Using Response Times to Model Not-Reached Items due to Time Limits

Steffi Pohl (), Esther Ulitzsch and Matthias Davier
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Steffi Pohl: Freie Universität Berlin
Esther Ulitzsch: Freie Universität Berlin
Matthias Davier: National Board of Medical Examiners

Psychometrika, 2019, vol. 84, issue 3, No 12, 892-920

Abstract: Abstract Missing values at the end of a test typically are the result of test takers running out of time and can as such be understood by studying test takers’ working speed. As testing moves to computer-based assessment, response times become available allowing to simulatenously model speed and ability. Integrating research on response time modeling with research on modeling missing responses, we propose using response times to model missing values due to time limits. We identify similarities between approaches used to account for not-reached items (Rose et al. in ETS Res Rep Ser 2010:i–53, 2010) and the speed-accuracy (SA) model for joint modeling of effective speed and effective ability as proposed by van der Linden (Psychometrika 72(3):287–308, 2007). In a simulation, we show (a) that the SA model can recover parameters in the presence of missing values due to time limits and (b) that the response time model, using item-level timing information rather than a count of not-reached items, results in person parameter estimates that differ from missing data IRT models applied to not-reached items. We propose using the SA model to model the missing data process and to use both, ability and speed, to describe the performance of test takers. We illustrate the application of the model in an empirical analysis.

Keywords: item response theory; response times; missing responses; not-reached items; time limit; Bayesian modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11336-019-09669-2

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