Test-takers, policymakers, teachers, and institutions are increasingly demanding that testing programs provide more detailed feedback regarding test performance. As a result, there has been a growing interest in the reporting of subscores that potentially provide such detailed feedback. Haberman developed a method based on classical test theory…

When constructing measurement scales, regular and reversed items are often used (e.g., "I am satisfied with my job"/"I am not satisfied with my job"). Some methodologists recommend excluding reversed items because they are more difficult to understand and therefore engender a second, artificial factor distinct from the…

As the research on feigning has grown, the number and quality of performance validity tests (PVTs) has increased as well. However, while several PVTs have been developed from assessments commonly used as part of neuropsychological batteries, there has been less exploration for PVTs scored from items in cognitive screeners. The Montreal Cognitive…

The generalized S-X[superscript 2]-test is a test of item fit for items with polytomous responses format. The test is based on a comparison of the observed and expected number of responses in strata defined by the test score. In this article, we make four contributions. We demonstrate that the performance of the generalized S-X[superscript 2]-test…

To detect differential item functioning (DIF), Rasch trees search for optimal split-points in covariates and identify subgroups of respondents in a data-driven way. To determine whether and in which covariate a split should be performed, Rasch trees use statistical significance tests. Consequently, Rasch trees are more likely to label small DIF…

Aberrant behavior refers to any type of unusual behavior that would not be expected under normal circumstances. In educational and psychological testing, such behaviors have the potential to severely bias the aberrant examinee's test score while also jeopardizing the test scores of countless others. It is therefore crucial that aberrant examinees…

In educational and psychological assessments, attending to item response process can be useful in understanding and improving the validity of measurement. This dissertation consists of three studies each of which proposes and applies item response theory (IRT) methods for modeling and understanding cognitive/psychological response process in…

When scaling psychological tests with methods of item response theory it is necessary to investigate to what extent the responses correspond to the model predictions. In addition to the statistical evaluation of item misfit, the question arises as to its practical significance. Although item removal is undesirable for several reasons, its…

Response style, one common aberrancy in non-cognitive assessments in psychological fields, is problematic in terms of inaccurate estimation of item and person parameters, which leads to serious reliability, validity, and fairness issues (Baumgartner & Steenkamp, 2001; Bolt & Johnson, 2009; Bolt & Newton, 2011). Response style refers to…

Response time models (RTMs) are of increasing interest in educational and psychological testing. This article focuses on the lognormal model for response times, which is one of the most popular RTMs. Several existing statistics for testing normality and the fit of factor analysis models are repurposed for testing the fit of the lognormal model. A…

Response-time models are of increasing interest in educational and psychological testing. This paper focuses on the lognormal model for response times (van der Linden, 2006), which is one of the most popular response-time models. Several existing statistics for testing normality and the fit of factor-analysis models are repurposed for testing the…

Many test developers try to ensure the content validity of their tests by having external experts review the items, e.g. in terms of relevance, difficulty, or clarity. Although this approach is widely accepted, a closer look reveals several pitfalls need to be avoided if experts' advice is to be truly helpful. The purpose of this paper is to…

Often, important decisions regarding accountability and placement of students in performance categories are made on the basis of test scores generated from tests, therefore, it is important to evaluate the validity of the inferences derived from test results. One of the threats to the validity of such inferences is aberrant responding. Several…

Recent research in multidimensional item response theory has introduced within-item interaction effects between latent dimensions in the prediction of item responses. The objective of this study was to extend this research to bifactor models to include an interaction effect between the general and specific latent variables measured by an item.…

This study presents new models for item response functions (IRFs) in the framework of the D-scoring method (DSM) that is gaining attention in the field of educational and psychological measurement and largescale assessments. In a previous work on DSM, the IRFs of binary items were estimated using a logistic regression model (LRM). However, the LRM…