# Conference on Advanced Psychometric Methods in Cognitive Aging Research

> **NIH NIH R13** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2022 · $50,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY ABSTRACT
The rapid increase in the older segment of the population has stimulated intense scientific interest in normal
and pathological cognitive functioning in older adults. The increasing prevalence with advancing age of
debilitating diseases like Alzheimer's disease has led to a need for clinical and research methods for
measurement of effects of these diseases, and cognitive tests play a major role in detecting, diagnosing and
monitoring disease status and progression. Increasing demographic diversity creates special challenges for
accurate measurement of cognition. Most cognitive tests that are in clinical and research use were developed
using psychometric methods from the first half of the 20th century. There have been substantial advances in
measurement theory and methodology, notably item response theory (IRT) and associated latent variable
modeling methods, that could have an important impact on the measurement of cognition. There have been
parallel advances in statistical methodology for modeling longitudinal cognitive trajectories and identifying
variables that positively and negatively impact these important outcomes. This conference series is designed
to promote the application of modern psychometric and statistical methods in research on cognitive aging.
Specific goals are: 1) to expose developing and established researchers in cognitive aging to modern
psychometric and statistical modeling techniques, 2) to expose experts in psychometric theory and statistics to
the practical and theoretical concerns of cognitive aging research, and 3) encourage collaborations of
researchers, psychometricians, and statisticians during these conferences. We have conducted nine
successful annual conferences since initial funding of this grant in 2008 and have a 10th planned for
September, 2017. This series has generated 59 collaborative publications to date. This experience has helped
to shape our plans for the next generation of conferences. The format of the conferences will include didactic
presentations by experts in cognitive aging and applied psychometric theory, demonstrations of psychometric
and statistical analytic methods, and most importantly, hands-on experience using real data. This content and
format is not only appropriate for encouraging education and collaboration of seasoned researchers but has
also been an extremely effective learning environment for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior
faculty. Conference themes for the proposed five-year renewal period are: 1) Cognitive aging in
demographically diverse populations, 2), Harmonization, linking and equating cognitive measurements, 3)
Missing data, selection, and quantitative bias analysis, 4) Cognitive reserve/resilience, and 5) Hierarchical
Bayesian item response theory modeling to address challenges in longitudinal data. There will be a heavy
emphasis on workgroups organized around scientific analyses of real data, and we plan to disseminate the
inf...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10388331
- **Project number:** 5R13AG030995-15
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** DAN M. MUNGAS
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $50,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2008-04-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10388331

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10388331, Conference on Advanced Psychometric Methods in Cognitive Aging Research (5R13AG030995-15). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10388331. Licensed CC0.

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