This column provides a brief synopsis and reference information for select recent journal publications. Note that this is only a short sampling of publications and is not intended as a comprehensive listing.
Multiple Group IRT Measurement Invariance Analysis of the Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking and Self‑Reassuring Scale in Thirteen International Samples
The authors apply a new and promising method for testing measurement invariance to a large international data set, and use this approach to compare latent means across cultures. This approach, called the “alignment method,” tries to search for invariant item loadings and intercepts and in turn latent means and standard deviations using an alignment optimization function (e.g., a quadratic loss function). The advantage of this procedure is that all groups can be compared simultaneously, and it allows aligning and comparing latent means even if some loadings and intercepts are severely non-invariant.
Halamová, J., Kanovský, M., Gilbert, P., Troop, N. A., Zuroff, D. C., Petrocchi, N., Hermanto, N., Krieger, T., Kirby, J. N., Asano, K., Matos, M., Yu, F., Sommers‑Spijkerman, M., Shahar, B., Basran, J., Kupeli, N. (2019). Multiple Group IRT Measurement Invariance Analysis of the Forms of Self‑Criticising/Attacking and Self‑Reassuring Scale in Thirteen International Samples. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 37, 411–444. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-019-00319-1opens in new window
Negotiating Credibility: The Peer Review Process in Clinical Research
This study provides a qualitative analysis of written correspondence between authors and
reviewers during the peer-review process of empirical manuscripts submitted to a major psychotherapy research journal. The aim was to clarify the demands reviewers pose to authors, and in turn how these demands are answered by authors. Such knowledge provides a descriptive account of author–reviewer communication that would be of practical value to participants in either role, while also offering a perspective on how scientific knowledge is co-constructed within the psychotherapy professional and research community.
Oddli, H. W., Kjøs, P., & McLeod, J. (2020). Negotiating credibility: The peer review process in clinical research. Qualitative Psychology, 7(1), 59–75. https ://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.umb.edu/10.1037/qup0000114opens in new window
Improving the Assessment of Measurement Invariance: Using Regularization to Select Anchor Items and Identify Differential Item Functioning
Measurement invariance fails when differential item functioning (DIF) exists, that is, when item responses relate to the latent variable differently across groups. To identify DIF in a scale, many data-driven procedures iteratively test for DIF one item at a time while assuming other items have no DIF. Iterative testing procedures can fail to select the correct anchor items and identify true DIF, particularly when DIF is present in many items. The authors propose an alternative method using regularization. This machine learning technique imposes a penalty function during estimation to remove parameters that have little impact on model fit. When large amounts of DIF are present and sample sizes are large, lasso regularization has better control of Type I error than the likelihood ratio test method with little decrement in power. This provides evidence that lasso regularization is a promising alternative for testing DIF and selecting anchors.
Belzak, W. C. M., & Bauer, D. J. (2020). Improving the assessment of measurement invariance: Using regularization to select anchor items and identify differential item functioning. Psychological Methods. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/met0000253opens in new window
The Relation Between ICT and Science in PISA 2015 for Bulgarian and Finnish Students
The relationship between information and communication technology (ICT) and science performance has been the focus of recent research, especially due to the prevalence of ICT in our digital society. However, the exploration of this relationship has yielded mixed results. The current study aims to uncover the learning processes that are linked to students’ science performance by investigating the effect of ICT variables on science for 15-year-old students in two countries with contrasting levels of technology implementation (Bulgaria n = 5,928 and Finland n = 5,882). This study employed SEM to explore the relationship between ICT and science performance, controlling for students’ socio-economic status. This method was used because of its robustness to non-normality in the data. This analytic method allows for a combination of CFA and path analysis, and it is less laborious than other linear equation methods.
Odell, B., Galovan, A. M., & Cutumisu, M. (2020). The Relation Between ICT and Science in PISA 2015 for Bulgarian and Finnish Students. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 16(6), em1846. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/7805opens in new window
Guidelines for the Publication Corner column
Have you seen a recent publication that you think would be of great interest to Div. 5 membership? Please feel free to share suggestions for publications to include in this column. Please send your ideas to The Score editor, Gill Sitarenios. Please be sure to include full reference details and a short synopsis (two-three sentences) of the publication. Use “Publication Corner” in the subject line of the email.