Response Time Relationships Within Examinees: Implications for Item Response Time Models

Abstract

AbstractA wide variety of models have been developed for item response times. The models vary in both primary purpose and underlying assumptions. As noted by van der Linden (2016), several item response models assume response time and response accuracy are highly dependent processes. However, the nature of this assumed relationship varies substantially between models; that is, greater accuracy may be associated with either increased or decreased response time. In addition to these conflicting assumptions, examinees may differ in their relative response times across items. In the current study, the relationship of item log response times to item differences in difficulty and content was examined within subjects. Although on the item level, mean item log response time was positively correlated with difficulty, a broad distribution of these correlations was found within subjects, ranging from positive to negative. These results indicate that existing models may be differentially effective depending on examinees’ predominant strategy in item solving.KeywordsItem response time modelsTest-taking strategiesMixture models