scholarly journals Estimating Uncertainty in Party Policy Positions Using the Confrontational Approach

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 197-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Louwerse ◽  
Huib Pellikaan
Keyword(s):  
Item Response Theory ◽  
Item Response ◽  
Parliamentary Election ◽  
Testing Hypotheses ◽  
European Elections ◽  
Policy Positions ◽  
Party Policy Positions ◽  
Opening Up ◽  
Special Case ◽  
Estimate Uncertainty

This research note extends the confrontational approach to estimating party policy positions by providing a way to estimate uncertainty associated with the measurements. The confrontational approach is a flexible method of determining party policy positions, which is ideally suited to measure parties’ positions on issues that are specific to a country or period in time. We introduce a method of estimating the uncertainty of confrontational estimates by restating the approach as a special case of an item response theory, opening up the possibility of using the confrontational approach not only as a descriptive tool but also as a means of testing hypotheses on party policy preferences. We illustrate our model using analysis of the 2010 Dutch parliamentary election and the 2009 European elections.

Measuring Foreign Policy Positions of Members of the US Congress

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gyung-Ho Jeong
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Item Response Theory ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Item Response ◽  
Theory Model ◽  
Domestic Policy ◽  
Policy Position ◽  
Policy Positions ◽  
Us Congress ◽  
The Us

Studies have shown that a foreign policy position of a member of Congress is often distinct from a domestic one. Despite this, measures commonly used to determine the foreign policy positions of members of Congress are based on congressional votes on domestic as well as foreign policy matters. As foreign policy votes take up only a small portion of all congressional votes, these measures conflate a member’s foreign policy position with his or her domestic policy position. While there are other measures based exclusively on foreign policy votes, these are also problematic because they tend to use a small number of controversial votes and thus inflate extremism. To address these shortcomings, I present a new measure by applying a Bayesian item response theory model to all foreign policy votes. This paper demonstrates the similarities, differences, and advantages of this measure by comparing it with the existing measures in a series of analyses of foreign policy positions of political parties and individual legislators.

scholarly journals Measuring Latent Constructs in Nonprofit Surveys with Item Response Theory: The Example of Political Ideology

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-110
Author(s):  
Dyana P. Mason
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Item Response Theory ◽  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Item Response ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Response Theory ◽  
Analysis Techniques ◽  
Latent Constructs ◽  
Traditional Approaches ◽  
Opening Up

AbstractLatent constructs are the unobservable characteristics of individuals, groups and organizations. Although researchers use many tools to measure latent constructs, including scaled-items and factor analysis techniques, this study offers a different way to measure these characteristics in nonprofit research. Using Item Response Theory (IRT), this study develops one approach to measure revealed political ideology among leaders in nonprofit social welfare organizations. This approach can also be used to measure a variety of other constructs that may be difficult to measure through traditional approaches, opening up new lines of inquiry for those who study nonprofit organizations.

Applying Item Response Theory Modeling to Identify Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 1916-1932 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiying Yuan ◽  
Christine Dollaghan
Keyword(s):  
Item Response Theory ◽  
Item Response ◽  
Sensitivity And Specificity ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
National Database ◽  
Communication Disorder ◽  
Social Communication Questionnaire ◽  
Autism Research ◽  
The Social ◽  
Pragmatic Communication

Purpose No diagnostic tools exist for identifying social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SPCD), a new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition category for individuals with social communication deficits but not the repetitive, restricted behaviors and interests (RRBIs) that would qualify them for a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We explored the value of items from a widely used screening measure of ASD for distinguishing SPCD from typical controls (TC; Aim 1) and from ASD (Aim 2). Method We applied item response theory (IRT) modeling to Social Communication Questionnaire–Lifetime ( Rutter, Bailey, & Lord, 2003 ) records available in the National Database for Autism Research. We defined records from putative SPCD ( n = 54), ASD ( n = 278), and TC ( n = 274) groups retrospectively, based on National Database for Autism Research classifications and Autism Diagnostic Interview–Revised responses. After assessing model assumptions, estimating model parameters, and measuring model fit, we identified items in the social communication and RRBI domains that were maximally informative in differentiating the groups. Results IRT modeling identified a set of seven social communication items that distinguished SPCD from TC with sensitivity and specificity > 80%. A set of five RRBI items was less successful in distinguishing SPCD from ASD (sensitivity and specificity < 70%). Conclusion The IRT modeling approach and the Social Communication Questionnaire–Lifetime item sets it identified may be useful in efforts to construct screening and diagnostic measures for SPCD.

How Do Psychologists Learn Item Response Theory?

2001 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 629-632
Author(s):  
Robert J. Mislevy
Keyword(s):  
Item Response Theory ◽  
Item Response ◽  
Response Theory
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document