Skip to main content
Log in

Admissible probability measurement procedures

  • Published:
Psychometrika Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Admissible probability measurement procedures utilize scoring systems with a very special property that guarantees that any student, at whatever level of knowledge or skill, can maximize his expected score if and only if he honestly reflects his degree-of-belief probabilities. Section 1 introduces the notion of a scoring system with the reproducing property and derives the necessary and sufficient condition for the case of a test item with just two possible answers. A method is given for generating a virtually inexhaustible number of scoring systems, both symmetric and asymmetric, with the reproducing property. A negative result concerning the existence of a certain subclass of reproducing scoring systems for the case of more than two possible answers is obtained. Whereas Section 1 is concerned with those instances in which the possible answers to a query are stated in the test itself, Section 2 is concerned with those instances in which the student himself must provide the possible answer(s). In this case, it is shown that a certain minor modification of a scoring system with the reproducing property yields the desired admissible probability measurement procedure.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. de Finetti, B. La prévision: ses lois logiques, ses sources subjectives.Annales de l'Institut Henri Poincaré, 1937,7. [Translated and reprinted as “Foresight: its logical laws, its subjective sources” in H. E. Kyburg, Jr. and H. E. Smokler (Eds.)Studies in subjective probabilities. New York: Wiley, 1964]

  2. de Finetti, B. Does it make sense to speak of good probability appraisers? In I. J. Good (Gen. Ed.)The scientist speculates. New York: Basic Books, 1962. Pp. 357–364.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Massengill, H. E. and Shuford, E. H., Jr. Direct vs. indirect assessment of simple knowledge structures. ESD-TR-65-542, Decision Sciences Laboratory, L. G. Hanscom Field, Bedford, Mass., 1965.

  4. Ramsey, F. P.The foundation of mathematics and other logical essays. New York: Humanities Press, 1926. [The relevant essay, “Truth and probability,” is also reprinted in H. E. Kyburg, Jr. and H. E. Smokler (Eds.)Studies in subjective probabilities. New York: Wiley, 1964]

    Google Scholar 

  5. Roby, T. B. Belief states: a preliminary empirical study. ESD-TDR-64-238, Decision Sciences Laboratory, L. G. Hascom Field, Bedford, Mass., 1965.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Savage, L. J.The foundations of statistics. New York: Wiley, 1954.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Shuford, E. H., Jr. Cybernetic testing. ESD-TR-65-467, Decision Sciences Laboratory, L. G. Hanscom Field, Bedford, Mass., 1965.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Shuford, E. H., Jr. and Massengill, H. E. On communication and control in the educational process. ESD-TR-65-568, Decision Sciences Laboratory, L. G. Hanscom Field, Bedford, Mass., 1965.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Toda, M. Measurement of subjective probability distributions. ESD-TDR-63-407, Decision Sciences Laboratory, L. G. Hanscom Field, Bedford, Mass., 1963.

    Google Scholar 

  10. van Naerssen, R. F. A scale for the measurement of subjective probability.Acta Psychologica, 1961, 159–166.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

The research reported in this paper was, in part, performed at the Decision Sciences Laboratory in support of Project 4690, Information Processing in Command and Control and, in part, sponsored by the Air Force Systems Command Electronic Systems Division, Decision Sciences Laboratory, under Contract No. AF 19(628)-4304, with ARCON Inc. This report is identified as ESD-TR-65-567. Further reproduction is authorized to satisfy the needs of the U. S. Government.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shuford, E.H., Albert, A. & Edward Massengill, H. Admissible probability measurement procedures. Psychometrika 31, 125–145 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02289503

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02289503

Keywords

Navigation