The Variable Response Model: Theory, Implementation, and Application

智力评估在日常生活中无处不在，包括求职面试、驾照考试和大学入学考试，仅举几例。心理能力可以借助统计模型和测试中的可观察行为来估计。通常，这些模型是针对特定的回答格式定制的，例如多项选择、对错或连续回答。相反，本项目引入了可变反应模型，该模型灵活地考虑了同一测试中的各种反应形式。与许多类似的模型不同，可变反应模型进一步考虑了对试题的正确回答未知的情况。例如，这适用于证人证词。当几名犯罪证人接受采访时，正确的回答代表了犯罪的真实细节。可变反应模型提供了对这些细节的估计，同时考虑了证人举报犯罪能力的个人差异。在目前的研究项目中，我首先专注于理论，目标是使变量反应模型适用于多种心理能力对同一测试分数有影响的情况。该项目的第二个目标是在软件中实现该模型，使从业者能够在尽可能少的培训或先验知识的情况下应用该模型。最后，本项目将可变反应模型应用于证人证言。具体地说，我的目标是通过考虑证人描述肇事者能力的个体差异来提高面孔合成的质量。最终，该项目可能有助于在同一罪行的几名证人可用时，将可变反应模式确立为一种标准的取证工具。可变反应模式还可以帮助教育测试，其中混合反应格式为从业者提供了更好的灵活性。我还期望本项目对人类学感兴趣，在那里，类似的但可以说不那么强大的方法得到了广泛的应用。

The assessment of mental abilities is ubiquitous in everyday life and includes job interviews, driving exams, and university admission tests, to name just a few. Mental abilities can be estimated with the help of statistical models and the observable behavior in a test. Typically, these models are tailored to specific response formats such as multiple choice, true-false, or continuous responses. Conversely, the present project introduces the Variable Response model which flexibly accounts for various response formats within the same test. In contrast to many similar models, the Variable-Response model further accounts for situations where the correct responses to the test questions are unknown. This applies to witness testimony, for example. When several witnesses of a crime are interviewed, the correct responses represent the true details of the crime. The Variable Response model provides estimates of these details while accounting for inter-individual differences in the witnesses´ abilities to report about the crime. In the present research project, I first focus on theory and aim to adapt the Variable Response model to situations where multiple mental abilities contribute to the same test scores. The second goal of the project is to implement the model in software that allows practitioners to apply the model with as little training or prior knowledge as possible. Finally, the project applies the Variable Response model to witness testimony. Specifically, I aim to improve the quality of face composites by accounting for inter-individual differences in the witnesses´ ability to describe the perpetrator. Ultimately, the project may help to establish the Variable Response model as a standard forensic tool when several witnesses of the same crime are available. The Variable Response model could also aid educational testing where the mixing of response formats provides improved flexibility to practitioners. I further expect the present project to be of interest in Anthropology where similar but arguably less powerful methods have been used extensively.