Affiliation:
1. IPN—Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, Olshausenstraße 62, 24118 Kiel, Germany
2. Centre for International Student Assessment (ZIB), Olshausenstraße 62, 24118 Kiel, Germany
Abstract
Diagnostic classification models (DCM) are latent structure models with discrete multivariate latent variables. Recently, extensions of DCMs to mixed membership have been proposed. In this article, ordinary DCMs, mixed and partial membership models, and multidimensional item response theory (IRT) models are compared through analytical derivations, three example datasets, and a simulation study. It is concluded that partial membership DCMs are similar, if not structurally equivalent, to sufficiently complex multidimensional IRT models.