LATENT PROPERTY DIAGNOSING PROCEDURE

• US 20090004638A1
• Filed: 09/05/2008
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Educational Testing Service
• Original Assignee: Educational Testing Service
• Inventors: Hartz, Sarah M., Stout, William F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,974,570 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/353
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/02 for mathematics for statics or dynamics G09B23/08
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of doing cognitive diagnosis of mental skills, medical and psychiatric diagnosis of diseases and disorders, and in general the diagnosing of latent properties of a set of objects, usually people, for which multiple pieces of binary (dichotomous) information about the objects are available, for example testing examinees using right/wrong scored test questions. Settings where the present invention can be applied but are not limited to include classrooms at all levels, web-based instruction, corporate in-house training, large scale standardized tests, and medical and psychiatric settings. Uses include but are not limited to individual learner feedback, learner remediation, group level educational assessment, and medical and psychiatric treatment.

Claims

1-56. -56. (canceled)

57. A method for assessing behavioral characteristics of an individual, the method comprising:

receiving a response from an individual for each of a plurality of items;

determining an item/preference incidence matrix;

determining a behavioral value for each preference based on the item responses and the item/preference incidence matrix; and

providing a behavioral profile to the individual based on the behavioral values.

58. The method of claim 57, further comprising:

placing the individual in an instructional module based on a pattern of behavioral values for the individual.