Implications of Person Fluctuation for the Stability and Validity of Test Scores

Methodology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 142-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pere J. Ferrando
Keyword(s):  
Item Response ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Temporal Stability ◽  
Person Fit ◽  
Item Parameters ◽  
Individual Trait ◽  
The Stability ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Fluctuation Model

In the IRT person-fluctuation model, the individual trait levels fluctuate within a single test administration whereas the items have fixed locations. This article studies the relations between the person and item parameters of this model and two central properties of item and test scores: temporal stability and external validity. For temporal stability, formulas are derived for predicting and interpreting item response changes in a test-retest situation on the basis of the individual fluctuations. As for validity, formulas are derived for obtaining disattenuated estimates and for predicting changes in validity in groups with different levels of fluctuation. These latter formulas are related to previous research in the person-fit domain. The results obtained and the relations discussed are illustrated with an empirical example.

Item Response Theory and Music Testing

2019 ◽  
pp. 477-503
Author(s):  
Brian Wesolowski
Keyword(s):  
Item Response Theory ◽  
Item Response ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
General Framework ◽  
Logistic Function ◽  
Response Theory ◽  
Measurement Models ◽  
Latent Constructs ◽  
Item Parameters ◽  
Introductory Overview

This chapter presents an introductory overview of concepts that underscore the general framework of item response theory. “Item response theory” is a broad umbrella term used to describe a family of mathematical measurement models that consider observed test scores to be a function of latent, unobservable constructs. Most musical constructs cannot be directly measured and are therefore unobservable. Musical constructs can therefore only be inferred based on secondary, observable behaviors. Item response theory uses observable behaviors as probabilistic distributions of responses as a logistic function of person and item parameters in order to define latent constructs. This chapter describes philosophical, theoretical, and applied perspectives of item response theory in the context of measuring musical behaviors.

scholarly journals Temporal Stability and Biodiversity of Two Complex Antilisterial Cheese-Ripening Microbial Consortia

2003 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 4012-4018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariel Maoz ◽  
Ralf Mayr ◽  
Siegfried Scherer
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Temporal Stability ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Microbial Consortia ◽  
Cheese Ripening ◽  
Safe Food ◽  
The Stability ◽  
The Individual ◽  
First Time

ABSTRACT The temporal stability and diversity of bacterial species composition as well as the antilisterial potential of two different, complex, and undefined microbial consortia from red-smear soft cheeses were investigated. Samples were collected twice, at 6-month intervals, from each of two food producers, and a total of 400 bacterial isolates were identified by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis. Coryneform bacteria represented the majority of the isolates, with certain species being predominant. In addition, Marinolactobacillus psychrotolerans, Halomonas venusta, Halomonas variabilis, Halomonas sp. (106 to 107 CFU per g of smear), and an unknown, gram-positive bacterium (107 to 108 CFU per g of smear) are described for the first time in such a consortium. The species composition of one consortium was quite stable over 6 months, but the other consortium revealed less diversity of coryneform species as well as less stability. While the first consortium had a stable, extraordinarily high antilisterial potential in situ, the antilisterial activity of the second consortium was lower and decreased with time. The cause for the antilisterial activity of the two consortia remained unknown but is not due to the secretion of soluble, inhibitory substances by the individual components of the consortium. Our data indicate that the stability over time and a potential antilisterial activity are individual characteristics of the ripening consortia which can be monitored and used for safe food production without artificial preservatives.

Perceived Mutual Understanding (PMU)

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Burtscher ◽  
Jeannette Oostlander
Keyword(s):  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Team Cognition ◽  
Internal Reliability ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Team Processes ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Item Parameters ◽  
Three Samples ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
The Individual

Abstract. Team cognition plays an important role in predicting team processes and outcomes. Thus far, research has focused on structured cognition while paying little attention to perceptual cognition. The lack of research on perceptual team cognition can be attributed to the absence of an appropriate measure. To address this gap, we introduce the construct of perceived mutual understanding (PMU) as a type of perceptual team cognition and describe the development of a respective measure – the PMU-scale. Based on three samples from different team settings ( NTotal = 566), our findings show that the scale has good psychometric properties – both at the individual as well as at the team-level. Item parameters were improved during a multistage process. Exploratory as well as confirmatory factor analyses indicate that PMU is a one-dimensional construct. The scale demonstrates sufficient internal reliability. Correlational analyses provide initial proof of construct validity. Finally, common indicators for inter-rater reliability and inter-rater agreement suggest that treating PMU as a team-level construct is justified. The PMU-scale represents a convenient and versatile measure that will potentially foster empirical research on perceptual team cognition and thereby contribute to the advancement of team cognition research in general.

Value-driven issues throughout the development of sociological theory

2020 ◽  
pp. 147-160
Author(s):  
Gulbarshyn Chepurko ◽  
Valerii Pylypenko
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social System ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Social Sphere ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Different Levels

The paper examines and compares how the major sociological theories treat axiological issues. Value-driven topics are analysed in view of their relevance to society in times of crisis, when both societal life and the very structure of society undergo dramatic change. Nowadays, social scientists around the world are also witnessing such a change due to the emergence of alternative schools of sociological thought (non-classical, interpretive, postmodern, etc.) and, subsequently, the necessity to revise the paradigms that have been existed in sociology so far. Since the above-mentioned approaches are often used to address value-related issues, building a solid theoretical framework for these studies takes on considerable significance. Furthermore, the paradigm revision has been prompted by technological advances changing all areas of people’s lives, especially social interactions. The global human community, integral in nature, is being formed, and production of human values now matters more than production of things; hence the “expansion” of value-focused perspectives in contemporary sociology. The authors give special attention to collectivities which are higher-order units of the social system. These units are described as well-organised action systems where each individual performs his/her specific role. Just as the role of an individual is distinct from that of the collectivity (because the individual and the collectivity are different as units), so too a distinction is drawn between the value and the norm — because they represent different levels of social relationships. Values are the main connecting element between the society’s cultural system and the social sphere while norms, for the most part, belong to the social system. Values serve primarily to maintain the pattern according to which the society is functioning at a given time; norms are essential to social integration. Apart from being the means of regulating social processes and relationships, norms embody the “principles” that can be applied beyond a particular social system. The authors underline that it is important for Ukrainian sociology to keep abreast of the latest developments in the field of axiology and make good use of those ideas because this is a prerequisite for its successful integration into the global sociological community.

scholarly journals Scale Alignment in the Between-Item Multidimensional Partial Credit Model

2021 ◽  
pp. 014662162110131
Author(s):  
Leah Feuerstahler ◽  
Mark Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Item Response ◽  
Kindergarten Readiness ◽  
Latent Trait ◽  
Individual Development ◽  
Partial Credit Model ◽  
Partial Credit ◽  
Response Models ◽  
Item Response Models ◽  
Item Parameters ◽  
Polytomous Item Response

In between-item multidimensional item response models, it is often desirable to compare individual latent trait estimates across dimensions. These comparisons are only justified if the model dimensions are scaled relative to each other. Traditionally, this scaling is done using approaches such as standardization—fixing the latent mean and standard deviation to 0 and 1 for all dimensions. However, approaches such as standardization do not guarantee that Rasch model properties hold across dimensions. Specifically, for between-item multidimensional Rasch family models, the unique ordering of items holds within dimensions, but not across dimensions. Previously, Feuerstahler and Wilson described the concept of scale alignment, which aims to enforce the unique ordering of items across dimensions by linearly transforming item parameters within dimensions. In this article, we extend the concept of scale alignment to the between-item multidimensional partial credit model and to models fit using incomplete data. We illustrate this method in the context of the Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS), a multidimensional survey of kindergarten readiness used in the state of Illinois. We also present simulation results that demonstrate the effectiveness of scale alignment in the context of polytomous item response models and missing data.

Embodying the culture of achievement: Culture between illness and perfection is a ‘thin line’ – obtaining the ideal female body as an act of achievement

2021 ◽  
pp. 1354067X2110040
Author(s):  
Josefine Dilling ◽  
Anders Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Female Body ◽  
The Body ◽  
Thin Line ◽  
Complex Processes ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
The Ideal ◽  
Body Ideals

In this article, we argue that certain behaviour connected to the attempt to attain contemporary female body ideals in Denmark can be understood as an act of achievement and, thus, as an embodiment of the culture of achievement, as it is characterised in Præstationssamfundet, written by the Danish sociologist Anders Petersen (2016) Hans Reitzels Forlag . Arguing from cultural psychological and sociological standpoints, this article examines how the human body functions as a mediational tool in different ways from which the individual communicates both moral and aesthetic sociocultural ideals and values. Complex processes of embodiment, we argue, can be described with different levels of internalisation, externalisation and materialisation, where the body functions as a central mediator. Analysing the findings from a qualitative experimental study on contemporary body ideals carried out by the Danish psychologists Josefine Dilling and Maja Trillingsgaard, this article seeks to anchor such theoretical claims in central empirical findings. The main conclusions from the study are used to structure the article and build arguments on how expectations and ideals expressed in an achievement society become embodied.

scholarly journals Integration of various scales for measurement of insomnia

2021 ◽  
pp. 263208432110100
Author(s):  
Satyendra Nath Chakrabartty
Keyword(s):  
Test Scores ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Weighted Sum ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Normal Probability ◽  
Equivalent Test ◽  
Item Scores ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Different Levels

Background Scales for evaluating insomnia differ in number of items, response format, and result in different scores distributions and score ranges and may not facilitate meaningful comparisons. Objectives Transform ordinal item-scores of three scales of insomnia to continuous, equidistant, monotonic, normally distributed scores, avoiding limitations of summative scoring of Likert scales. Methods Equidistant item-scores by weighted sum using data-driven weights to different levels of different items, considering cell frequencies of Item-Levels matrix, followed by normalization and conversion to [1, 10]. Equivalent test-scores (as sum of transformed item- scores) for a pair of scales were found by Normal Probability curves. Empirical illustration given. Results Transformed test-scores are continuous, monotonic and followed Normal distribution with no outliers and tied scores. Such test-scores facilitate ranking, better classification and meaningful comparison of scales of different lengths and formats and finding equivalent score combinations of two scales. For a given value of transformed test-score of a scale, easy alternate method avoiding integration proposed to find equivalent scores of another scales. Equivalent scores of scales help to relate various cut-off scores of different scales and uniformity in interpretations. Integration of various scales of insomnia is achieved by finding one-to-one correspondence among the equivalent score of various scales with correlation over 0.99 Conclusion Resultant test-scores facilitated undertaking analysis in parametric set up. Considering the theoretical advantages including meaningfulness of operations, better comparison, use of such method of transforming scores of Likert items/test is recommended test and items, Future studies were suggested.

Examining sharp restart in a Monte Carlo method for the linearized Poisson–Boltzmann equation

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-244
Author(s):  
W. John Thrasher ◽  
Michael Mascagni
Keyword(s):  
Monte Carlo ◽  
Free Energy ◽  
Monte Carlo Algorithm ◽  
Significant Bias ◽  
Poisson Boltzmann ◽  
Electrostatic Free Energy ◽  
Poisson Boltzmann Equation ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Potential Methods ◽  
The Individual

AbstractIt has been shown that when using a Monte Carlo algorithm to estimate the electrostatic free energy of a biomolecule in a solution, individual random walks can become entrapped in the geometry. We examine a proposed solution, using a sharp restart during the Walk-on-Subdomains step, in more detail. We show that the point at which this solution introduces significant bias is related to properties intrinsic to the molecule being examined. We also examine two potential methods of generating a sharp restart point and show that they both cause no significant bias in the examined molecules and increase the stability of the run times of the individual walks.

The great Chinese surprise: the rupture with the United States is real and is happening

2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 419-437
Author(s):  
Xiangfeng Yang
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
Ample Evidence ◽  
Pendulum Swing ◽  
The Us ◽  
Methodological Problems ◽  
Trade War ◽  
The Stability ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Ample evidence exists that China was caught off guard by the Trump administration's onslaught of punishing acts—the trade war being a prime, but far from the only, example. This article, in addition to contextualizing their earlier optimism about the relations with the United States under President Trump, examines why Chinese leaders and analysts were surprised by the turn of events. It argues that three main factors contributed to the lapse of judgment. First, Chinese officials and analysts grossly misunderstood Donald Trump the individual. By overemphasizing his pragmatism while downplaying his unpredictability, they ended up underprepared for the policies he unleashed. Second, some ingrained Chinese beliefs, manifested in the analogies of the pendulum swing and the ‘bickering couple’, as well as the narrative of the ‘ballast’, lulled officials and scholars into undue optimism about the stability of the broader relationship. Third, analytical and methodological problems as well as political considerations prevented them from fully grasping the strategic shift against China in the US.

scholarly journals The Vicissitudes of Conflict Measurement

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Burk ◽  
Jaap Denissen ◽  
Muriel D. Van Doorn ◽  
Susan J.T. Branje ◽  
Brett Laursen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Close Relationships ◽  
Temporal Stability ◽  
The United States ◽  
Short Intervals ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Best Friends ◽  
Assessment Techniques ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Conflict Frequency

This report examined the stability and reliability of self-reported conflict frequency in relationships with mothers, fathers, and best friends. Participants were drawn from three independent samples in the Netherlands (n = 72, M = 15.6 years), Germany (n = 242, M = 19.7 years), and the United States (n = 250, M = 19.8 years). Participants completed both topic-based surveys and interaction-based diary assessments of conflict frequency. Within samples, comparable levels of internal consistency and temporal stability emerged in each relationship for both assessment techniques. Topic-based and interaction-based assessments of conflict frequency were moderately correlated in each relationship within samples. Daily topic-based assessments with short intervals between time points may provide the most advantageous assessment strategy for obtaining reliable measures of conflict frequency in adolescents’ close relationships.

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