Educational Psychology

Daniel Bolt

Nancy C. Hoefs Bascom Professor, Area Chair: Quantitative Methods

dmbolt@wisc.edu

(608) 262-4938

1082A Educational Sciences

1025 West Johnson Street

Madison, WI 53706-1706

Bolt, Daniel

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Daniel Bolt is Nancy C. Hoefs-Bascom Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and specializes in quantitative methods. His methodological research focuses on the theory and application of psychometric methods in the educational, social and health sciences, including topics such as the application of latent variable models for purposes of test validation, assessment of individual differences (such as response styles), and the modeling of student growth. His research has been published in journals such as the British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, Psychological Methods, and Psychometrika, among other outlets. In addition to his methodological research, Dr. Bolt collaborates on various research projects in the social and health sciences as a biostatistician at the Waisman Center. Dr. Bolt teaches courses in test theory, factor analysis, and hierarchical linear modeling. He is recently President of the Psychometric Society (2019-2021) and a past recipient of the Kellett Mid-Career Award, the Vilas Associates Research Award and a Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Education

  • PhD Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1999
  • MS Statistics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1995
  • BA Psychology/Mathematics, Calvin College, 1992

Select Publications

  • Lyu, W., & Bolt, D. M. (2022). A psychometric model for respondent‐level anchoring on self‐report rating scale instruments. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 75(1), 116-135.
  • Bolt, D. M., & Liao, X. (2022). Item complexity: A neglected psychometric feature of test items?. Psychometrika
  • Bolt, D. M., & Liao, X. (2021). On the positive correlation between DIF and difficulty: A new theory on the correlation as methodological artifact.. Journal of Educational Measurement
  • Kim, N., & Bolt, D. M. (2020). A mixture IRTree model for extreme response style: Accounting for response process uncertainty. Educational and Psychological Measurement
  • Bolt, D. M., Kim, N., Wollack, J. A., Pan, Y., Eckerly, C., & Sowles, J. (2020). A psychometric model for discrete-option multiple choice items. Applied Psychological Measurement, 44, 33-48.
  • Bolt, D. M., Wang, Y. C., Meyer, R., & Pier, L. (2020). An IRT mixture model for rating scale confusion associated with negatively worded items in measures of social-emotional learning. Applied Measurement in Education
  • Bolt, D. M., (2019). Bifactor MIRT as an Appealing and Related Alternative to CDMs in the Presence of Skill Attribute Continuity. M. von Davier and Y-S. Lee (Ed.), Handbook of Diagnostic Classification Models
  • Adams, D. J., Bolt, D. M., Deng, S., Smith, S. S., & Baker, T. B. (2019). Using multidimensional IRT to evaluate how response styles impact measurement. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology
  • Lee, S., & Bolt, D. M. (2018). An alternative to the lower asymptote parameter: Using asymmetric ICCs to address guessing effects in multiple-choice items. Journal of Educational Measurement, 55, 90-111.
  • Bolt, D. M., Lee, S., Wollack, J. A., Eckerly, C., & Sowles, J. (2018). Application of asymmetric IRT modeling to discrete-option multiple-choice test items. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2175. Online Publication/Abstract.

Select Presentations

  • Bolt, D. M. (2019, June - 2019, June). Models and Methods for the Study and Control of Response Styles in Self-Report Rating Scales. Workshop presented at the SMiP Program, Mannheim, Germany.
  • Bolt, D. M. (2018, July). A Psychometric Model for Discrete-Option Multiple-Choice (DOMC) items. Oral Presentation presented at the Conference on Statistical Methods for Innovative Testing and Learning, Columbia University.
  • Bolt, D. M. (2017, November). Parameter Invariance and Skill Attribute Continuity in CDMs: Bifactor MIRT as an Appealing Alternative. Oral Presentation presented at the Fifth Conference on Statistical Methods in Psychometrics, New York, NY.
  • Bolt, D. M. (2015, October). Using Oaxaca-Blinder Decomposition to Explore Underlying Causes of DIF. presented at the MARCES Conference, University of Maryland.
  • Bolt, D. M. (2015, June). Vertical Scales and The Score Deceleration ‘Problem’ in Measuring Student Growth. presented at the Education Department, Irvine, CA.
  • Bolt, D. M. (2014, June). Item Complexity and Samejima’s Logistic Positive Exponent Model. presented at the Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
  • Bolt, D. M. (2013, July). Measurement and Control of Response Styles Using Anchoring Vignettes: A Model-Based Approach. Oral Presentation presented at the International Meeting of the Psychometric Society (IMPS), Arnhem, The Netherlands.
  • Bolt, D. M. (2013, April). Measurement and Control of Response Styles Using Anchoring Vignettes: A Model-Based Approach. Oral Presentation presented at the QSG Series, University of Notre Dame.
  • Bolt, D. M. (2009, March). Differential distractor functioning in multiple-choice items. Oral Presentation presented at the ACT Visiting Scholar Series, Iowa City, IA.

Select Awards and Honors

  • Teaching Academy Fellow, University of Wisconsin, 2005
  • President, Psychometric Society, (2020, 2021)
  • Outstanding Reviewer Award, Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, (2011, 2020)
  • Kellett Mid-Career Award, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 2019
  • Best Reviewer Award, Psychometrika, (2016, 2018)
  • Vilas Associates Award, University of Wisconsin, Madison, (2015, 2017)
  • Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, University of Wisconsin, 2009
  • Jason Millman Promising Scholar Award, NCME, 2003