The EM Algorithm and Its Variants in Cognitive Diagnostic Models: Comparing Their Propensity for Boundaries, Extremes, Convergence, and Suboptimal Solutions

Yue Zhao, Tao Xin, Yanlou Liu, Yiming Wang, Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment for Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University, China Academy of Big Data for Education, Qufu Normal University, School of Psychology, Qufu Normal University

Applied Psychological Measurement

Published online on June 23, 2026

Abstract

Applied Psychological Measurement, Ahead of Print.
Choosing suitable estimation methods for cognitive diagnostic models (CDMs) is critical. However, practitioners often face issues like non-convergence, boundary estimates, extreme values, and unstable suboptimal solutions, which affect the accuracy and ...