Hebb Lecture Series


The D.O. Hebb Lecture Series was initiated in 1989 in memory of Hebb’s contribution to the science of behavior. Invited speakers of the D.O. Lecture series are scientists who have made distinguished empirical contributions to basic research in all areas of psychology. It is currently made possible by the generous support of the D.O. Hebb Endowment Memorial Fund.

Most speakers also deliver an informal seminar held in the morning.



November 8, 2024 at 3:30pm
2001 McGill College Avenue, Room 461



Sandip Sinharay, PhD
Principal Research Scientist, Educational Testing Service Research Institute

Beyond Standardization: Understandardized Assessments and Related Psychometric Methods

Abstract: Standardized assessments like SAT, GRE, and TOEFL are an integral part of modern civilization, but have recently been criticized on several fronts. A major criticism points to the rigidity of standardized assessments that can impede accurate measurement of students’ proficiencies and distort test score interpretations because examinee populations have become much more diverse in the recent decades. In response to these criticisms, experts have suggested a variety of alternatives to standardized assessments including culturally responsive assessment, socio-culturally responsive assessment, antiracist assessment, culturally sustaining assessment, justice-oriented assessment, and personalized assessment. The presenter will provide a brief overview of these assessments that are often collectively referred to as “understandardized assessments.” The presenter will then focus on two types of understandardized assessments because of their increasing popularity: (1) culturally responsive assessments, which are assessments that evaluate students’ knowledge, skills, and understanding in a way that takes into account their unique cultural identities; and (2) personalized assessments that adapt the content, format or difficulty of an assessment to the individual characteristics of the examinee, such as the examinee's prior knowledge, skills, preferences, goals, interests, cultural identity or personal characteristics. The final part of the presentation will focus on psychometric methods for understandardized assessments. It is unclear that standard psychometric methods, which were developed to analyze data from standardized assessments, will apply to understandardized assessments. The presenter will specifically discuss the key psychometric problem of computing comparable, fair, and valid scores on understandardized assessments and describe some recent research that attempts to solve the problem. An understandardized assessment developed at ETS and some results from analysis of data from the assessment will also be discussed. One goal of the presentation is to raise some questions and stimulate discussion involving the audience members regarding understandardized assessments.



November 22, 2024 at 3:30pm
McIntyre Medical Building, Room 522



Andrea Chronis-Tuscano, PhD
Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland

Developing, Evaluating, and Implementing Novel Treatments for Diverse Individuals with ADHD Across the Lifespan

Abstract: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a strong genetic basis; yet, growing research suggests that environmental-contextual factors predict the severity, course and long-term outcomes of ADHD, including the development of comorbidity (e.g., depression, substance use). My research focuses broadly on understanding early predictors of developmental outcomes for youth with ADHD, and developing, evaluating, and implementing novel treatments which target modifiable early risk and protective factors. Much of this research has addressed issues related to parenting and parental psychopathology (namely, maternal depression and ADHD). Most recently, I have utilized hybrid effectiveness-implementation designs to develop treatments that can be implemented in community settings such as pediatric primary care and schools, with the intention of improving access to care for marginalized populations.

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