Abstract

BRIZUELA-RODRIGUEZ, Armel. The Item Response Theory Mixture Models. Act.Psi [online]. 2015, vol.29, n.119, pp.78-89. ISSN 2215-3535.  http://dx.doi.org/10.15517/ap.v29i119.18728.

The Item Response Theory mixture models and how these can be used to identify unobserved sub-groups of examinees, known as latent classes, are presented. The usefulness of the two-parameter mixture model parameters is exemplified by detecting the presence of items in a depression scale that measure the examinees differently in comparison with the rest of items. Finally, some general recommendations regarding the complementarity that should exist between the substantive theory underlying the development of a scale and the use of these models are given.

Keywords : Psychometrics; Item Response Theory; mixture models; latent classes; Geriatric Depression Scale.

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