Comparing the Aberrant Response Detection Performance of Thirty-Six Person-Fit Statistics

Abstract

The accurate measurement of examinee test performance is critical to educational decision-making, and inaccurate measurement can lead to negative consequences for examinees. Person-fit statistics are important in a psychometric analysis for detecting examinees with aberrant response patterns that lead to inaccurate measurement. Unfortunately, although a large number of person-fit statistics is available, there is little consensus as to which ones are most useful. The purpose of this study was to compare 36 person-fit indices, under different testing conditions, to obtain a better consensus as to their relative merits. The results of these comparisons, and their implications, are discussed.