Toward a theory relating text complexity, reader ability, and reading comprehension.

Validity of specification equations used by auto-text processors to estimate theoretical text complexity have increased importance because of the Common Core State Standards. Theoretical estimates of text complexity will inform (a) setting standards for college and career readiness, (b) grade-level standards, matching readers to text, and (d) creating a daily diet of stretch and targeted text designed to grow reading ability and content knowledge. The purpose of this research was to investigate the specification equation used in the Lexile Framework for Reading to measure text complexity.

Plausible measurement analogies to some psychometric models of test performance.

Psychometricians hypothesize that cognitive abilities such as reading, writing and spelling are measurable. However, they prefer to model item response probabilities than to study the internal structure of cognitive attributes. The theory of conjoint measurement, via its unique capacity to detect the quantitative structure of non-extensive attributes, can be used for the latter purpose.

From model to measurement with dichotomous items.

Psychometric models typically represent encounters between persons and dichotomous items as a random variable with two possible outcomes, one of which can be labeled success. For a given item, the stipulation that each person has a probability of success defines a construct on persons. This model specification defines the construct, but measurement is not yet achieved.

Attitudes, order and quantity: deterministic and direct probabilistic tests of unidimensional unfolding.

This article is the final in the series on unidimensional unfolding. The investigations of Kyngdon (2006b) and Michell (1994) were extended to include direct probabilistic tests of the quantitative and ordinal components of unfolding theory with the multinomial Dirichlet model (Karabatsos 2005); and tests of the higher order axiomatic conjoint measurement (ACM, Krantz, Luce, Suppes and Tversky (KLST) 1971) condition of triple cancellation. Strong Dirichlet model support for both the ordinal and quantitative components of unfolding was only found in datasets that satisfied at least double cancellation.

An empirical study into the theory of unidimensional unfolding.

This article is the second in the series on unidimensional unfolding. Its aim was to test the quantitative component of Coombs's (1964) theory via an empirical application to subjective control in gambling behavior (Dickerson and Baron, 2000). It was found that approximately 96% of judgments upon bilateral stimulus pairs were as predicted by the theory of unidimensional unfolding.

An introduction to the theory of unidimensional unfolding.

Despite its 55 year presence in the field of mathematical psychology, the theory of unidimensional unfolding remains an enigma for many psychometricians and applied practitioners. This paper is the first of a three part series; and it aims to introduce unidimensional unfolding theory. The paper begins with a simple hypothetical example presenting an idealised distinction between responses to cumulative and unfolding dichotomous items.

Comparing factor analysis and the Rasch model for ordered response categories: an investigation of the scale of gambling choices.

Using both factor analysis (Spearman, 1904) and the Rasch model for ordered response categories (Andrich, 1978), the present study investigated the structure of the Scale of Gambling Choices (SGC, Baron, Dickerson and Blaszczynski, 1995). The scale was administered to a participant sample (n = 210) consisting of 57 first year psychology students, 104 in situ club Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM) players and 49 self-referred problem gamblers. It was hypothesised that the results yielded by factor analysis and Andrich's model would not agree with respect to the behaviour of individual items.