It is hard to find enough people to do the trials, so I am trying to extend the sample as best I can. People are taking the test in uncontrolled conditions, and they may not try, or they may take the same test several times to try to get a high score. I can, to a large extent, identify through statistical analysis the people who are less serious - but you are right, it is a problem with the research data and it is not ideal. People can do the tests without giving any information, but they can't be entered for the draw if they don't. If you put your name as 'Trekka' or 'Paul Lambert', then if you won, we would email you saying..."Congratulations Trekka (or Paul Lambert)...." ... to whatever email you put down, so really, you don't need to give your name. Go on... have a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trekka Posted July 6, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted July 6, 2012 Trekka, I am not particularly interested in splitting the results by football club. But I am interested in knowing which approaches are working in terms of people taking up the trial. I guess the blues fans were more up for taking it all at face value as they know me as a poster on the forum. I would like to get a broad range of the population trying the tests, and football suporters are quite good in that respect. Football cuts across many boundaries (age, class, job, income) providing diversity in the sample, but it is not so good in other respects (i.e. mostly blokes from Brum). It is hard to find enough people to do the trials, so I am trying to extend the sample as best I can. People are taking the test in uncontrolled conditions, and they may not try, or they may take the same test several times to try to get a high score. I can, to a large extent, identify through statistical analysis the people who are less serious - but you are right, it is a problem with the research data and it is not ideal. People can do the tests without giving any information, but they can't be entered for the draw if they don't. If you put your name as 'Trekka' or 'Paul Lambert', then if you won, we would email you saying..."Congratulations Trekka (or Paul Lambert)...." ... to whatever email you put down, so really, you don't need to give your name. Go on... have a try. Thanks for the response, Pablo. As long as people understand what they are doing, then I have no problems with it. I did have problems with how it was phrased and how the information was possibly going to be used (it was unclear - not just personal information but the comparisons between sample sets, or in this case clubs). If the method of collecting the data is clearly stated (i.e. lots of surveys over lots of different social groups) and the data is correctly normalised then that's fine as long as people know how the data is going to be compared, and the same question is asked of each sample group. Stating the "result" of a rival isn't the best way to get people to try to complete the survey/test honestly in my opinion (just my opinion!). It also doesn't breed confidence that the survey that one club gets (e.g. Villa) is the same that another gets (e.g. Blues), and the average of a club with 10 responses is better than a club with say an average of 100 responses. Anyway, I've rambled on a bit - it is afterall up to the individual to decide. Sorry to cause a bit of a hoo-haa out of it but I think you would have been better to have a single test link Have a good weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b6bloke Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I heard after the blues fans failed 2008 attempt at the intelligence test they said they would not do another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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