The severity of bias in respondents' self-reports due to acquiescence response style (ARS) and extreme response style (ERS) depends strongly on how consistent these response styles are over the course of a questionnaire. In the literature, different alternative hypotheses on response style (in)consistency circulate. Therefore, nine alternative…

In a selected response test, aberrant responses such as careless errors and lucky guesses might cause error in ability estimation because these responses do not actually reflect the knowledge that examinees possess. In a computerized adaptive test (CAT), these aberrant responses could further cause serious estimation error due to dynamic item…

An examinee faced with a test item will engage in solution behavior or rapid-guessing behavior. These qualitatively different test-taking behaviors bias parameter estimates for item response models that do not control for such behavior. A mixture Rasch model with item response time components was proposed and evaluated through application to real…

This simulation study sought to compare four different computerized adaptive testing (CAT) content-balancing procedures designed for use in a multidimensional assessment with respect to measurement precision, symptom severity classification, validity of clinical diagnostic recommendations, and sensitivity to atypical responding. The four…

For valid decision making, it is essential to both the person being measured and the person or organization that is having the person measured that the observed scores adequately represent the underlying trait. This study deals with person-fit analysis of polytomous item scores to detect unusual patterns of sum scores on subsets of items. This…

In cognitive diagnosis, the test-taking behavior of some examinees may be idiosyncratic so that their test scores may not reflect their true cognitive abilities as much as that of more typical examinees. Statistical tests are developed to recognize the following: (a) nonmasters of the required attributes who correctly answer the item (spuriously…

This article develops a new cumulative sum (CUSUM) statistic to detect aberrant item response behavior. Shifts in behavior are modeled with quadratic functions and a series of likelihood ratio tests are used to detect aberrancy. The new CUSUM statistic is compared against another CUSUM approach as well as traditional person-fit statistics. A…

A multidimensional item response theory model that accounts for response style factors is presented. The model, a multidimensional extension of Bock's nominal response model, is shown to allow for the study and control of response style effects in ordered rating scale data so as to reduce bias in measurement of the intended trait. In the current…

Three personality measures were administered twice each with an interval of four weeks between administrations, and the response consistency of these tests was analyzed. The evidence is equivocal. The confounding of consistency effects with other sources of variance remains a problem. (Author/CTM)

An attempt was made to validate for sentence type items a mathematical model for inventory response. Data were gathered from subjects responding under candid and under faking sets. In the former case only limited support for the model was found, but in the latter it seemed highly relevant. (Author/RC)

Two studies compared multiple rank order and paired comparison methods in terms of psychometric characteristics and user reactions. Individual and group item responses, preference counts, and Thurstone normal transform scale values obtained by the multiple rank order method were found to be similar to those obtained by paired comparisons.…

The validity and utility of the stratified adaptive computerized testing model (stradaptive) developed by Weiss are empirically investigated. The model presents a tailored testing strategy based upon Binet IQ measurement theory and Lord's modern test theory. (Author/RC)

Preference structures that underline a survey or experimental responses may systematically vary during the administration of such measurement. Maturation, learning, fatigue, and response strategy shifts may all affect the sequential elicitation of respondent preferences at different points in the survey or experiment. The consequence of this…

Binary, probability, and ordinal scoring procedures for multiple-choice items were examined. In two situations, it was found that both the probability and ordinal scoring systems were more reliable than the binary scoring method. (Author/CTM)

A Likert seven-choice response format for personality inventories allows finer distinctions by subjects than the traditional two-choice format. The Eysenck Personality Inventory was employed in the present study to test the hypothesis that use of the expanded format would result in a clearer and more accurate indication of test structure.…