Understanding Disparities in Mental Status Assessment

本申请旨在探讨心理状态测量中差异的意义 根据种族/民族或教育程度。我们将通过以下方式实现这一点： 方法论研究，即使用模拟数据和实际数据进行比较分析 检测项目偏差或差异项目功能的方法、测量偏差的特定形式或 测量不变性。我们的研究是由经常报道但尚未完全完成的 了解种族/民族和完成教育年限与心理表现的关系 对老年人的地位进行衡量。这项研究项目的总体目标是评估 不同种族/民族和受教育程度的项目和测试偏向会影响成绩 认知评估测量在晚年生活。研究团队包括来自不同国家的研究人员 使用项目反应理论方法研究测量不变性的机构。成员 我们研究团队中的许多人一直是将现代心理测量技术应用于 检测认知功能测量中的偏差，然而，我们认识到这一领域的研究是在 它还处于初级阶段。为了实现我们在这方面推动这一领域向前发展的目标，我们的具体目标是(1) 对检测偏见的不同方法论途径进行“基础心理测量学”研究 测试项目，比较采用不同估计策略的IRT技术；(2)评估 可归因于种族/族裔和教育程度的项目偏差群体差异影响评估 在三次大型人口普查中评估认知状况；以及(3)在认知方面进行评估 健康的老年人，受教育程度对个人项目和整体能力的影响程度 估计(A)日常认知功能的任务，和(B)神经心理表现(记忆， 推理能力、处理速度)。这些目标将通过分析现有的和公开的 可用的数据集，或调查人员可用的数据集(等待公开发布)。这是一个重要的 这两个研究领域都将考察评估偏差以外的机制解释的程度 老年人认知评估的群体差异，并为发展教育的努力提供信息- 适当和文化公平的评估工具。

This application proposes to probe the meaning of differences in the measurement of mental status according to racial/ethnic group or level of educational attainment. We will do this by conducting methodological research, namely, comparative analyses using simulated and real data of different approaches to detecting item bias or differential item functioning, a particular form of measurement bias or measurement noninvariance. Our research is motivated by the often reported but as yet incompletely understood relationship of race/ethnicity and years of completed education and performance on mental status measures among older adults. The overarching goal of this research project is to evaluate the extent that item and test bias by race/ethnicity and level of educational attainment influence performance on cognitive assessment measures in late life. The research team includes investigators from different institutions who have studied measurement invariance using the methods of item response theory. Members of our research team have been at the vanguard of efforts to apply modern psychometric techniques to the detection of bias in the measurement of cognitive function, yet, we recognize that this area of research is in its infancy. To achieve our goal of moving the field forward in this regard, our specific aims are to (1) Conduct 'basic psychometric science' research on differing methodological approaches to detecting biased test items, comparing IRT techniques that employ different estimation strategies; (2) Evaluate the extent that item bias attributable to race/ethnicity and educational attainment impact assessments of group differences in assessed cognitive status in three large general population surveys; and (3) Evaluate, among cognitively healthy older individuals, the extent that educational attainment influences individual items and overall ability estimates in (a) tasks of everyday cognitive functioning, and (b) neuropsychological performance (memory, reasoning ability, speed of processing). These aims will be accomplished by analyzing existing and publicly available data sets, or data sets available to the investigators (pending public release). This is an important area of research that will both examine the extent that mechanisms other than assessment bias explain group differences in assessed cognition among older adults, and inform efforts to develop education- appropriate and culture-fair assessment tools.