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Item Selection (item + selection)
Selected AbstractsItem Selection in Computerized Adaptive Testing: Should More Discriminating Items be Used First?JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT, Issue 3 2001Kit-Tai Hau During computerized adaptive testing (CAT), items are selected continuously according to the test-taker's estimated ability. The traditional method of attaining the highest efficiency in ability estimation is to select items of maximum Fisher information at the currently estimated ability. Test security has become a problem because high-discrimination items are more likely to be selected and become overexposed. So, there seems to be a tradeoff between high efficiency in ability estimations and balanced usage of items. This series of four studies with simulated data addressed the dilemma by focusing on the notion of whether more or less discriminating items should be used first in CAT. The first study demonstrated that the common maximum information method with Sympson and Hetter (1985) control resulted in the use of more discriminating items first. The remaining studies showed that using items in the reverse order (i.e., less discriminating items first), as described in Chang and Ying's (1999) stratified method had potential advantages: (a) a more balanced item usage and (b) a relatively stable resultant item pool structure with easy and inexpensive management. This stratified method may have ability-estimation efficiency better than or close to that of other methods, particularly for operational item pools when retired items cannot be totally replenished with similar highly discriminating items. It is argued that the judicious selection of items, as in the stratified method, is a more active control of item exposure, which can successfully even out the usage of all items. [source] Item selection and content validity of the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool for non-verbal adultsJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 1 2009Céline Gélinas Abstract Title.,Item selection and content validity of the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool for non-verbal adults. Aim., This paper is a report of the item selection process and evaluation of the content validity of the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool for non-verbal critically ill adults. Background., Critically ill patients experience moderate to severe pain in the intensive care unit. While critical care clinicians strive to obtain the patient's self-report of pain, many factors compromise the patient's ability to communicate verbally. Pain assessment methods often need to match the communication capabilities of the patient. In non-verbal patients, observable behavioural and physiological indicators become important indices for pain assessment. Method., A mixed method study design was used for the development of the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool in 2002,2003. More specifically, a four-step process was undertaken: (1) literature review, (2) review of 52 patients' medical files, (3) focus groups with 48 critical care nurses, and interviews with 12 physicians, and (4) evaluation of content validity with 17 clinicians using a self-administered questionnaire. Results., Item selection was derived from different sources of information which were convergent and complementary in their content. An initial version of the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool was developed including both behavioural and physiological indicators. Because physiological indicators received more criticism than support, only the four behaviours with content validity indices >0·80 were included in the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool: facial expression, body movements, muscle tension and compliance with the ventilator. Conclusion., Item selection and expert opinions are relevant aspects of tool development. While further evaluation is planned, the Critical-Care Pain Observation Tool appears as a useful instrument to assess pain in critically ill patients. [source] Evaluation of a computer-adaptive test for the assessment of depression (D-CAT) in clinical applicationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 1 2009Herbert Fliege Abstract In the past, a German Computerized Adaptive Test, based on Item Response Theory (IRT), was developed for purposes of assessing the construct depression [Computer-adaptive test for depression (D-CAT)]. This study aims at testing the feasibility and validity of the real computer-adaptive application. The D-CAT, supplied by a bank of 64 items, was administered on personal digital assistants (PDAs) to 423 consecutive patients suffering from psychosomatic and other medical conditions (78 with depression). Items were adaptively administered until a predetermined reliability (r , 0.90) was attained. For validation purposes, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered. Another sample of 114 patients was evaluated using standardized diagnostic interviews [Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI)]. The D-CAT was quickly completed (mean 74 seconds), well accepted by the patients and reliable after an average administration of only six items. In 95% of the cases, 10 items or less were needed for a reliable score estimate. Correlations between the D-CAT and the HADS, CES-D, and BDI ranged between r = 0.68 and r = 0.77. The D-CAT distinguished between diagnostic groups as well as established questionnaires do. The D-CAT proved an efficient, well accepted and reliable tool. Discriminative power was comparable to other depression measures, whereby the CAT is shorter and more precise. Item usage raises questions of balancing the item selection for content in the future. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Effects of Practical Constraints on Item Selection Rules at the Early Stages of Computerized Adaptive TestingJOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT, Issue 2 2004Shu-Ying Chen The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of four item selection rules,(1) Fisher information (F), (2) Fisher information with a posterior distribution (FP), (3) Kullback-Leibler information with a posterior distribution (KP), and (4) completely randomized item selection (RN),with respect to the precision of trait estimation and the extent of item usage at the early stages of computerized adaptive testing. The comparison of the four item selection rules was carried out under three conditions: (1) using only the item information function as the item selection criterion; (2) using both the item information function and content balancing; and (3) using the item information function, content balancing, and item exposure control. When test length was less than 10 items, FP and KP tended to outperform F at extreme trait levels in Condition 1. However, in more realistic settings, it could not be concluded that FP and KP outperformed F, especially when item exposure control was imposed. When test length was greater than 10 items, the three nonrandom item selection procedures performed similarly no matter what the condition was, while F had slightly higher item usage. [source] Mental health practitioner's attitude towards maintenance neuroleptic treatment for people with schizophreniaJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 2 2007N. HARRIS phd bsc(hons) rmn rgn Pharmacological relapse prevention treatment for people with schizophrenia can last for years if not the person's lifetime. The attitude mental health practitioners (MHPs) hold regarding this treatment can have profound effects on service users' decisions related to treatment. The small number of studies focusing on this issue concentrates on the use of ,depot' preparations. To develop a validated inventory to assess the attitudes of MHPs towards treatment and evaluate the attitudes of a sample of MHPs. The inventory was developed in three stages; item selection, piloting and psychometric testing. The validated inventory was administered to a sample of 50 MHPs undertaking a degree level course in the psycho-social management of psychosis. The final inventory consisted of 21 attitudinal items and four items related to the practitioner's confidence. Results from the sample revealed areas of agreement, variation and uncertainty. A valid and reliable inventory has been developed. The administration of the inventory to 50 MHPs returned results which reflect variable attitudes and perceptions of competency towards maintenance neuroleptic treatment. This diversity in attitudes may have an impact on management of people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and clinical outcomes. [source] Development and validation of a disease-specific quality of life questionnaire for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: the GERD-QOL questionnaireALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 3 2010Y. CHAN Aliment Pharmacol Ther,31, 452,460 Summary Background, A simple and meaningful health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaire for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients is lacking. Aim, To develop and validate a disease-specific HRQoL instrument (GERD-QOL) for GERD patients. Methods, An 18-item questionnaire was generated to measure the impact of GERD on sleep, exercise, diet, need for medication, sex life, work, social activity and psychological well-being. GERD patients were invited to complete the GERD-QOL, a visual analogue scale (VAS) and a validated Chinese generic QoL (SF-36) questionnaire before and after esomeprazole treatment. Factor analysis was performed for item selection and psychometric properties were measured. An English version was developed by a forward-backward translation process. Results, A final 16-item GERD-QOL questionnaire was developed. The items were grouped into four subscales (Daily activity, Treatment effect, Diet, and Psychological well-being) after factor analysis. GERD-QOL had good item-internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.64,0.88), high test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.73,0.94, P < 0.001). Its subscale scores were correlated with SF-36 and VAS, which demonstrated high construct validity (P < 0.001). Discriminant validity was verified by correlating GERD-QOL scores with symptom severity (P < 0.001). Responsiveness after esomeprazole treatment was significant (paired- t -test P < 0.001). An English version of GERD-QOL was developed. Conclusion, The instrument, GERD-QOL, is valid and reliable. [source] Diet traditions in wild orangutansAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Meredith L. Bastian Abstract This study explores diet differences between two populations of wild Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) to assess whether a signal of social learning can be detected in the observed patterns. The populations live in close proximity and in similar habitats but are separated by a river barrier that is impassable to orangutans in the study region. We found a 60% between-site difference in diet at the level of plant food items (plant species,organ combinations). We also found that individuals at the same site were more likely to eat the same food items than expected by chance. These results suggest the presence of diet (food selection) traditions. Detailed tests of three predictions of three models of diet acquisition allowed us to reject a model based on exclusive social learning but could not clearly distinguish between the remaining two models: one positing individual exploration and learning of food item selection and the other one positing preferential social learning followed by individual fine tuning. We know that maturing orangutans acquire their initial diet through social learning and then supplement it by years of low-level, individual sampling. We, therefore, conclude that the preferential social learning model produces the best fit to the geographic patterns observed in this study. However, the very same taxa that socially acquire their diets as infants and show evidence for innovation-based traditions in the wild paradoxically may have diets that are not easily distinguished from those acquired exclusively through individual learning. Am J Phys Anthropol 143:175,187, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||