PTAM 2026

ABSTRACTS

Development of a Cognitive Screen Item Bank:  Assessment of Individuals Across the Cognitive Spectrum, Including Advanced Dementia
Jeanne A. Teresi, Katja Ocepek-Welikson, Marjorie Kleinman, Mildred Ramirez, Joseph P. Eimicke, Stephanie Silver, Jose Luchsinger, Albert Siu, Dan Mroczek, David Cella

Abstract: An item bank of cognitive items targeting the spectrum of cognitive function, with a focus on advanced dementia was developed with data from residents in long term services and supports (LTSS) settings. Latent variable models, including item response theory and factor analyses were applied to fifty items from multiple cognitive screening measures assessing memory, orientation, naming, attention, calculation, and following directions.  Because the intent was to use the item bank to measure overall cognition, subdomains were not modeled. Factor analyses tested for essential unidimensionality, followed by application of an item response theory-based graded response model, including differential item functioning to examine measurement equivalence. The total sample size was 6,921, with 1,874 (27.1 %) males and 5,040 (72.9 %) females.  The average age was 82.5 (SD = 11.0).  There were 1,089 (16.2 %) Black, 498 (7.4 %) Hispanic, and 5,136 (76.4 %) White respondents. The average number of years of education was 9.1 (SD = 5.5). Estimates of reliability across age, education, race, and sex subgroups were high with most > 0.96.  Cognitive function of the participants in the study varied from no to minimal impairment (552 or 8.0 %); mild (2,000 or 28.9 %); moderate (2,686 or 38.8 %); severe (1,328 or 19.2 %) to very severe impairment (355 or 5.1 %).  Items with low information and substantial DIF were recommended for removal.  The final recommended item bank includes 38 items.  Future work with this item bank may include development of computerized adaptive tests and short-forms.

Keywords: item bank, cognition, dementia, item response theory, factor analysis

Correspondence:
Jeanne A. Teresi, Columbia University Stroud Center at New York State Psychiatric Institute; teresimeas@aol.com; jat61@cumc.columbia.edu 

Considering Several Method Effects in Confirmatory Factor Analysis for Improving Model Fit in Investigating the Structure of Optimism Items
Karl Schweizer, Andreas Gold, Wolfgang Rauch, Tengfei Wang

Abstract: The contribution of method-effect latent variables to accounting for the common systematic variation of optimism data in confirmatory factor analysis was investigated using an example correlation matrix. The considered method effects included the item-position effect, the wording effect and the item-level method effect. The analyses models were the congeneric, bifactor and original as well as basically tau-equivalent measurement models. In all cases, considering additional method-effect latent variables besides the attribute latent variable improved model fit, and in all cases, the virtually same sum of scaled factor variances emerged. But the bifactor model allowed for only two additional method-effect latent variable while the original and basically tau-equivalent models for four of them. In all multi-factor measurement models the optimism latent variable accounted for over two thirds of the common systematic variation. It turned out that the tau-equivalent models are better suited for revealing the method-effect structure of data than the other models.

Keywords: measurement model, congeneric, tau-equivalent, confirmatory factor analysis, basically tau-equivalent

Correspondence:
Karl Schweizer, Institute of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt; k.schweizer@psych.uni-frankfurt.de

Self-reported face recognition ability – an adapted German version of the Stirling Face Recognition Scale
Lara Aylin Petersen, Anja Leue

Abstract: With the discovery of Super-Recognizers, research on questionnaires measuring self-reported face recognition abilities has been inspired. By adapting and translating the Stirling Face Recognition Scale (SFRS; Bobak et al., 2018) into German we investigated psychometric properties, reliability, and factorial validity of the SFRS-German. The sample (female: n = 220 and male: n = 154) comprised mainly adult European Caucasian (95.70%) participants. Ethnicity was based on self-selection without any exclusion of other ethics groups. The SFRS-German shows excellent reliability coefficients. The best model fit has been observed for a bifactor Multiple-Indicator-Multiple-Cause (MIMIC) model including Face Processing and Face Memory as primary-order factors and Face Recognition ability as a second-order factor. The MIMIC factor Gender indicated measurement invariance. Medium correlations occurred between the SFRS-German and the CFMT+. Future research might address the nomological network of self-reported face recognition ability in relation to individual differences of stimulus processing, attentional abilities, or temperament.

Keywords: Self-report, face recognition, factorial validity, psychometric properties

Correspondence:
Prof. Dr. Anja Leue, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Institute of Psychology, Chair of Psychological Assessment, Differential and Personality Psychology, Olshausenstr. 75, 24118 Kiel, Germany, leue@psychologie.uni-kiel.de, ORCID ID 0000-0002-2588-5226