difNLR: Generalized Logistic Regression Models for DIF and DDF Detection

Differential item functioning (DIF) and differential distractor functioning (DDF) are important topics in psychometrics, pointing to potential unfairness in items with respect to minorities or different social groups. Various methods have been proposed to detect these issues. The difNLR R package extends DIF methods currently provided in other packages by offering approaches based on generalized logistic regression models that account for possible guessing or inattention, and by providing methods to detect DIF and DDF among ordinal and nominal data. In the current paper, we describe implementation of the main functions of the difNLR package, from data generation, through the model fitting and hypothesis testing, to graphical representation of the results. Finally, we provide a real data example to bring the concepts together.

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