PSYb2590 Introduction to Psychometrics

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Hynek Cígler, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. et Mgr. Petr Palíšek (lecturer)
Mgr. Petra Hubatka (lecturer)
Mgr. Jakub Brojáč (assistant)
Mgr. Tomáš Kratochvíl, Ph.D. (assistant)
Mgr. Eva Šragová (assistant)
Mgr. Ivan Černický (assistant)
Mgr. Karel Rečka (assistant)
doc. Mgr. Stanislav Ježek, Ph.D. (alternate examiner)
Mgr. Jan Širůček, Ph.D. (alternate examiner)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Hynek Cígler, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. et Mgr. Petr Palíšek
Supplier department: Department of Psychology – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites
! PSY259 Introduction to Psychometrics && (SEMESTR(3) || SEMESTR(4) || SEMESTR(5) || SEMESTR(6) || SEMESTR(7))
This course has no prerequisites. However, we strongly recommend enrolling in the same semester as PSYb2550: Psychology of Individual Differences. Both courses are inextricably linked, and their simultaneous completion will provide you with several benefits. Besides, we assume basic knowledge of psychological methodology (PSYb1120, Methodology of Psychological Research) and knowledge of both previous statistical subjects (PSYb1170: Statistical Data Analysis; PSYb2520, Statistical Data Analysis II). Students of two-discipline psychology can also enroll in the course without knowledge of related statistics. However, they should take into account that some concepts may be more challenging to learn. Students of other disciplines can enroll in the course. In such a case, please ask the teachers.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Psychometrics is supplementary psychological science providing technical background especially for psychological diagnostics. Alternatively it can be considered as theoretical science emerging between psychology and applied mathematics. During the course students will master fundamental principles of psychological measurement with focus on so-called “classical test theory”, its critics and applications. At the end of the semester successful students will be able to evaluate manuals of psychological assessment methods, review their psychometrical qualities and indicate adequate use of these methods. They will posses necessary qualification for planning and technical realization of full (re-)standardisation of existing psychological assessment method, respectively they will be able to create simple assessment method on their own.
Learning outcomes
The aim of the course is to provide students with the basic theoretical knowledge of the field and to strengthen the ability to apply them adequately when assessing and choosing psychodiagnostic methods, applying psychometric procedures to the evaluation of test results, and finally also independently designing their own methods for specific application purposes. The educational objectives of the course are determined by the Bloom Taxonomy. To pass the course successfully, it is not needed only passive knowledge of the lectured concepts; it is necessary to work actively with the obligatory literature and to acquire the ability to handle the concepts of the field in an adequate way. Practical skills and critical data handling will be also tested during the course. Easier would be the course for those students who have learned the fundamentals of personality psychology, methodology and fundamentals of statistical analysis of data in the range of compulsory courses lectured at the Department of Psychology of FSS MU in the study program of single-subject psychology.
Syllabus
  • 1) Psychometrics in context of psychological sciences 2) History of psychological measurement - methodological and ethical aspects i. Measurement of cognitive capabilities ii. Psychometrically based approach in personality psychology 3) Basic concepts in mathematical data analysis i. Central tendency, analysis of variance, covariance and correlation, level of measurement, variable distribution 4) Theory of measurement 5) One-dimension variable, latent variable 6) Classical test theory (CTT) 7) Reliability 8) Validity 9) Item analysis 10) CTT - critical evaluation Standardisation and norms in psychological assessment
Literature
    required literature
  • Borsboom, D., Mellenbergh, G.J., & van Heerden, J. (2004). The Concept of Validity. Psychological Review 111(4), 1061–71. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.111.4.1061
  • Harvill, L. M. (1991). An NCME Instructional Module on Standard Error of Measurement. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 10(2), 33–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3992.1991.tb00195.x
  • Urbánek, T. (2010). Stav české psychologické diagnostiky a evropský model recenze testu. Testfórum, 1(1), 2–5. doi:10.5817/TF2010-1-1
  • Dudek, F. J. (1979). The continuing misinterpretation of the standard error of measurement. Psychological Bulletin, 86(2), 335–337. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.86.2.335
  • HOGAN, Thomas P. Psychological testing : a practical introduction. 3rd ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2015, xxi, 674. ISBN 9781118554128. info
  • SHULTZ, Kenneth S., David J. WHITNEY and Michael J. ZICKAR. Measurement theory in action : case studies and exercises. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2014, xxi, 396. ISBN 9780415644792. info
  • FURR, R. Michael and Verne R. BACHARACH. Psychometrics : an introduction. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 2014, xxii, 442. ISBN 9781452256801. info
  • URBÁNEK, Tomáš. Základy psychometriky. Vyd. 1. Brno: Masarykova univerzita v Brně pro Filozofickou fakultu, 2002, 153 s. ISBN 8021027975. info
    recommended literature
  • Gregory, R. J. (2014). Chapter 2: Origins of Psychological Testing. In Psychological Testing : History, Principles, and Applications (pp. 56–81). Pearson.
  • Revelle, W. (under development). An introduction to psychometric theory with applications in R. Chapter 7, pages 205–212, 236–239
  • PRICE, Larry R. Psychometric methods : theory into practice. New York: Guilford press, 2017, xvi, 552. ISBN 9781462524778. info
  • BOND, Trevor G. and Christine M. FOX. Applying the Rasch model : fundamental measurement in the human sciences. Third edition. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2015, xx, 383. ISBN 9780415833424. info
  • RAYKOV, Tenko and George A. MARCOULIDES. Introduction to psychometric theory. New York: Routledge, 2011, xii, 335. ISBN 9780415878227. info
  • DEMARS, Christine. Item response theory. Oxford: Oxford university press, 2010, 131 stran. ISBN 9780195377033. info
  • URBÁNEK, Tomáš. Strukturální modelování v psychologii. 1st ed. Brno: Psychologický ústav AV ČR a Nakladatelství Pavel Křepela, 2000, 234 pp. ISBN 80-902653-4-0. info
  • KLINE, Paul. The new psychometrics : science, psychology and measurement. Philadelphia: Routledge, 1998, xiv, 224. ISBN 0415187516. info
  • AIKEN, Lewis R. Rating scales & checklists : evaluating behavior, personality, and attitudes. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1996, 312 s. ISBN 0471127876. info
Teaching methods
Course consists of short, thematically based lectures and interactive class work. Individual work is supported via on-line discussion and concurrent feedback on group projects.
Assessment methods
Group seminar work, mid-semestral written tests, written and oral part of the final exam.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
Teacher's information
https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/fss/jaro2024/PSYb2590/index.qwarp
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2025/PSYb2590