Computational Psychometrics: Measurement, Modeling, and Meaning in the Big Data Era
Abstract
Computational psychometrics is a topic strongly aligned with the ArmyÕs focus on measurement and assessment within the Personnel Testing and Performance area, as outlined in the ARI FY18 FSRU BAA. Specifically, the BAA refers to Òdeveloping efficient and effective assessment toolsÓ (p. 9), and that is precisely the goal of computational psychometrics with big data, where psychological theories, computational power, and new technologies come together for the purposes of (a) designing innovative psychological measures that are highly construct-driven, allowing for substantive interpretation (even as technologies change) and avoiding the Òblack boxÓ criticism of typical statistical methods for big data; (b) collecting performance-relevant data in both real-world and VR environments; data pertain both to organizational structure (e.g., data on teams, tasks, policies and cultures) and individual differences characteristics (e.g., data on motivation, interests, ability); (c) applying robust clustering and predictive methods that can estimate the reliability and validity of rich data situated within a highly multidimensional construct space and make adaptive changes to people, teams, and multi-team systems as they change over time; (d) exploring the data and computational psychometric model results, both quantitatively and visually, to glean new insights over traditional modeling approaches that ultimately inform organizational decision-making as it pertains to personnel selection and classification. This multidisciplinary conference will address these topics above, which in light of the aforementioned BAA are extremely relevant to ARI research needs in an upcoming 5-10 year horizon. They are also relevant to organizational and psychological science itself, and even to society as it grapples with how to manage big data and their appropriate uses. Not only will this conference bring world-renowned experts together to discuss research innovations in this new area of computational psychometrics; this conference is also an exciting opportunity to stimulate interest and collaborative possibilities within the interdisciplinary and diverse research community being brought together (faculty, graduate students, institutes, agencies).
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 24, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1910314
Entities
People
- Frederick L. Oswald
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Rice University
- United States Army