This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Noel, Y. Articles by Dauvier, B. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

A Beta Item Response Model for Continuous Bounded Responses

University of Rennes 2, France

Bruno Dauvier

University of Rennes 2, France

An item response model is proposed for the analysis of continuous response formats in an item response theory (IRT) framework. With such formats, respondents are asked to report their response as a mark on a fixed-length graphical segment whose ends are labeled with extreme responses. An interpolation process is proposed as the response mechanism in this situation, from which the authors show that a beta distribution on the response naturally follows. The two natural parameters of the beta are expressed as monotonic functions of person and item distance on some latent continuum. It is shown that a logistic expected response function results from a simple choice for these monotonic functions. A joint maximum likelihood estimation procedure is presented that performs well in a simulation study. An application on mood items is also presented, with very good fit properties.

Key Words: item response theory • beta distribution • continuous bounded responses • visual analogue scales • attitude measurement

Applied Psychological Measurement, Vol. 31, No. 1, 47-73 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0146621605287691


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?