Psychology Commons^™

Data Analysis Using Item Response Theory Methodology: An Introduction To Selected Programs And Applications., Geoffrey L. Thorpe, Andrej Favia

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

There are two approaches to psychometrics. Classical test theory is the traditional approach, focusing on test-retest reliability, internal consistency, various forms of validity, and normative data and standardization. Modern test theory or item response theory (IRT) focuses on how specific test items function in assessing constructs. IRT makes it possible to scale test items for difficulty, to design parallel forms of tests, and to provide for adaptive computerized testing (DeMars, 2010). “(T)he basic concepts of item response theory rest upon the individual items of a test rather than upon some aggregate of the item responses such as a test score” …