Open AccessUncertainty in Latent Trait Models
Author(s) -
Gerhard Tutz,
Gunther Schauberger
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
applied psychological measurement
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.083
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1552-3497
pISSN - 0146-6216
DOI - 10.1177/0146621620920932
Subject(s) - rasch model , polytomous rasch model , trait , econometrics , item response theory , statistics , latent variable model , latent variable , local independence , psychology , mathematics , computer science , psychometrics , programming language
A model that extends the Rasch model and the Partial Credit Model to account for subject-specific uncertainty when responding to items is proposed. It is demonstrated that ignoring the subject-specific uncertainty may yield biased estimates of model parameters. In the extended version of the model, uncertainty and the underlying trait are linked to explanatory variables. The parameterization allows to identify subgroups that differ in uncertainty and the underlying trait. The modeling approach is illustrated using data on the confidence of citizens in public institutions.