本研究的目的在於結合部份計分模式(partial credit model, PCM)與模糊集合論(fuzzy set theory)，提出評定量表的不同計分方式：模糊部份計分法(fuzzy partial credit scaling, FPCS)。FPCS是根據 PCM 所估計出的梯度參數(step parameters)來建構三角形模糊數，三角形模糊數代表選擇某個特定選項的受試者的能力分配情形。接著，利用中心法(center of gravity method) 將三角形模糊數解模糊化為純量。最後，利用隸屬度當作權重，計算個別受試者的模糊觀察分數，並且用模糊觀察分數當作量表的總分。 本研究採用貝克憂鬱量表(Beck Depression Inventory-II, BDI)中文版為研究工具。本研究的樣本分為憂鬱症病患與非憂鬱症的一般大學生兩大類。240位憂鬱症病患樣本是由台北市立和平醫院精神科門診募集而來；321位大學生則以便利抽樣的方式募集而來。 為了驗証FPCS的有效性，本研究進行三個子研究，來比較FPCS與傳統計分法在信度、效度、集群分析的分類正確性。 子研究一探討FPCS的信度。本研究以Cronbach alpha係數來衡量量表的內部一致性，並且以結構方程式模式(structure equation modeling)進行驗證性因素分析所估計的各試題的變異數被潛在構念解釋的比例當作信度的指標。由研究結果顯示，以量表整體而言，FPCS計分的結果得到較高的內部一致性；以各題而言，量表各試題的變異數被潛在構念解釋的百分比高於傳統的原始分數。此結果顯示FPCS的計分方式可以降低測量誤差，提升信度。 子研究二探討FPCS的效度，本研究以精神科醫師的診斷當作效標，分別以FPCS與原始分數兩種不同的計分法當作自變項，以預測效度當作效度的指標。首先，將是否罹患憂鬱症編碼為二元變數，不同計分法所得到的量表分數當作自變數，進行Logistic迴歸分析。研究結果顯示，相較於原始分數，FPCS預測罹患憂鬱症的正確率由 74.8% 提升到 77.2%。接下來，依照所有樣本的憂鬱程度，區分為一般樣本、憂鬱症且緩解、憂鬱症無緩解三類，進行區別分析。研究結果顯示，相較於原始分數，FPCS分類正確率由 71.2% 提升到 80.7%。上述的研究結果顯示，FPCS具有較高的效度，可以降低誤判憂鬱症的機率。 子研究三比較模糊集群分析(fuzzy c-means, FCM)與傳統明確邏輯的集群分析。首先利用分群效度(clustering validity)指標，決定群數為三群。並以此結果，指定模糊集群、Wald法、k-means法之群數。為了比較分類的效果，將模糊集群之樣本，指定給獲得最大隸屬度之集群。並且以醫師的診斷的憂鬱程度當作評估分類結果之標準。研究結果顯示，相較於傳統明確邏輯的集群分析(Wald法、k-means法)，模糊集群分析得到分群結果，與醫師的診斷的結果有最高的相關。結果顯示模糊集群分析更能夠忠實的反映資料結構。 整體而言，相較於原始分數，FPCS有較高的信度、效度、分類正確性。此實証性研究結果支持了模糊集合論應用於心理學研究的可行性；多值的模糊邏輯比二值明確邏輯更能夠正確反映出人類的思維。 / The aim of this study was to propose and validate the new scaling method, fuzzy partial credit scaling (FPCS), which combines fuzzy set theory with the partial credit model (PCM) to score rating scales. To achieve this goal, the Chinese version of BDI (Beck Depression Inventory-II) was administrated to a depressed sample of patients and a non-depressed sample. The depressed sample consisted of 240 outpatients who were diagnosed as depressed by a psychiatric doctor, while 321 undergraduate students were recruited for the nondepressed sample. In FPCS, triangular fuzzy numbers were generated by step parameters to characterize distributions of each alternative value. Next, the center of gravity (COG) method was applied to “de-fuzzify” the fuzzy number into a scalar. Then, the “observed fuzzy scores” defined in FPCS were calculated as the sums of fuzzy number values weighted by membership degrees for the following analysis. Three studies were performed to compare the differences in reliability, validity and clustering precision between the raw score and FPCS. In Study One, the reliability issue of FPCS was discussed. The results of confirmatory factor analysis demonstrate that the BDI reliability was higher in FCPS than in raw scoring. That is, compared with raw scoring, scoring via FPCS produced fewer measurement errors, meaning that more variances in an item of BDI were explained by depression. In Study Two, the predictive validity issue of FPCS was investigated. First, logistic regression analysis was used to predict the odds of suffering depression based on FPCS and the raw scores. The analytical results showed that, via FPCS, the probability of correct classification of depressed and non-depressed was raised from 74.8% to 77.2%. Next, discrimination analysis was performed to classify the subjects according to the severity of depression into three categories: non-depression, depression with remission and depression without remission. The analytical results exhibited that, via FPCS, the probability of correct classification of severity of depression was raised from 71.2% to 80.7%. These two statistical analyses consistently show that FPCS exhibited higher predictive validity than did the raw score. That is, BDI scoring via FPCS makes more accuracy predictions for depression than raw score. In Study Three, fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering was applied to partition the sample according to severity of depression. To examine explore whether fuzzy-based clustering methods uncover the information inherent in the latent structure more accurately than crisp clustering, FCM, Wald’s method, and k-means method were performed. The analytical results reveal that the association between the original and classified membership generated by FCM was stronger than that of the Wald and k-means methods. Hence, FCM revealed the data structure most accurately. Overall, FPCS has been consistently shown to be superior to raw scoring in terms of reliability, validity, and clustering accuracy. This study has empirically shown that fuzzy set theory is applicable to psychological research.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar a Teoria da Resposta ao Item (TRI), por meio de uma abordagem pedagógica, aos professores da educação básica, que mencionaram esta necessidade por meio de pesquisa realizada pelo autor. Levar parte do conhecimento teórico que embasa esta teoria ao conhecimento do docente, principalmente a construção da curva de probabilidade de acerto do item, favorecerá a compreensão, a análise e o monitoramento do processo avaliativo educacional. Este material apresenta as principais definições e conceitos da avaliação externa em larga escala, além de fornecer insumos para a compreensão das suposições realizadas para aplicação da metodologia. Neste sentido, o texto foi estruturado de forma a apresentar didaticamente as etapas do processo de implementação de uma avaliação, desde a construção do item até a apuração e divulgação dos resultados. Todo enfoque será dado à construção do modelo da TRI com um parâmetro (dificuldade do item), também conhecido como modelo de Rasch, o que simplifica e facilita a compreensão da metodologia. O modelo utilizado nas avaliações externas em larga escala (modelo com três parâmetros) será introduzido a partir das considerações realizadas na abordagem que explicita o pensamento da construção do modelo de um parâmetro. Acredita-se que esta compreensão possa colaborar com o professor na exploração das habilidades/competências dos alunos durante os anos escolares. / This study aims to present the Item Response Theory (IRT), through a pedagogical approach, to teachers of basic education, which mentioned this necessity through research conducted by the author. To take part of the theoretical knowledge that supports this theory to the teacher\'s knowledge, especially the construction of probability curve of item correct response, it will favor for understanding, analysis and monitoring the evaluation educational process. This material presents the main definitions and concepts of the external evaluation in large scale, besides providing inputs for understanding the assumptions made to apply the methodology. In this sense, the text was structured in order to present the implementation process stages of a large scale assessment, from the item construction to the results calculation and dissemination. The focus will be given to the IRT model construction of one-parameter (difficulty of the item), also known as Rasch model, since it simplifies and facilitates the understanding of methodology. The model used in the external assessment on a large scale (three-parameter model) will be introduced from the considerations made in the approach that explicit the thought of one-parameter model construction. It is believed that understanding can collaborate with teacher in exploration of the students\' skills/competences during the school year.

This study empirically compares the Classical Test Theory (CTT) and the Partial Credit Model (PCM) of Rasch focusing on the invariance of item parameters. The invariance concept which is the consequence of the principle of specific objectivity was tested in both CTT and PCM using the results of learners who wrote the National Senior Certificate (NSC) Mathematics examinations in 2010. The difficulty levels of the test items were estimated from the independent samples of learn- ers. The same sample of learners used in the calibration of the difficulty levels of the test items in the PCM model were also used in the calibration of the difficulty levels of the test items in CTT model. The estimates of the difficulty levels of the test items were done using RUMM2030 in the case of PCM while SAS was used in the case of CTT. RUMM2030 and SAS are both the statistical softwares. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the four different design groups of test takers. In cases where the ANOVA showed a significant difference between the means of the design groups, the Tukeys groupings was used to establish where the difference came from. The research findings were that the test items' difficulty parameter estimates based on the CTT theoretical framework were not invariant across the different independent sample groups. The over- all findings from this study were that the CTT theoretical framework was unable to produce item difficulty invariant parameter estimates. The PCM estimates were very stable in the sense that for most of the items, there was no significant difference between the means of at least three design groups and the one that deviated from the rest did not deviate that much. The item parameters of the group that was representative of the population (proportional allocation) and the one where the same number of learners (50 learners) was taken from different performance categories did not differ significantly for all the items except for item 6.6 in examination question paper 2. It is apparent that for the test item parameters to be invariant of the group of test takers in PCM, the group of test takers must be heterogeneous and each performance category needed to be big enough for the proper calibration of item parameters. The higher values of the estimated item parameters in CTT were consistently found in the sample that was dominated by the high proficient learners in Mathematics ("bad") and the lowest values were consistently calculated in the design group that was dominated by the less proficient learners. This phenomenon was not apparent in the Rasch model. / Mathematical Sciences / M.Sc. (Statistics)

Changes in the process of teaching and learning can be both useful and nonuseful to enhance students learning. This work tried to show that current teaching methods not always meet the needs efficiently when it comes to improve students skills. For that, it relied on experiments with Language Programming subject matter s students. It did so because such a subject matter poses questions whose answers can be answered freely because its codes can be written in many ways , while its assessment is dichotomic. Teacher s didactic procedures, methodology applied in classes, programming language, and the time taken to develop the work proposed were the categories considered in the research. In an experimental group of students, Robert Mager s theory was applied to compare their learning. In such theory, instructional aims are supposed to provide a statement on the information students will get and on their understanding and ability to use them after the course ends. Conclusion is that students skills and performance were improved, that is to say, that there was an increase of knowledge, which can be measured and presented graphically by Rasch model. / Mudanças no processo de ensino e aprendizagem podem ser tanto benéficas quanto ineficazes para o aprendizado do aluno. Este trabalho buscou mostrar que métodos de ensino atuais não suprem com eficiência a necessidade de melhorar as habilidades discentes. Para tanto, recorreram-se a experimentos com alunos da disciplina Linguagem de Programação porque esta apresenta questões cujas respostas são livres ou seja, porque os códigos podem ser feitos de diversas maneiras , enquanto a avaliação é dicotômica. Avaliaram-se os procedimentos didáticos do professor, a metodologia usada nas aulas, a linguagem de programação e o tempo usado para desenvolver o exercício proposto. Em uma das turmas experimentais, a teoria de Robert Mager foi aplicada para comparar o aprendizado dos alunos. Nessa teoria, os objetivos instrucionais preveem a declaração sobre o que o aluno vai receber de informação e se as compreendeu para ser capaz de usá-las após o término do curso. Concluiu-se que houve melhoria na habilidade e no desempenho dos alunos, isto é, aumento no conhecimento mensurável e demonstrável graficamente pelo modelo de Rasch. / Doutor em Ciências

Este trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar a Teoria da Resposta ao Item (TRI), por meio de uma abordagem pedagógica, aos professores da educação básica, que mencionaram esta necessidade por meio de pesquisa realizada pelo autor. Levar parte do conhecimento teórico que embasa esta teoria ao conhecimento do docente, principalmente a construção da curva de probabilidade de acerto do item, favorecerá a compreensão, a análise e o monitoramento do processo avaliativo educacional. Este material apresenta as principais definições e conceitos da avaliação externa em larga escala, além de fornecer insumos para a compreensão das suposições realizadas para aplicação da metodologia. Neste sentido, o texto foi estruturado de forma a apresentar didaticamente as etapas do processo de implementação de uma avaliação, desde a construção do item até a apuração e divulgação dos resultados. Todo enfoque será dado à construção do modelo da TRI com um parâmetro (dificuldade do item), também conhecido como modelo de Rasch, o que simplifica e facilita a compreensão da metodologia. O modelo utilizado nas avaliações externas em larga escala (modelo com três parâmetros) será introduzido a partir das considerações realizadas na abordagem que explicita o pensamento da construção do modelo de um parâmetro. Acredita-se que esta compreensão possa colaborar com o professor na exploração das habilidades/competências dos alunos durante os anos escolares. / This study aims to present the Item Response Theory (IRT), through a pedagogical approach, to teachers of basic education, which mentioned this necessity through research conducted by the author. To take part of the theoretical knowledge that supports this theory to the teacher\'s knowledge, especially the construction of probability curve of item correct response, it will favor for understanding, analysis and monitoring the evaluation educational process. This material presents the main definitions and concepts of the external evaluation in large scale, besides providing inputs for understanding the assumptions made to apply the methodology. In this sense, the text was structured in order to present the implementation process stages of a large scale assessment, from the item construction to the results calculation and dissemination. The focus will be given to the IRT model construction of one-parameter (difficulty of the item), also known as Rasch model, since it simplifies and facilitates the understanding of methodology. The model used in the external assessment on a large scale (three-parameter model) will be introduced from the considerations made in the approach that explicit the thought of one-parameter model construction. It is believed that understanding can collaborate with teacher in exploration of the students\' skills/competences during the school year.

本研究旨在探討國中教師的經師角色（投入教學）、人師角色（投入輔導）、導師角色（注重班級成績、注重班級整潔秩序）等變項對於國中生偏差行為的貫時性影響。研究資料取自中央研究院調查研究專題中心學術調查研究資料庫中的「台灣教育長期追蹤資料庫」第一波國中學生問卷【限制版原始數據】、第二波國中學生問卷【限制版原始數據】、第一波國中家長問卷【限制版原始數據】、第二波國中教師問卷【限制版原始數據】。 本研究又分為兩個子研究。研究一使用兩波問卷中的20,055筆國中生問卷及家長問卷，研究二使用兩波問卷中的8,794筆國中生問卷、家長問卷、導師問卷。本研究採用Rasch模式垂直等化、結構方程模式、階層卜瓦松模式分析資料，研究結果如下： 一、「人師角色」「經師角色」對國中生偏差行為影響的貫時性分析 （一）國一教師投入教學對於追蹤樣本國一學生偏差行為有顯著影響，教師越認真教學，學生偏差行為分數越低。 （二）國一教師投入教學對於追蹤樣本國三學生偏差行為有貫時性顯著影響，國一教師越認真教學，國三時追蹤樣本學生的偏差行為分數越低。 （三）國一二教師投入輔導對於追蹤樣本國三學生偏差行為有顯著影響，國一國二教師越投入輔導，追蹤樣本學生國三時的偏差行為分數越低。 二、「導師角色」對國中生偏差行為影響的貫時性分析 （一）追蹤樣本國三偏差行為顯著較該生國一時嚴重。 （二）偏差行為與性別有關，男生偏差行為分數顯著比女生高。 （三）追蹤樣本國一至國三偏差行為惡化程度與性別有關，男生偏差行為惡化情形顯著較女生嚴重。 （四）追蹤樣本國一至國三偏差行為惡化程度與該生國一時的學業成就有關。國一成績較差，國三偏差行為惡化程度顯著較嚴重。 （五）追蹤樣本國一至國三偏差行為惡化程度與該生國一時的讀書習慣有關。國一讀書習慣較差者，國三偏差行為惡化程度顯著較嚴重。 （六）導師要求班級學業成績，對於國中生偏差行為有顯著影響，導師越注重學業成績，該班學生偏差行為越低，且該影響具貫時性。 （七）導師要求班級整潔秩序等生活常規，對於國中生偏差行為有顯著影響，導師越要求班級整潔、秩序，該班學生偏差行為越低，且該影響具貫時性。 （八）國中生偏差行為與就讀學校公私立與否有關。私立學校學生偏差行為分數顯著較公立學校學生為低，且該影響具貫時性。 研究者並提出建議供教育實務工作者及教育主管單位參考。 / The purposes of the study were to explore teacher roles including instruction role, guidance role and headroom teacher’s role, and to find out the effects of teacher roles on junior high school students' deviant behavior. The data used in the analysis are from the nationally representative 2001–2003 Taiwan Education Panel Survey, including students’ questionnaire, students’ academic tests, parents’ questionnaire, and teachers’ questionnaire. In study 1, data from a 2-wave panel (N = 20,055), tested in the 7th and 9th grades, were used to estimate a structural equation model. The model was used to compose a previously observed teacher’s instruction role (teaching engagement) and guidance role (guidance engagement) in wave 1. In study 2, data also from a 2-wave panel (N=8,794), were to estimate a hierarchical Poisson regression model, in which independent variables were achievement-oriented headroom teacher role and discipline-oriented headroom teacher role, and dependent variable was students' deviant behavior. The results indicate that teachers who devoted themselves in teaching and guiding students could reduce junior high students’ deviant behavior, and the effects were longitudinal for at least 2 years. Also, both achievement-oriented and discipline-oriented headroom teachers could reduce junior high students’ deviant behavior, and the effects were longitudinal. Implications for current practice and future research are also discussed.

Wasser ist eine der wichtigsten Ressourcen. Jedoch schätzt man, dass sich das globale Wasserdefizit schon im Jahr 2030 auf ca. 40 Prozent belaufen wird. Klimawandel, veränderte Lebensweisen, und Bevölkerungswachstum verstärken das Nachfrage-Angebot-Defizit. Als Konsequenz leiden immer mehr Regionen unter Wasserknappheit. Eine reduzierte Wassernachfrage bedingt durch verstärktes Wassersparen kann das Problem verringern. Das Ziel dieser Dissertation ist es daher, zu einem besseren Verständnis der sozio-demographischen und psychologischen Determinanten von Wassersparverhalten beizutragen. Basierend auf drei Datensätzen aus Deutschland und Jordanien wurden die verschiedenen Facetten von Wassersparverhalten und deren Determinanten beleuchtet. Das Verhältnis zwischen Wassersparen und Umwelteinstellung, einem latenten Konstrukt, das kooperative, prosoziale und sogar moralische Tendenzen widerspiegelt, wurde konzeptionell untersucht. Zusätzlich wurde Wassersparen in Deutschland als ein Repräsentant für moralisches Verhalten verwendet. In diesem Zusammenhang wurden Umwelteinstellung und der Persönlichkeitsfaktor Ehrlichkeit-Bescheidenheit auf ihr Vermögen hin verglichen, moralisches Verhalten vorherzusehen. Eine ausführliche Analyse zur Bewertung einer Kampagne zur Förderung des Wassersparbewusstseins hat detaillierte Informationen zu ihren tatsächlichen Effekten gezeigt. Eine weitere Analyse hat sich auf die Determinanten von Wassersparverhalten in Jordanien konzentriert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Wassersparverhalten nicht durch Alter, Bildungsgrad und Einkommen beeinflusst wird, sondern eher durch die Ausprägung der Umwelteinstellung. Diese Dissertation liefert wertvolle Informationen für Forscher und Politiker. Die detaillierte Untersuchung von verschiedenen Wasserspardeterminanten birgt großes Potenzial für ein verbessertes Wassermanagement. / Water is one of the most important resources. However, the global water deficit was estimated to reach about 40% by 2030. Climate change, changing lifestyles, and population growth increase the supply and demand gap further. As a consequence, more and more regions experience water scarcity. In that context, reduced household water demand due to enhanced water conservation could alleviate the problem or, at least, reduce the pressure on water resources. Thus, this thesis aims to contribute to a better understanding of the socio-demographic and psychological determinants of water conservation behavior. Based on three distinct datasets from Germany and Jordan, the manifold facets of water conservation and its determinants were examined. From a conceptual perspective, the relationship between water conservation and environmental attitude, a latent construct representing cooperative, prosocial, and even moral tendencies, were investigated. Furthermore, water conservation in Germany was used as a proxy for moral behavior. In that respect, environmental attitude and the personality factor Honesty-Humility were compared in order to determine, which factor constitutes the better predictor of moral behavior. Using original data from Jordan, a comprehensive impact evaluation of a water conservation awareness campaign revealed detailed information on its actual effects. Another analysis focused on a wide variety of water conservation determinants in Jordan. The results indicate that water conservation does not differ with respect to age, education, and income, but rather with different levels of environmental attitude. This thesis provides valuable information for researchers and policy makers alike. The detailed examination of various water conservation determinants offer a great potential for an improved management of household water demand.

The field of medicine is regularly faced with the challenge of utilizing information that is complicated or difficult to characterize. Physicians often must use their best judgment in reaching decisions or recommendations for treatment in the clinical setting. The goal of this thesis is to use innovative statistical tools in tackling three specific challenges of this nature from current healthcare applications. The first aim focuses on developing a novel approach to meta-analysis when combining binary data from multiple studies of paired design, particularly in cases of high heterogeneity between studies. The challenge is in properly accounting for heterogeneity when dealing with a low or moderate number of studies, and with a rarely occurring outcome. The proposed approach uses a Rasch model for translating data from multiple paired studies into a unified structure that allows for properly handling variability associated with both pair effects and study effects. Analysis is then performed using a Bayesian hierarchical structure, which accounts for heterogeneity in a direct way within the variances of the separate generating distributions for each model parameter. This approach is applied to the debated topic within the dental community of the comparative effectiveness of materials used for pit-and-fissure sealants. The second and third aims of this research both have applications in early detection of breast cancer. The interpretation of a mammogram is often difficult since signs of early disease are often minuscule, and the appearance of even normal tissue can be highly variable and complex. Physicians often have to consider many important pieces of the whole picture when trying to assess next steps. The final two aims focus on improving the interpretation of findings in mammograms to aid in early cancer detection. When dealing with high frequency and irregular data, as is seen in most medical images, the behaviors of these complex structures are often difficult or impossible to quantify by standard modeling techniques. But a commonly occurring phenomenon in high-frequency data is that of regular scaling. The second aim in this thesis is to develop and evaluate a wavelet-based scaling estimator that reduces the information in a mammogram down to an informative and low-dimensional quantification of the innate scaling behavior, optimized for use in classifying the tissue as cancerous or non-cancerous. The specific demands for this estimator are that it be robust with respect to distributional assumptions on the data, and with respect to outlier levels in the frequency domain representation of the data. The final aim in this research focuses on enhancing the visualization of microcalcifications that are too small to capture well on screening mammograms. Using scale-mixing discrete wavelet transform methods, the existing detail information contained in a very small and course image will be used to impute scaled details at finer levels. These "informed" finer details will then be used to produce an image of much higher resolution than the original, improving the visualization of the object. The goal is to also produce a confidence area for the true location of the shape's borders, allowing for more accurate feature assessment. Through the more accurate assessment of these very small shapes, physicians may be more confident in deciding next steps.

Les maladies neurodégénératives, telles que la maladie d'Alzheimer (AD) et Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT), sont des maladies complexes. Leurs mécanismes pathologiques ne sont toujours pas bien compris et les progrès dans la recherche et le développement de nouvelles thérapies potentielles modifiant la maladie sont lents. Les données catégorielles, comme les échelles de notation et les données sur les études d'association génomique (GWAS), sont largement utilisées dans les maladies neurodégénératives dans le diagnostic, la prédiction et le suivi de la progression. Il est important de comprendre et d'interpréter ces données correctement si nous voulons améliorer la recherche sur les maladies neurodégénératives. Le but de cette thèse est d'utiliser la théorie psychométrique moderne: théorie de la réponse d’item pour analyser ces données catégoriques afin de mieux comprendre les maladies neurodégénératives et de faciliter la recherche de médicaments correspondante. Tout d'abord, nous avons appliqué l'analyse de Rasch afin d'évaluer la validité du score de neuropathie Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMTNS), un critère important d'évaluation principal pour les essais cliniques de la maladie de CMT. Nous avons ensuite adapté le modèle Rasch à l'analyse des associations génétiques pour identifier les gènes associés à la maladie d'Alzheimer. Cette méthode résume les génotypes catégoriques de plusieurs marqueurs génétiques tels que les polymorphisme nucléotidique (SNPs) en un seul score génétique. Enfin, nous avons calculé l'information mutuelle basée sur la théorie de réponse d’item pour sélectionner les items sensibles dans ADAS-cog, une mesure de fonctionnement cognitif la plus utilisées dans les études de la maladie d'Alzheimer, afin de mieux évaluer le progrès de la maladie. / Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT), are complex diseases. Their pathological mechanisms are still not well understood, and the progress in the research and development of new potential disease-modifying therapies is slow. Categorical data like rating scales and Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) data are widely utilized in the neurodegenerative diseases in the diagnosis, prediction and progression monitor. It is important to understand and interpret these data correctly if we want to improve the disease research. The purpose of this thesis is to use the modern psychometric Item Response Theory to analyze these categorical data for better understanding the neurodegenerative diseases and facilitating the corresponding drug research. First, we applied the Rasch analysis in order to assess the validity of the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Neuropathy Score (CMTNS), a main endpoint for the CMT disease clinical trials. We then adapted the Rasch model to the analysis of genetic associations and used to identify genes associated with Alzheimer’s disease by summarizing the categorical genotypes of several genetic markers such as Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) into one genetic score. Finally, to select sensitive items in the most used psychometrical tests for Alzheimer’s disease, we calculated the mutual information based on the item response model to evaluate the sensitivity of each item on the ADAS-cog scale.

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