Samuel J. Messick III (April 3, 1931 – October 6, 1998) was an American psychologist who worked for the Educational Testing Service (ETS), known for his contributions to validity theory.

Early life

Messick was born on April 3, 1931, in Philadelphia. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a bachelor's degree, and he earned a PhD from Princeton University.

Career

Messick worked as a psychologist for the Educational Testing Service (ETS). He examined construct validity. Messick influenced language testing in 2 main ways: in proposing a new understanding of how inferences made based on tests must be challenged, and in drawing attention to the consequences of test use.

Death and legacy

Messick resided in Pennington, New Jersey. He died on October 6, 1998, in Philadelphia, at 67. The Quantitative and Qualitative Methods division (Division 5) of the American Psychological Association created the Samuel J. Messick Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award to honor Messick's contributions. Douglas N. Jackson, a previous collaborator of Messick, earned the award in 2004.

Works