Psychometric Methods

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.

This book covers the computational aspects of psychometric methods involved in developing measurement instruments and analyzing measurement data in social sciences. It covers the main topics of psychometrics such as validity, reliability, item analysis, item response theory models, and computerized adaptive testing. The computational aspects comprise the statistical theory and models, comparison of estimation methods and algorithms, as well as an implementation with practical data examples in R and also in an interactive ShinyItemAnalysis application. Key Features: Statistical models and estimation methods involved in psychometric research Includes reproducible R code and examples with real datasets Interactive implementation in ShinyItemAnalysis application The book is targeted toward a wide range of researchers in the field of educational, psychological, and health-related measurements. It is also intended for those developing measurement instruments and for those collecting and analyzing data from behavioral measurements, who are searching for a deeper understanding of underlying models and further development of their analytical skills.

Complex problem solving (CPS) and related topics such as dynamic decision-making (DDM) and complex dynamic control (CDC) represent multifaceted psychological phenomena. In abroad sense, CPS encompasses learning, decision-making, and acting in complex and dynamic situations. Moreover, solutions to problems that people face in such situations are often generated in teams or groups. This adds another layer of complexity to the situation itself because of the emerging issues that arise from the social dynamics of group interactions. This framing of CPS means that it is not a single construct that can be measured by using a particular type of CPS task (e.g. minimal complex system tests), which is a view taken by the psychometric community. The proposed approach taken here is that because CPS is multifaceted, multiple approaches need to be taken to fully capture and understand what it is and how the different cognitive processes associated with it complement each other.Thus, this Research Topic is aimed at showcasing the latest work in the fields of CPS, as well as DDM and CDC that takes a holist approach to investigating and theorizing about these abilities. The collection of articles encompasses conceptual approaches as well as experimental and correlational studies involving established or new tools to examine CPS, DDM and CDC. This work contributes to answering questions about what strategies and what general knowledge can be transferred from one type of complex and dynamic situation to another, what learning conditions result in transferable knowledge and skills, and how these features can be trained.

This textbook describes the broadening methodology spectrum of psychological measurement in order to meet the statistical needs of a modern psychologist. The way statistics is used, and maybe even perceived, in psychology has drastically changed over the last few years; computationally as well as methodologically. R has taken the field of psychology by storm, to the point that it can now safely be considered the lingua franca for statistical data analysis in psychology. The goal of this book is to give the reader a starting point when analyzing data using a particular method, including advanced versions, and to hopefully motivate him or her to delve deeper into additional literature on the method. Beginning with one of the oldest psychometric model formulations, the true score model, Mair devotes the early chapters to exploring confirmatory factor analysis, modern test theory, and a sequence of multivariate exploratory method. Subsequent chapters present special techniques useful for modern psychological applications including correlation networks, sophisticated parametric clustering techniques, longitudinal measurements on a single participant, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. In addition to using real-life data sets to demonstrate each method, the book also reports each method in three parts-- first describing when and why to apply it, then how to compute the method in R, and finally how to present, visualize, and interpret the results. Requiring a basic knowledge of statistical methods and R software, but written in a casual tone, this text is ideal for graduate students in psychology. Relevant courses include methods of scaling, latent variable modeling, psychometrics for graduate students in Psychology, and multivariate methods in the social sciences.

A systematic, innovative introduction to the field of network analysis, Network Psychometrics with R: A Guide for Behavioral and Social Scientists provides a comprehensive overview of and guide to both the theoretical foundations of network psychometrics as well as modelling techniques developed from this perspective. Written by pioneers in the field, this textbook showcases cutting-edge methods in an easily accessible format, accompanied by problem sets and code. After working through this book, readers will be able to understand the theoretical foundations behind network modelling, infer network topology, and estimate network parameters from different sources of data. This book features an introduction on the statistical programming language R that guides readers on how to analyse network structures and their stability using R. While Network Psychometrics with R is written in the context of social and behavioral science, the methods introduced in this book are widely applicable to data sets from related fields of study. Additionally, while the text is written in a non-technical manner, technical content is highlighted in textboxes for the interested reader. Network Psychometrics with R is ideal for instructors and students of undergraduate and graduate level courses and workshops in the field of network psychometrics as well as established researchers looking to master new methods. This book is accompanied by a companion website with resources for both students and lecturers.

Twenty Interviews with Psychometric Society Presidents tells the stories of the people who are the driving forces of psychometric research, teaching and practice. In semi-structured interviews, twenty presidents of the Psychometric Society share how they moved into the psychometric field, what inspired them to pursue this path, and what still drives them to do their research. They also reflect on the current status, history, and future of their own field, considering psychometrics' most significant historical achievements, as well as the major challenges that lie ahead. This curated collection provides a wealth of historical knowledge that is relevant for every practicing psychometrician. Introspective and insightful, it exhibits the wide array of opinions and visions in the field. Readers are invited to critically reflect on what holds this diverse field together, and what challenges and opportunities are on the horizon.