Background

The field of psychometrics has undergone substantial evolution over the past several decades, both in terms of advances in methodology and improved software and hardware for deploying new methods. Despite these strides, many of these developments have not been integrated into the broader field of psychology, as highlighted by Embretson (2005) and Borsboom (2006). Understanding and incorporating these psychometric advances is crucial to enable cognitive scientists to address growing concerns about validity and reliability, as well as to develop robust theoretical frameworks for understanding cognition.

This workshop will bring together cognitive scientists who have used psychometric models as a vehicle for understanding individual differences in diverse cognitive domains, from language to math and reasoning. We have invited researchers who are leveraging psychometric models to understand individual differences and developmental change in a variety of tasks. Our central aim is to give workshop participants concrete examples of how their research can benefit from the adoption of psychometric methods, and to help them find ways to reduce barriers to adoption.

Main topics of discussion will be:

• Why is psychometrics important to cognitive science?
• How can psychological theories be built and tested as psychometric models?
• What are some good examples of psychometrics being used in cognitive science?

References

• Borsboom, D. (2006). The attack of the psychometricians. Psychometrika, 71(3), 425–440.
• Borsboom, D., van der Maas, H. L. J., Dalege, J., Kievit, R. A., & Haig, B. D. (2021). Theory construction methodology: A practical framework for building theories in psychology. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16, 756–766.
• Embretson, S. E. (2005). The second century of ability testing: Some predictions and speculations. Measurement, 2(1), 1–32.