Title | Harmonizing Measures of Cognitive Performance Across International Surveys of Aging Using Item Response Theory. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2015 |
Authors | Chan, KS, Gross, AL, Pezzin, LE, Brandt, J, Kasper, JD |
Journal | J Aging Health |
Volume | 27 |
Issue | 8 |
Pagination | 1392-414 |
Date Published | 2015 Dec |
ISSN Number | 1552-6887 |
Keywords | Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Cognition, Female, Humans, Internationality, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Psychological Theory, Reproducibility of Results, Surveys and Questionnaires, United Kingdom, United States |
Abstract | OBJECTIVE: To harmonize measures of cognitive performance using item response theory (IRT) across two international aging studies. METHOD: Data for persons ≥65 years from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS, N = 9,471) and the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA, N = 5,444). Cognitive performance measures varied (HRS fielded 25, ELSA 13); 9 were in common. Measurement precision was examined for IRT scores based on (a) common items, (b) common items adjusted for differential item functioning (DIF), and (c) DIF-adjusted all items. RESULTS: Three common items (day of date, immediate word recall, and delayed word recall) demonstrated DIF by survey. Adding survey-specific items improved precision but mainly for HRS respondents at lower cognitive levels. DISCUSSION: IRT offers a feasible strategy for harmonizing cognitive performance measures across other surveys and for other multi-item constructs of interest in studies of aging. Practical implications depend on sample distribution and the difficulty mix of in-common and survey-specific items. |
DOI | 10.1177/0898264315583054 |
User Guide Notes | |
Endnote Keywords | ELSA_/item response theory/cognitive performance/Public Policy/Cognitive ability/Aging/cross-national comparison |
Endnote ID | 999999 |
Alternate Journal | J Aging Health |
Citation Key | 8277 |
PubMed ID | 26526748 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC4834843 |
Grant List | P50 AG005146 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States R21 AG032502 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States AG032502 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States |