Rasch Measurement as a Communication System

Information communication may appear trivial: just "do it." But the development of telephone technology and the use of computers with large databases have motivated theoreticians to investigate how to construct efficient, noise-resistant communication systems.

Communication theory was originally conceived in terms of fixed mechanical and electrical systems. Social science systems, however, can change to improve or degrade communication. They can learn, forget, focus, and become distracted. Leydesdorff (1993) reformulates communication system theory for social science. He conceives communication systems in four "dimensions". The Table is extracted from his work. Equivalent features in Rasch analysis are appended.

Communication Systems Organization (Leydesdorff, 1993)
 1st Dimension2nd Dimension3rd Dimension4th Dimension
Operationvariationselectionstabilizationorganization
Characterprobabilisticdeterministicreflexiveresilient
Appearanceinstantaneousspatialcontingenthyper-cyclic
Observation unitchangelatent positioncontinuityexpectation
  
Rasch Analysis
Conceptstochasticismlinearityquality controlmeaning
Reported asstandard errormeasurefit statisticsconstruct definition

Rasch methodology incorporates all the features which Leydesdorff models for a communication system. To omit any of these features is to risk, perhaps guarantee, miscommunication. He also discusses a fifth "dimension" of "evolution" or self-improvement. This is the challenge addressed by artificially intelligent communications systems. In Rasch methodology, the fifth dimension is the analyst's trained intelligence.

John Michael Linacre

L Leydesdorff (1993) The evolution of communication systems. Paper presented at the Fourth International Conference on Bibliometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics. Berlin, Germany.

Rasch measurement as a communication system. Linacre JM. Rasch Measurement Transactions 1993 7:3 p.309


Rasch measurement as a communication system. Linacre JM. … Rasch Measurement Transactions, 1993, 7:3 p.309



Rasch Publications
Rasch Measurement Transactions (free, online) Rasch Measurement research papers (free, online) Probabilistic Models for Some Intelligence and Attainment Tests, Georg Rasch Applying the Rasch Model 3rd. Ed., Bond & Fox Best Test Design, Wright & Stone
Rating Scale Analysis, Wright & Masters Introduction to Rasch Measurement, E. Smith & R. Smith Introduction to Many-Facet Rasch Measurement, Thomas Eckes Invariant Measurement: Using Rasch Models in the Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, George Engelhard, Jr. Statistical Analyses for Language Testers, Rita Green
Rasch Models: Foundations, Recent Developments, and Applications, Fischer & Molenaar Journal of Applied Measurement Rasch models for measurement, David Andrich Constructing Measures, Mark Wilson Rasch Analysis in the Human Sciences, Boone, Stave, Yale
in Spanish: Análisis de Rasch para todos, Agustín Tristán Mediciones, Posicionamientos y Diagnósticos Competitivos, Juan Ramón Oreja Rodríguez

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