The asymptotic cumulants of ability estimators using fallible or estimated item parameters in an ability test based on item response theory are given up to the fourth order with higher-order asymptotic variance. The ability estimators cover those obtained by maximum likelihood, Bayes, and pseudo...

Warm (in Psychometrika, 54, 427–450, <CitationRef CitationID="CR12">1989</CitationRef>) established the equivalence between the so-called Jeffreys modal and the weighted likelihood estimators of proficiency level with some dichotomous item response models. The purpose of this note is to extend this result to polytomous item response...</citationref>

Surveys are widely used by scholars, companies, and public policymakers to generate invaluable insights. Despite the popularity of surveys, there are several biases that can affect the validity of self-reported data. In his inaugural address, Martijn de Jong discusses how new survey methods can...

An unfolding model for continuous bounded responses is proposed, derived both from a hypothetical interpolation response mechanism and from the hypothesis of two opposite sources of item refusal being collapsed. These two sources of refusal are made explicit in a three-component Dirichlet...

This paper takes a close look at material deprivation in 27 European Union countries. Its main goal is to explore which expenditures individuals/households curtail first when facing economic difficulties. Two methodologies are applied: item response theory, a psychometric method also known as...

In this paper, a theory of total factor productivity (TFP) that incorporates a model of intelligence is formulated and described. In particular, the fluid intelligence of ordinary workers is emphasized as an important element in TFP because such workers have the intelligence to innovate, even...

Objective: Pay-for-performance programmes have been widely implemented in primary care, but few studies have investigated their potential adverse effects on the intrinsic motivation of general practitioners (GPs) even though intrinsic motivation may be a key determinant of quality in health...

Item response theory is a set of models and methods allowing for the analysis of binary or ordinal variables (items) that are influenced by a latent variable or latent trait- that is, a variable that cannot be measured directly. The theory was originally developed in educational assessment but...