Skip to main content

Cogitations on Invariant Measurement

A Memo to Ben Wright on the Perspectives of Rasch and Guttman

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Psychological and Social Measurement

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Measurement Science and Technology ((SSMST))

  • 605 Accesses

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to trace the evolution of the concept of invariant measurement as it appears in the work of Guttman and Rasch. The first section of the paper describes the concept of invariance. This section includes a detailed description of the perspectives of Guttman and Rasch on invariant measurement. The next section presents a re-analysis of the Stouffer-Toby data set using Guttman scaling and Rasch measurement theory. Finally, the implications for research, theory and practice of measurement are discussed. An earlier version of this research was presented at the Ben Wright Conference in Chicago (April 2003). I dedicate this chapter to Ben because it represents a continuation of my memos to him on the foundational ideas of measurement.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Andrich, D. A. (1985). An elaboration of Guttman scaling with Rasch models for measurement. In N. B. Tuma (Ed.), Sociological methodology (pp. 33–80). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrich, D. A. (1988). Rasch models for measurement. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc..

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bond, T. G., & Fox, C. M. (2015). Applying the Rasch model: Fundamental measurement in the human sciences (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Choppin, B. (1968). Item banking using sample-free calibration. Nature, 219(5156), 870–872.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crocker, L., & Algina, J. (1986). Introduction to classical and modern test theory. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engelhard, G. (1984). Thorndike, Thurstone and Rasch: A comparison of their methods of scaling psychological and educational tests. Applied Psychological Measurement, 8, 21–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engelhard, G. (2005). Guttman scaling. In K. Kempf-Leonard (Ed.), Encyclopedia of social measurement (Vol. 2, pp. 167–174). San Diego, CA: Academic Press (Elsevier Science).

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Engelhard, G. (2008). Historical perspectives on invariant measurement: Guttman, Rasch, and Mokken [Special issue]. Measurement: Interdisciplinary Research and Perspectives (6), 1–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engelhard, G. (2013). Invariant measurement: Using Rasch models in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. New York: Routledge/Psychology Press/Taylor & Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guttman, L. (1944). A basis for scaling qualitative data. American Sociological Review, 9(2), 139–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guttman, L. (1950). The basis for scalogram analysis. In S. A. Stouffer, L. Guttman, E. A. Suchman, P. F. Lazarsfeld, S. A. Star, & J. A. Clausen (Eds.), Measurement and prediction (Vol. IV, pp. 60–90). Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Linacre, J. M. (1989). Many-facet Rasch measurement. Chicago: MESA Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loevinger, J. (1947). A systematic approach to the construction and evaluation of tests of ability. Psychological Monographs, 61, no. 4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loevinger, J. (1948). The technic of homogeneous test compared with some aspects of “scale analysis” and factor analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 45, 507–530.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loevinger, J. (1965). Person and population as psychometric concepts. Psychological Review, 72, 143–1555.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mokken, R. J. (1971). A theory and procedure of scale analysis. The Hague: Mouton/Berlin: De Gruyter.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Mosier, C. I. (1940). Psychophysics and mental test theory: Fundamental postulates and elementary theorems. Psychological Review, 47, 355–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mosier, C. I. (1941). Psychophysics and mental test theory II: The constant process. Psychological Review, 48, 235–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nozick, R. (2001). Invariances: The structure of the objective world. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rasch, G. (1960). Probabilistic models for some intelligence and attainment tests. Copenhagen: Danish Institute for Educational Research. (Expanded edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  • Rasch, G. (1961). On general laws and meaning of measurement in psychology. In J. Neyman (Ed.), Proceedings of the fourth Berkeley Symposium on mathematical statistics and probability. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rasch, G. (1966). An item analysis which takes individual differences into account. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 19(Part 1), 49–57.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stevens, S. S. (1951). Mathematics, measurement and psychophysics. In S. S. Stevens (Ed.), Handbook of experimental psychology (pp. 1–49). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stouffer, S. A., & Toby, J. (1951). Role conflict and personality. The American Journal of Sociology, 56, 395–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van der Linden, W. J. (2016). Handbook of item response theory: volume two, statistical tools. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, B. D. (1968). Sample-free test calibration and person measurement. In Proceedings of the 1967 invitational conference on testing problems. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, B. D. (1997). A history of social science measurement. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 16(4), 33–45. 52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, B. D., & Masters, G. (1982). Rating scale analysis: Rasch measurement. Chicago: MESA Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to George Engelhard Jr. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Engelhard, G. (2017). Cogitations on Invariant Measurement. In: Wilson, M., Fisher, Jr., W. (eds) Psychological and Social Measurement. Springer Series in Measurement Science and Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67304-2_2

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics