Advances in applications of item response theory to clinical assessment.

ABSTRACT: Item response theory (IRT) is moving to the forefront of methodologies used to develop, evaluate, and score clinical measures. Funding agencies and test developers are routinely supporting IRT work, and the theory has become closely tied to technological advances within the field. As a result, familiarity with IRT has grown increasingly relevant to mental health research and practice. But to what end? This article reviews advances in applications of IRT to clinical measurement in an effort to identify tangible improvements that can be attributed to the methodology. Although IRT shares similarities with classical test theory and factor analysis, the approach has certain practical benefits, but also limitations, when applied to measurement challenges. Major opportunities include the use of c

SUBMITTER: Thomas ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6745011 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature