What do numbers provide for measurement in psychology? A Review of Critiques of the untested assumptions of psychometrics and possible alternatives to "measurement" in psychology

Abstract

Despite the increasing number of Russian-language psychometric studies, almost no criticism of these works is encountered. At the same time, global criticism of psychometrics has been growing – not only the inappropriate use of quantitative measurements in psychology, but also the misleading role of numbers in ordering individuals on a continuum of trait or ability is discussed. This article is aimed to introduce Russian-speaking audience to some of the thorny issues of psychometrics, which might otherwise seem either already resolved or irrelevant. Here I critically analyze several fundamental assumptions of psychometrics: psychological attributes (traits and abilities) are quantitative and measurable; modern test theory allows for interval measures; and, if the data fits the model, the test can accurately order individuals on a latent trait (ability) continuum; aggregated data are suitable for drawing conclusions about an individual. Alternative practices free from the aforementioned assumptions are proposed. Those are thought to solve scientific rather than instrumental (measurement) problems.