Synthesizes literature on performance assessment for individual-level, high-stakes tests and the error variance associated with a person x task interaction. Proposes a research agenda based on this literature. (SLD)

Glickman, Gray, and Morales (this issue) propose a statistical model for measuring the unobserved latency of stimulus-controlled processes. The model accounts for both speed and accuracy and does so by assuming that participants set an internal deadline. If a stimulus-controlled response is not produced by the deadline, the participant then…

Variants of adaptive Bayesian procedures for estimating the 5% point on a psychometric function were studied by simulation. Bias and standard error were the criteria to evaluate performance. The results indicated a superiority of (a) uniform priors, (b) model likelihood functions that are odd symmetric about threshold and that have parameter…

The information function is an important statistic in item response theory (IRT) applications. Although the information function is often described as the IRT version of reliability, it differs from the classical notion of reliability from a critical perspective: replication. This article first explores the information function for the…

The authors used a Monte Carlo simulation to examine how the violation of the exchangeability assumption affects empirical Type I error rates of the LMH randomization test (J. R. Levin, L. A. Marascuilo, & L. J. Hubert, 1978). Simulation results showed that the LMH test is not always an appropriate technique for analyzing systematic designs when…

We consider the question of how variation in the number and reliability of indicators affects the power to reject the hypothesis that the regression coefficients are zero in latent linear regression analysis. We show that power remains constant as long as the coefficient of determination remains unchanged. Any increase in the number of indicators…

This article describes a technique to analyze randomized response data using available structural equation modeling (SEM) software. The randomized response technique was developed to obtain estimates that are more valid when studying sensitive topics. The basic feature of all randomized response methods is that the data are deliberately…

This article illustrates a method for fitting straight lines to data that is resistant to outliers and might therefore sometimes be preferred to the customary least squares procedure.

This article describes a new, unified framework for linear equating in a non-equivalent groups anchor test (NEAT) design. The authors focus on three methods for linear equating in the NEAT design--Tucker, Levine observed-score, and chain--and develop a common parameterization that shows that each particular equating method is a special case of the…

When treatments are administered in groups, clients interact in ways that lead to violations of a key assumption of most statistical analyses-the assumption of independence of observations. The resulting dependencies, when not properly accounted for, can increase Type I errors dramatically. Of the 33 studies of group-administered treatment on the…

Objectives: To evaluate whether or not the original six-factor structure of the Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory suggested by [Milner, J. S. (1986). "The Child Abuse Potential Inventory: Manual" (2nd ed.). DeKalb, IL: Psytec. Inc.] can be confirmed with data from a group of Chinese mothers in Hong Kong. Method: Eight hundred and…

A simulation study was conducted to examine the effect of item parceling on confirmatory factor analysis parameter estimates and their standard errors at different levels of sample size, number of indicators per factor, size of factor structure/pattern coefficients, magnitude of interfactor correlations, and variations in item-level data…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop guidelines for the statistical analysis of percentage of syllables stuttered (%SS) data in stuttering research. Method; Data on %SS from various independent sources were used to develop a statistical model to describe this type of data. On the basis of this model, %SS data were simulated with…

The present study used an ecological framework to examine the relationships among adolescents' perceptions of school climate, social competence, and behavioral and psychological adjustment in the middle school years. This study improved upon prior studies by using "structural equation modeling" to investigate the hypothesized mediating…

Because 3rd Grade Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores have a direct impact on promotion, the results for that grade level are released early by the State. When the FCAT results for 3rd Grade were released in May 2007, many people were troubled. Over 80% of the elementary schools in the Miami-Dade School District showed a decrease…