Operational Rater Types in Writing Assessment: Linking Rater Cognition to Rater Behavior

Abstract

This research investigated the relation between rater cognition and rater behavior, focusing on differential severity/leniency regarding criteria. Participants comprised a sample of 18 raters examined in a previous rater cognition study (Eckes, 2008b). These raters, who were known to differ widely in their perceptions of criterion importance, provided ratings of live examinee writing performance. Based on these ratings, criterion-related bias measures were estimated using many-facet Rasch measurement. A cluster analysis of bias measures yielded four operational rater types. Each type was characterized by a distinct pattern of differentially severe or lenient ratings on particular criteria. The observed bias patterns were related to differential perceptions of criterion importance: Criteria perceived as highly important were more closely associated with severe ratings, and criteria perceived as less important were more closely associated with lenient ratings. Implications of the demonstrated link between rater cognition and rater behavior for future research into the nature of rater bias are discussed.