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Estimating the Parameters of the Latent Population Distribution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2025

Erling Andersen  and
Mette Madsen
Erling Andersen*
Affiliation:
University of Copenhagen
Mette Madsen
Affiliation:
University of Copenhagen
*
Requests for reprints should be sent to Dr. Erling B. Andersen, Institute of Statistics, University of Copenhagen, Studiestraede 6, DK-1455 Copenhagen K, DENMARK.
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Abstract

Under consideration is a test battery of binary items. The responses of n individuals are assumed to follow a Rasch model. It is further assumed that the latent individual parameters are distributed within a given population in accordance with a normal distribution. Methods are then considered for estimating the mean and variance of this latent population distribution. Also considered are methods for checking whether a normal population distribution fits the data. The developed methods are applied to data from an achievement test and from an attitude test.

Keywords

Rasch modellatent variablepopulation likelihoodnormal distribution
Type
Original Paper
Information
Psychometrika , Volume 42 , Issue 3 , September 1977 , pp. 357 - 374
Copyright
Copyright © 1977 The Psychometric Society

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References

Reference Notes

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Haberman, S. Maximum likelihood estimates in exponential response models, 1975, Chicago: University of Chicago.Google Scholar

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