Our primary objective was to examine the impact of acquiescent responding on empathy measures. We selected the Affective and Cognitive Measure of Empathy (ACME) as the measure for this case study due to its composition--the affective dissonance scale consists solely of items that are semantically reversed relative to the empathy construct, while…

The goal of this study was to extend research on scale contextualization (i.e., frame-of-reference effect) to the decision making styles construct, compare the effects of contextualization across three unique decision style scales, and examine the consequences of scale contextualization within an item response theory framework. Based on a mixed…

Feedback is a powerful instructional tool for motivating learning. But effective feedback, requires that instructors have accurate information about their students' current knowledge status and their learning progress. In modern educational measurement, two major theoretical perspectives on student ability and proficiency can be distinguished.…

The standard error (SE) stopping rule, which terminates a computer adaptive test (CAT) when the "SE" is less than a threshold, is effective when there are informative questions for all trait levels. However, in domains such as patient-reported outcomes, the items in a bank might all target one end of the trait continuum (e.g., negative…

This study reports on an Evidence Centered Design (ECD) project in the Netherlands, involving the theory exam for prospective car drivers. In particular, we illustrate how cognitive load theory, task-analysis, response process models, and explanatory item-response theory can be used to systematically develop and refine task models. Based on a…

The current study examined the relationship between test-taker cognition and psychometric item properties in multiple-selection multiple-choice and grid items. In a study with content-equivalent mathematics items in alternative item formats, adult participants' tendency to respond to an item was affected by the presence of a grid and variations of…

Automated essay scoring engines (AESEs) are becoming increasingly popular as an efficient method for performance assessments in writing, including many language assessments that are used worldwide. Before they can be used operationally, AESEs must be "trained" using machine-learning techniques that incorporate human ratings. However, the…

Situational judgment tests (SJTs) are widely agreed to be a measurement technique. It is also widely agreed that SJTs are a questionable methodological choice for measurement of psychological constructs, such as behavioral competencies, due to a lack of evidence supporting appropriate factor structures and high internal consistencies.…

The Reduced Reparameterized Unified Model (Reduced RUM) is a diagnostic classification model for educational assessment that has received considerable attention among psychometricians. However, the computational options for researchers and practitioners who wish to use the Reduced RUM in their work, but do not feel comfortable writing their own…

Test equating is a statistical procedure for adjusting for test form differences in difficulty in a standardized assessment. Equating results are supposed to hold for a specified target population (Kolen & Brennan, 2004; von Davier, Holland, & Thayer, 2004) and to be (relatively) independent of the subpopulations from the target population (see…

Measurement invariance is a common consideration in the evaluation of the validity and fairness of test scores when the tested population contains distinct groups of examinees, such as examinees receiving different forms of a translated test. Measurement invariance in polytomous items has traditionally been evaluated at the item-level,…

The purpose of this study is to apply the attribute hierarchy method in an operational diagnostic mathematics program at Grades 3 and 6 to promote cognitive inferences about students' problem-solving skills. The attribute hierarchy method is a psychometric procedure for classifying examinees' test item responses into a set of structured attribute…

One of the most revolutionary advances in psychometric research during the last decades has been the systematic development of statistical models that allow for cognitive psychometric research (CPR) to be conducted. Many of the models currently available for such purposes are extensions of basic latent variable models in item response theory…

If measurement invariance does not hold over 2 or more measurement occasions, differences in observed scores are not directly interpretable. Golembiewski, Billingsley, and Yeager (1976) identified 2 types of psychometric differences over time as beta change and gamma change. Gamma change is a fundamental change in thinking about the nature of a…

The book answers practical questions about item response theory (IRT) in four sections: (1) an introduction to the concepts; (2) IRT theories and principles; (3) fundamentals of IRT; and (4) applications of IRT models. The book is useful for anyone trying to learn about IRT and how to use it. (SLD)