Incorporating Process Information Into Cognitive Diagnostic Models: A Four-Component Joint Modeling Approach

Recent studies show increasing interest in using process data (e.g., response time, response actions) to enhance measurement accuracy for respondents’ latent traits. Yet, few have explored the possibility of incorporating process information into cognitive diagnostic models (CDMs). This study proposes a novel CDM approach that utilizes a four-component joint modeling approach with response action sequences (i.e., similarity and efficiency), response time, and item responses. We employed the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method for parameter estimation and evaluated the performance of the proposed model using both an empirical study and two simulation studies. The results suggest that the process data can improve respondents’ classification accuracy under varied conditions and support the interpretation of the association between process and response data.