Generalized Residuals for General Models for Contingency Tables With Application to Item Response Theory

Generalized residuals are a tool employed in the analysis of contingency tables to examine possible sources of model error. They have typically been applied to log-linear models and to latent-class models. A general approach to generalized residuals is developed for a very general class of models for contingency tables. To illustrate their use, generalized residuals are applied to models based on item response theory (IRT) models. Such models are commonly applied to analysis of standardized achievement or aptitude tests. To obtain a realistic perspective on application of generalized residuals, actual testing data are employed.