The Hierarchical Model for Response Times: Advantages, Limitations, and Risks of Its Use in Measurement Practice

AbstractWith the advance of computerized testing in educational and psychological measurement, the availability of response time data is becoming commonplace, and practitioners are faced with the question if and how they should incorporate this information into their measurement models. For this purpose, the use of the hierarchical model is often considered, which promises to improve the precision of measurement and has various other appealing properties. However, practitioners also need to be aware of the several limitations and risks involved when using this model, which have been covered less extensively in the literature. This chapter covers both the advantages and disadvantages of using the hierarchical model, to allow practitioners to form a balanced assessment of the potential use of the hierarchical model for their testing application.