New Developments in Quantitative Psychology


Book Description

The 77th Annual International Meeting of the Psychometric Society (IMPS) brought together quantitative researchers who focus on methods relevant to psychology. The conference included workshops, invited talks by well-known scholars, and presentations of submitted papers and posters. It was hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and took place between the 9th and 12th of July, 2012. The chapters of this volume are based on presentations from the meeting and reflect the latest work in the field. Topics with a primarily measurement focus include studies of item response theory, computerized adaptive testing, cognitive diagnostic modeling, and psychological scaling. Additional psychometric topics relate to structural equation modeling, factor analysis, causal modeling, mediation, missing data methods, and longitudinal data analysis, among others. The papers in this volume will be especially useful for researchers (graduate students and other quantitative researchers) in the social sciences who use quantitative methods, particularly psychologists. Most readers will benefit from some prior knowledge of statistical methods in reading the chapters.




Statistical Methods for Validation of Assessment Scale Data in Counseling and Related Fields


Book Description

“Dr. Dimitrov has constructed a masterpiece—a classic resource that should adorn the shelf of every counseling researcher and graduate student serious about the construction and validation of high quality research instruments. —Bradley T. Erford, PhD Loyola University Maryland Past President, American Counseling Association “This book offers a comprehensive treatment of the statistical models and methods needed to properly examine the psychometric properties of assessment scale data. It is certain to become a definitive reference for both novice and experienced researchers alike.” —George A. Marcoulides, PhD University of California, Riverside This instructive book presents statistical methods and procedures for the validation of assessment scale data used in counseling, psychology, education, and related fields. In Part I, measurement scales, reliability, and the unified construct-based model of validity are discussed, along with key steps in instrument development. Part II describes factor analyses in construct validation, including exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and models of multitrait-multimethod data analysis. Traditional and Rasch-based analyses of binary and rating scales are examined in Part III. Dr. Dimitrov offers students, researchers, and clinicians step-by-step guidance on contemporary methodological principles, statistical methods, and psychometric procedures that are useful in the development or validation of assessment scale data. Numerous examples, tables, and figures provided throughout the text illustrate the underlying principles of measurement in a clear and concise manner for practical application. *Requests for digital versions from ACA can be found on www.wiley.com. *To purchase print copies, please visit the ACA website here. *Reproduction requests for material from books published by ACA should be directed to [email protected]




Psychometrics


Book Description

The area of Psychometrics, a field encompassing the statistical methods used in Psychological and educational testing, has become a very important and active area of research, evident from the large body of literature that has been developed in the form of books, volumes and research papers. Mainstream statisticians also have found profound interest in the field because of its unique nature. This book presents a state of the art exposition of theoretical, methodological and applied issues in Psychometrics. This book represents a thorough cross section of internationally renowned thinkers who are inventing methods for dealing with recent challenging psychometric problems. Key Features/ - Emphasis on the most recent developments in the field - Plenty of real, often complicated, data examples to demonstrate the applications of the statistical techniques - Information on available software - Authors from the leading testing companies - Emphasis on the most recent developments in the field - Plenty of real, often complicated, data examples to demonstrate the applications of the statistical techniques - Information on available software




The New Rules of Measurement


Book Description

In this volume prominent scholars from both psychology and education describe how these new rules of measurement work and how they differ from the old rules. Several contributors have been involved in the recent construction or revision of a major test, while others are well-known for their theoretical contributions to measurement. The goal is to provide an integrated yet comprehensive reference source concerned with contemporary issues and approaches in testing and measurement.




Statistical Models for Test Equating, Scaling, and Linking


Book Description

The goal of this book is to emphasize the formal statistical features of the practice of equating, linking, and scaling. The book encourages the view and discusses the quality of the equating results from the statistical perspective (new models, robustness, fit, testing hypotheses, statistical monitoring) as opposed to placing the focus on the policy and the implications, which although very important, represent a different side of the equating practice. The book contributes to establishing “equating” as a theoretical field, a view that has not been offered often before. The tradition in the practice of equating has been to present the knowledge and skills needed as a craft, which implies that only with years of experience under the guidance of a knowledgeable practitioner could one acquire the required skills. This book challenges this view by indicating how a good equating framework, a sound understanding of the assumptions that underlie the psychometric models, and the use of statistical tests and statistical process control tools can help the practitioner navigate the difficult decisions in choosing the final equating function. This book provides a valuable reference for several groups: (a) statisticians and psychometricians interested in the theory behind equating methods, in the use of model-based statistical methods for data smoothing, and in the evaluation of the equating results in applied work; (b) practitioners who need to equate tests, including those with these responsibilities in testing companies, state testing agencies, and school districts; and (c) instructors in psychometric, measurement, and psychology programs.




Psychometric Methods


Book Description

Grounded in current knowledge and professional practice, this book provides up-to-date coverage of psychometric theory, methods, and interpretation of results. Essential topics include measurement and statistical concepts, scaling models, test design and development, reliability, validity, factor analysis, item response theory, and generalizability theory. Also addressed are norming and test equating, topics not typically covered in traditional psychometrics texts. Examples drawn from a dataset on intelligence testing are used throughout the book, elucidating the assumptions underlying particular methods and providing SPSS (or alternative) syntax for conducting analyses. The companion website presents datasets for all examples as well as PowerPoint slides of figures and key concepts. Pedagogical features include equation boxes with explanations of statistical notation, and end-of-chapter glossaries. The Appendix offers extensions of the topical chapters with example source code from SAS, SPSS, IRTPRO, BILOG-MG, PARSCALE, TESTFACT, and DIMTEST.




The Wiley Handbook of Psychometric Testing


Book Description

A must-have resource for researchers, practitioners, and advanced students interested or involved in psychometric testing Over the past hundred years, psychometric testing has proved to be a valuable tool for measuring personality, mental ability, attitudes, and much more. The word ‘psychometrics’ can be translated as ‘mental measurement’; however, the implication that psychometrics as a field is confined to psychology is highly misleading. Scientists and practitioners from virtually every conceivable discipline now use and analyze data collected from questionnaires, scales, and tests developed from psychometric principles, and the field is vibrant with new and useful methods and approaches. This handbook brings together contributions from leading psychometricians in a diverse array of fields around the globe. Each provides accessible and practical information about their specialist area in a three-step format covering historical and standard approaches, innovative issues and techniques, and practical guidance on how to apply the methods discussed. Throughout, real-world examples help to illustrate and clarify key aspects of the topics covered. The aim is to fill a gap for information about psychometric testing that is neither too basic nor too technical and specialized, and will enable researchers, practitioners, and graduate students to expand their knowledge and skills in the area. Provides comprehensive coverage of the field of psychometric testing, from designing a test through writing items to constructing and evaluating scales Takes a practical approach, addressing real issues faced by practitioners and researchers Provides basic and accessible mathematical and statistical foundations of all psychometric techniques discussed Provides example software code to help readers implement the analyses discussed




Talking About Statistics


Book Description

Adopting a case-study approach, the authors use an example drawn from child psychiatry and follow it through to demonstrate the statistical methods available to tackle a range of research questions and data. Describes how collaborations between statisticians and behavioral scientists can benefit the design and analysis of a practical research project. Includes the latest analytical techniques.




A Handbook of Test Construction (Psychology Revivals)


Book Description

Psychological tests provide reliable and objective standards by which individuals can be evaluated in education and employment. Therefore accurate judgements must depend on the reliability and quality of the tests themselves. Originally published in 1986, this handbook by an internationally acknowledged expert provided an introductory and comprehensive treatment of the business of constructing good tests. Paul Kline shows how to construct a test and then to check that it is working well. Covering most kinds of tests, including computer presented tests of the time, Rasch scaling and tailored testing, this title offers: a clear introduction to this complex field; a glossary of specialist terms; an explanation of the objective of reliability; step-by-step guidance through the statistical procedures; a description of the techniques used in constructing and standardizing tests; guidelines with examples for writing the test items; computer programs for many of the techniques. Although the computer testing will inevitably have moved on, students on courses in occupational, educational and clinical psychology, as well as in psychological testing itself, would still find this a valuable source of information, guidance and clear explanation.