A proud Cornishman, Colin Cooper obtained his BSc and PhD degrees in psychology from the University of Exeter in the UK. He worked on developing methods for selecting pilots and for assessing flexible thinking in senior officers before taking a lectureship at the University of Ulster in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. He moved to Queen's University, Belfast, where he taught and researched individual differences, psychometrics and statistics for 20 years. He took early retirement in 2012 and emigrated to Ontario, Canada, where he is currently editor-in-chief of two journals and president of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences. He has published extensively in the areas of individual differences and psychometrics, and in his spare time enjoys classical music, writing, travel and walking.
Colin Cooper's book is a masterpiece of lucidity and a must-have for students, researchers, and practitioners alike. Psychological testing can be a challenging topic, given the mathematical underpinnings of the field, and Cooper deftly navigates the territory between technical details and approachable exposition. A valuable and comprehensive resource, fully updated in its second edition, and well-suited as a textbook for university courses in psychological assessment. Robert F. Krueger PhD, Distinguished McKnight University Professor, University of Minnesota Colin Cooper is a leading authority on psychometrics with an uncanny ability to convey high-level technical concepts. To this day, I keep learning from his texts and so I am delighted to welcome the publication of this - substantially updated - second edition. It is the first textbook I recommend to anyone wishing to get acquainted with the science of psychometrics. K. V. Petrides, Professor of Psychology and Psychometrics (UCL) Colin Cooper's book is superb - the work of a true expert in psychometrics. Not only is it comprehensive and rigorous, it tackles often neglected issues (e.g., the role played by factor analysis and the conceptual nature of psychological measurement). It is practical, too, with data sets and exercises provided. Cooper's wit infuses the pages which makes for an enjoyable read. Philip J Corr, Professor of Psychology, School of Health and Psychological Sciences, University of London Professor Colin Cooper taught students the principles of psychometrics and psychological testing for 30 years. Also, he edited related journals for almost as long. It has resulted in this extremely valuable book which is characterized by unique and quality content, natural flow, substance, and expert knowledge. It will be invaluable to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as practitioners who are seeking emphatically not a statistics text. Malgorzata Fajkowska, Head of the Laboratory of Personality Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences