3 research outputs found
Psychological tests from a (fuzzy-)logical point of view
Psychometric theory relies on two basic assumptions: (a) psychological constructs
refer to latent (unobservable) variables and (b) psychological tests serve as a way to
measure these constructs. This view is complemented by an alternative interpretation of
psychological constructs, which neither relies on latent variables nor on the concept of
measurement. Using the formal apparatus of many-valued logic, psychological constructs
are re-interpreted as linguistic concepts (rather than latent variables), which can be inferred
by means of logical calculus (as opposed to measurement). Thus, test scores do not refer to
the values of latent variables, but to the degree to which the necessary and sufficient
conditions for the ascription of a construct are fulfilled. Following this rationale, a formal
theory of psychological tests is developed, which models the process of testing as logical
inference. Applying the derived procedures, a person’s testing behaviour yields the degree
to which a construct describes her adequately