Ceiling Effect Psychology Definition

Psychology definition of ceiling effect.

Ceiling effect psychology definition. The inability of a test to measure or discriminate below a certain point usually because its items are too difficult. It essentially describes when the dependent variable has leveled out and is no longer responding to the independent variable. An example of use in the first area a ceiling effect.

In pharmacology a ceiling effect is the point at which an independent variable which is the variable being manipulated is no longer affecting the dependent variable which is the variable being measured. The inadequacy of a test to measure the true ability and intelligence of a child. Medical dictionary 2009 farlex and partners.

The other scale attenuation effect is the floor effect the ceiling effect is observed when an independent variable no longer has an effect on a dependent variable or the level above which variance in an independent variable is no longer measurable. Ceiling effect the optimal potential effect of a medication. Each intelligence or achievement test usually has an upper limit.

The term ceiling effect is a measurement limitation that occurs when the highest possible score or close to the highest score on a test or measurement instrument is reached thereby decreasing the likelihood that the testing instrument has accurately measured the intended domain. The specific application varies slightly in differentiating between two areas of use for this term. In medicine a ceiling effect is defined as the phenomenon in which a drug reaches a maximum effect so that increasing the drug dosage does not increase its effectiveness.

A ceiling effect can occur with questionnaires standardized tests or other measurements used in research studies.