Author:

Keywords:

Social Sciences, Social Sciences, Mathematical Methods, Psychology, Mathematical, Mathematical Methods In Social Sciences, Psychology, Item response theory, item attribute, person covariate, local item dependence, item cluster, testlet, linear logistic test model, LATENT TRAIT MODEL, MAXIMUM-LIKELIHOOD, ITEM DEPENDENCE, INFORMATION, PARAMETERS, RESPONSES, ANGER, 1303 Specialist Studies in Education, 1701 Psychology, Social Sciences Methods, 4905 Statistics, 5201 Applied and developmental psychology, 5205 Social and personality psychology

Abstract:

The article proposes a family of item-response models that allow the separate and independent specification of three orthogonal components: item attribute, person covariate, and local item dependence. Special interest lies in extending the linear logistic test model, which is commonly used to measure item attributes, to tests with embedded item clusters. The problem of local item dependence arises in item clusters. Existing methods for handling such dependence, however, often fail to satisfy the property of invariant marginal interpretation of the item attribute parameters. Although such a property may not be necessary for applications that focus on predictive analysis, it is critical for linear logistic test models. To achieve the marginal property, we implement an iterative estimation method, which is illustrated using data collected from an inventory on verbal aggressiveness. © 2009 Sage Publications.