Rapid guessing (RG) is a form of non-effortful responding that is characterized by short response latencies. This construct-irrelevant behavior has been shown in previous research to bias inferences concerning measurement properties and scores. To mitigate these deleterious effects, a number of response time threshold scoring procedures have been…

Psychologists are emphasizing the importance of predictive conclusions. Machine learning methods, such as supervised neural networks, have been used in psychological studies as they naturally fit prediction tasks. However, we are concerned about whether neural networks fitted with random datasets (i.e., datasets where there is no relationship…

The purpose of the present study was to provide the means to evaluate the "interval-scaling" assumption that governs the use of parametric statistics and continuous data estimators in self-report instruments that utilize Likert-type scaling. Using simulated and real data, the methodology to test for this important assumption is evaluated…

When constructing measurement scales, regular and reversed items are often used (e.g., "I am satisfied with my job"/"I am not satisfied with my job"). Some methodologists recommend excluding reversed items because they are more difficult to understand and therefore engender a second, artificial factor distinct from the…

Indirect indices for faking detection in questionnaires make use of a respondent's deviant or unlikely response pattern over the course of the questionnaire to identify them as a faker. Compared with established direct faking indices (i.e., lying and social desirability scales), indirect indices have at least two advantages: First, they cannot be…

This note is concerned with the benefits that can result from the use of the maximal reliability and optimal linear combination concepts in educational and psychological research. Within the widely used framework of unidimensional multi-component measuring instruments, it is demonstrated that the linear combination of their components that…

The possible dependency of criterion validity on item formulation in a multicomponent measuring instrument is examined. The discussion is concerned with evaluation of the differences in criterion validity between two or more groups (populations/subpopulations) that have been administered instruments with items having differently formulated item…

The questionnaire method has always been an important research method in psychology. The increasing prevalence of multidimensional trait measures in psychological research has led researchers to use longer questionnaires. However, questionnaires that are too long will inevitably reduce the quality of the completed questionnaires and the efficiency…

To improve the validity of self-report measures, researchers should control for response style (RS) effects, which can be achieved with IRTree models. A traditional IRTree model considers a response as a combination of distinct decision-making processes, where the substantive trait affects the decision on response direction, while decisions about…

Low-stakes test performance commonly reflects examinee ability and effort. Examinees exhibiting low effort may be identified through rapid guessing behavior throughout an assessment. There has been a plethora of methods proposed to adjust scores once rapid guesses have been identified, but these have been plagued by strong assumptions or the…

When fitting unidimensional item response theory (IRT) models, the population distribution of the latent trait ([theta]) is often assumed to be normally distributed. However, some psychological theories would suggest a nonnormal [theta]. For example, some clinical traits (e.g., alcoholism, depression) are believed to follow a positively skewed…

In the context of Bayesian factor analysis, it is possible to compute plausible values, which might be used as covariates or predictors or to provide individual scores for the Bayesian latent variables. Previous simulation studies ascertained the validity of mean plausible values by the mean squared difference of the mean plausible values and the…

Item response tree (IRTree) models are a flexible framework to control self-reported trait measurements for response styles. To this end, IRTree models decompose the responses to rating items into sub-decisions, which are assumed to be made on the basis of either the trait being measured or a response style, whereby the effects of such person…

In recent years, some models for binary and graded format responses have been proposed to assess unipolar variables or "quasi-traits." These studies have mainly focused on clinical variables that have traditionally been treated as bipolar traits. In the present study, we have made a proposal for unipolar traits measured with continuous…

Cognitive diagnosis models (CDMs) are latent class multidimensional statistical models that help classify people accurately by using a set of discrete latent variables, commonly referred to as attributes. These models require a Q-matrix that indicates the attributes involved in each item. A potential problem is that the Q-matrix construction…