In 2024, Psychometrika ran an unusual exchange. Three senior psychometricians — Klaas Sijtsma, Jules Ellis, and Denny Borsboom — published a focus article arguing that the humble sum score, the simple total of right-or-wrong answers on a test, is psychometrics’ greatest accomplishment and should remain central to practice. Two commentaries, …
A test item that scores differently for two groups of equally able examinees is called a differential item functioning (DIF) item, and identifying these items is now a routine part of large-scale assessment quality control. The hard part has never been the detection — statistical tests for DIF have been …
Lawrence T. DeCarlo’s recent article introduces a psychological framework for mixed-format exams, combining signal detection theory (SDT) for multiple-choice items and item response theory (IRT) for open-ended items. This fusion allows for a unified model that captures the nuances of each item type while providing insights into the underlying cognitive …
A 2024 study in Annals of Behavioral Medicine measured something most exercise-and-cognition research has not: not whether a structured exercise program improves brain function over weeks or months, but whether a single bout of everyday physical activity — walking the dog, climbing stairs, household chores — produces a measurable cognitive …
