This paper analyses the reliability and accuracy of the relationships between migration and employment status when estimated using a linked data set. The analysis will be carried out using a new source, the "Labour and Geographical Mobility Statistics," which is provided by the Spanish Statistical Office. This statistic is constructed by…

Previous research found bias in the estimate of the overall fixed effects and variance components using multilevel meta-analyses of standardized single-case data. Therefore, we evaluate two adjustments in an attempt to reduce the bias and improve the statistical properties of the parameter estimates. The results confirm the existence of bias when…

In the article 'How Long Is My Toilet Roll--A Simple Exercise in Mathematical Modelling' several models of increasing complexity are introduced and solved to calculate indirectly the length of paper on a toilet-roll. All these results are presented without errors. The authors of this comment believe the error analysis of measurements made in a…

Module Overview: In this digital ITEMS module, Dr. Jodi M. Casabianca provides a primer on the "hierarchical rater model" (HRM) framework and the recent expansions to the model for analyzing raters and ratings of constructed responses. In the first part of the module, she establishes an understanding of the nature of constructed…

A common procedure when conducting physics experiments is to repeat a measurement several times to calculate the mean and standard deviation. That might be the only instruction we give to students as a means to minimize random errors. However, that technique does not guarantee that the answer will be correct. It might give the same wrong answer…

This study explores the performance of classical methods for detecting publication bias--namely, Egger's regression test, Funnel Plot test, Begg's Rank Correlation and Trim and Fill method--in meta-analysis of studies that report multiple effects. Publication bias, outcome reporting bias, and a combination of these were generated. Egger's…

Measuring respondents' attitudes is a crucial task in numerous social science disciplines. A popular way to measure attitudes is to use survey questions with rating scales. However, research has shown that especially the design of rating scales can have a profound impact on respondents' answer behavior. While some scale design aspects, such as…

Markov chain Monte Carlo is a key computational tool in Bayesian statistics, but it can be challenging to monitor the convergence of an iterative stochastic algorithm. In this paper we show that the convergence diagnostic [R-hat] of Gelman and Rubin (1992) has serious flaws. Traditional [R-hat] will fail to correctly diagnose convergence failures…

In education research test scores are a common object of analysis. Across studies test scores can be an important outcome, a highly predictive covariate, or a means of assigning treatment. However, test scores are a measure of an underlying proficiency we can't observe directly and so contain error. This measurement error has implications for how…

Spatial regression models provide the opportunity to analyze spatial data and spatial processes. Yet, several model specifications can be used, all assuming different types of spatial dependence. This study summarizes the most commonly used spatial regression models and offers a comparison of their performance by using Monte Carlo experiments. In…

Adaptive measurement of change (AMC) is a psychometric method for measuring intra-individual change on one or more latent traits across testing occasions. Three hypothesis tests--a Z test, likelihood ratio test, and score ratio index--have demonstrated desirable statistical properties in this context, including low false positive rates and high…

Recently, Picho-Kiroga (2021) published a meta-analysis on the effect of stereotype threat on females. Their conclusion was that the average effect size for stereotype threat studies was d = .28, but that effects are overstated because the majority of studies on stereotype threat in females include methodological characteristics that inflate the…

Composite reliability, or coefficient omega, can be estimated using structural equation modeling. Composite reliability is usually estimated under the basic independent clusters model of confirmatory factor analysis (ICM-CFA). However, due to the existence of cross-loadings, the model fit of the exploratory structural equation model (ESEM) is…

Purpose: This exploratory study sought to establish the psychometric stability of a dynamic norming system using the Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT) databases. Dynamic norming is the process by which clinicians select a subset of the normative database sample matched to their individual client's demographic characteristics.…

Attention checks detect inattentiveness by instructing respondents to perform a specific task. However, while respondents may correctly process the task, they may choose to not comply with the instructions. We investigated the issue of noncompliance in attention checks in two web surveys. In Study 1, we measured respondents' attitudes toward…