On the Finiteness of the Weighted Likelihood Estimator of Ability

David Magis () and Norman Verhelst
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David Magis: University of Liège
Norman Verhelst: Eurometrics

Psychometrika, 2017, vol. 82, issue 3, No 5, 637-647

Abstract: Abstract The purpose of this note is to focus on the finiteness of the weighted likelihood estimator (WLE) of ability in the context of dichotomous and polytomous item response theory (IRT) models. It is established that the WLE always returns finite ability estimates. This general result is valid for dichotomous (one-, two-, three- and four-parameter logistic) IRT models, the class of polytomous difference models and divide-by-total models, independently of the number of items, the item parameters and the response patterns. Further implications of this result are outlined.

Keywords: item response theory; dichotomous models; polytomous models; weighted likelihood estimation; Bayesian estimation; finiteness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1007/s11336-016-9518-9

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