Advances in clinical personality measurement : An item response theory analysis of the MMPI-2 PSY-5 scales

Item response theory (IRT) provides valuable methods for the analysis of the psychometric properties of a psychological measure. To date, however, these methods have not been used frequently by personality assessment researchers, in part because many researchers have not been introduced to the methods and in part because most of the development of IRT has taken place in applied education assessment settings, resulting in terminology that is ability focused rather than trait focused. The purpose of this article is twofold. First, an overview of IRT is presented, highlighting the concepts of the three-parameter IRT model, item and test information, and conditional standard error of measurement. Second, the psychometric properties of the (MMPI-2) PSY-5 scales are examined to demonstrate IRT's value.

[1]  B. Zumbo,et al.  An Empirical Test of Roskam's Conjecture about the Interpretation of an ICC Parameter in Personality Inventories , 1997 .

[2]  B. gray-Little,et al.  An Item Response Theory Analysis of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale , 1997 .

[3]  D. Cooke,et al.  An Item Response Theory Analysis of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised , 1997 .

[4]  Niels G. Waller,et al.  Exploring nonlinear models in personality assessment: Development and preliminary validation of a negative emotionality scale. , 1996 .

[5]  M. Gessaroli,et al.  Using an Approximate Chi-Square Statistic to Test the Number of Dimensions Underlying the Responses to a Set of Items , 1996 .

[6]  Fritz Drasgow,et al.  Detecting Faking on a Personality Instrument Using Appropriateness Measurement , 1996 .

[7]  S. Reise,et al.  An Item Response Theory Analysis of the General and Academic Scales of the Self-Description Questionnaire II , 1995 .

[8]  Y. Ben-Porath,et al.  The Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5): Constructs and MMPI-2 Scales. , 1995 .

[9]  Robert J. Harvey,et al.  Evaluation of Three Short-Form Versions of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator , 1994 .

[10]  P. J. Ferrando.  Fitting Item Response Models to the Epi-A Impulsivity Sub Scale , 1994 .

[11]  W. D. Murry,et al.  Scoring the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: Empirical comparison of preference score versus latent-trait methods. , 1994 .

[12]  H. Kimmel,et al.  An Item Response Theory Evaluation of an English Version of the Trier Personality Inventory (TPI) , 1993 .

[13]  M. Browne,et al.  Alternative Ways of Assessing Model Fit , 1992 .

[14]  R. Hambleton,et al.  Fundamentals of Item Response Theory , 1991 .

[15]  J. H. Steiger.  Structural Model Evaluation and Modification: An Interval Estimation Approach. , 1990, Multivariate behavioral research.

[16]  R. G. Lim,et al.  Evaluation of Two Methods for Estimating Item Response Theory Parameters When Assessing Differential Item Functioning , 1990 .

[17]  S. Reise,et al.  Fitting the Two-Parameter Model to Personality Data , 1990 .

[18]  N G Waller,et al.  Computerized adaptive personality assessment: an illustration with the Absorption scale. , 1989, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[19]  Michael R. Harwell,et al.  Item Parameter Estimation Via Marginal Maximum Likelihood and an EM Algorithm: A Didactic , 1988 .

[20]  Colin Fraser,et al.  NOHARM: Least Squares Item Factor Analysis. , 1988, Multivariate behavioral research.

[21]  L. Crocker,et al.  Introduction to Classical and Modern Test Theory , 1986 .

[22]  D. Weiss.  Adaptive testing by computer. , 1985, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[23]  J. S. Tanaka,et al.  A fit index for covariance structure models under arbitrary GLS estimation , 1985 .

[24]  J. de Jong-Gierveld,et al.  The Development of a Rasch-Type Loneliness Scale , 1985 .

[25]  R. Hambleton,et al.  Item Response Theory , 1984, The History of Educational Measurement.

[26]  J. Carter,et al.  A Latent Trait Analysis of the MMPI. , 1984, Multivariate behavioral research.

[27]  R. D. Bock,et al.  Marginal maximum likelihood estimation of item parameters: Application of an EM algorithm , 1981 .

[28]  P. Bentler,et al.  Significance Tests and Goodness of Fit in the Analysis of Covariance Structures , 1980 .

[29]  F. Lord.  Applications of Item Response Theory To Practical Testing Problems , 1980 .

[30]  D. Jackson,et al.  Desirability Scale Values and Dispersions for Mmpi Items , 1961 .

[31]  J. S. Tanaka,et al.  Factor analytic approaches to personality item-level data. , 1997, Journal of personality assessment.

[32]  Chih-Hung Chang.  Finding Two Dimensions in MMPI-2 Depression. , 1996 .

[33]  S. Hammond.  An IRT Investigation of the Validity of Non-Patient Analogue Research Using the Beck Depression Inventory , 1995 .

[34]  R. P. McDonald,et al.  Goodness of Fit in Item Response Models. , 1995, Multivariate behavioral research.

[35]  A. R. Harkness,et al.  The Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5): Issues from the pages of a diagnostic manual instead of a dictionary. , 1994 .

[36]  S. Hathaway,et al.  MMPI-2 : Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 : manual for administration and scoring , 1989 .

[37]  David Thissen,et al.  Data analysis using item response theory. , 1988 .

[38]  F. Lord.  A theory of test scores. , 1952 .