Anastasi Lecture Series
2024 Anastasi Lecture
When: Tuesday October 8, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Where: Lincoln Center Campus (McNally Amphitheater in the Gabelli School on 140 West 60th Street) + Online
Speaker: Alberto Maydeu-Olivares, PhD (University of South Carolina)
Title: Statistical Psychological Measurement: Why We Measure the Way We Do and Whether We Should Change
Abstract: Statistical measurement involves obtaining a score and its associated measurement error for a given attribute. Current practices typically rely on norm-referenced scores and normed indices of precision, often focusing on one attribute at a time. This lecture contrasts the statistical measurement of attributes such as height and weight, and their relationship, to the measurement of psychological attributes like emotional stability and life satisfaction. It addresses key issues such as whether to measure or predict an attribute, the selection of statistical model, score, and statistic to quantify measurement precision, especially in the context of multi-faceted attributes or measuring several attributes simultaneously. The lecture concludes with reflections on whether there is a need to reconsider our current practices.
Alberto Maydeu-Olivares is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina. He previously served as a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Barcelona and as a Professor of Quantitative Methods and Marketing at IE Business School in Madrid. A former President of the Psychometric Society, his research centers on measurement and modeling challenges in the social sciences. He is particularly renowned for his work on goodness of fit of statistical models and the modeling of forced-choice items.
- October 2023 | Trying to Make Ourselves Useful
- October 2022 | TIMSS, PIRLS, and Friends: Driving Innovation in International Educational Assessments
- October 2021 | (Predicting) Replication Outcomes
- October 2019 | The Bayesian Revolution, And Why You Should Care
- November 2018 | Psychology's Renaissance
- October 2017 | Improving Measurement: It's Time to Move Beyond Likert
- October 2016 | Improving Human Forecasts of Geopolitical Events
- September 2015 | Intelligence, Culture, and Society
- October 2014 | It’s Complicated: The Ongoing Saga of Opportunity in America
- October 2013 | Standardized Measurement in Behavioral Science: Blessing or Curse?
- October 2012 | The More Who Die, the Less We Care: The Arithmetic of Compassion
- October 2011 | Some Implications of Expertise Research for Educational Assessment
- November 2010 | Construct Validity Reconsidered: The Paradigm Shift in Educational and Psychological Testing
- October 2009 | How to Detect and Correct the Lies that Data Tell
- December 2008 | A Decision Theoretical Perspective on Psychometrics: Analyzing Test-Taking Behavior
Established in 2008 as part of the activities of the Anastasi Professor for Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology, the Anastasi Lectures are delivered by leading experts in psychology, educational measurement, industrial and organizational psychology, and quantitative methods.
The Lectures honor Dr. Anastasi’s distinguished career. They showcase recent developments in the areas of measurement, assessment, testing, and quantitative psychology, and highlight their translation into policy and practice. The Lectures provide a unique opportunity to share with the public emerging research directions in psychometrics and measurement, and the critical implications of these developments to various testing (K-12 testing, college, and graduate admissions, personnel and employment) applications and other key policy arenas.
The Lectures take place in the Fall semester on the Lincoln Center Campus of Fordham University, and are open to faculty, students, and the general public.