Diagnosing Diagnostic Models: From Von Neumann’s Elephant to Model Equivalencies and Network Psychometrics

ABSTRACT

This article critically reviews how diagnostic models have been conceptualized and how they compare to other approaches used in educational measurement. In particular, certain assumptions that have been taken for granted and used as defining characteristics of diagnostic models are reviewed and it is questioned whether these assumptions are the reason why these models have not had the success in operational analyses and large-scale applications, contrary to what many have hoped. The article draws on recent results presented by diagnostic modeling scholars and related fields.

KEYWORDS:

• Diagnostic modeling
• parsimony
• model equivalency
• Ising model
• loglinear models