Individual Test Patterns: Are We Correcting for Guessing in the Wrong Direction?
Abstract
Certainly cogent arguments can be made for regressing the ability estimates obtained from unusual response patterns inward from their observed values. We have tried to elucidate some of them here. Yet experience has taught us that guessing is an activity that occurs frequently, and accounts for much (though by no means all) of the anomalous responses observed. Therefore we would like to propose a middle way. It would seem that a proper scheme to corrent for unusual response patterns would be in-between the traditional correction (that assumes that all anomalies are from guessing) and one that professes complete ignorance of the cause of such unusual response patterns. The method that we prefer regresses the 'corrected' ability estimates inward, although not usually as far as using an uncorrected raw score.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADP001398
Entities
People
- Howard Wainer
Organizations
- Educational Testing Service