The implications contained in Richardson's article on item analysis in March 1936 issue of Psychometrika are examined in the light of multiple factor theory. It is shown that item analysis is a necessary, but not a sufficient condition for the construction of a test which shall measure a single trait. The intercorrelations of certain items selected by a method of item analysis are examined, found to contain many zero and some negative correlations. Multiple factor analysis showed that eight traits were measured by the items which had been asserted to measure only one.

A rigorous and an approximate solution are found for the problem: Given a primary trait matrix for n tests and r1 traits, and a matrix for the same n tests and r2 reference axes, to discover the transformation which will transform the second matrix into the first, or primary trait matrix. Formulas for determining the limits of the effect of using the approximate solution are presented. The method is applied to a set of twenty hypothetical tests, defined by their loadings on four orthogonal primary traits. After factoring the inter-correlations of these variables by Thurstone's centroid method, approximating the diagonals, the original hypothetical matrix is reproduced with a root mean square discrepancy of .014 by assuming as known the primary trait loadings of only the first eight tests. The method is applied to the results of factoring two batteries of 14 tests, having 8 tests in common, to give the factor loadings of the two batteries on the same reference axes. The method provides a means of comparing directly and quantitatively the results of two different factor studies, provided they have tests in common, and of testing the stability of simple structure under changes in the battery. The relations of the method here developed to certain problems in multiple correlation are shown.

A modification of the method of successive intervals is presented which yields scale values correlating .995 with those from Thurstone's method described by Saffir. Values yielded by the present method can be obtained in 25 per cent of the time required by the older method and are shown to be, on a priori grounds, more reliable as well.

Correlation coefficients derived from an hypothetical simple structure for twenty tests and four factors were “loaded” with chance error components. Centroid analyses and rotations to give least square determinations of the hypothetical simple structure were made for several conditions. It is concluded that the experimental situation of inaccurate coefficients and estimated communalities permits accurate determination of primary trait loadings provided that the rank of the centroid matrix is equal to or greater than that of the underlying primary trait matrix. Of several criteria for the completeness of factorization which were tested, none was wholly satisfactory.

It is shown that by making the assumption that the knowledge of the test-item and the knowledge of the entire test are both distributed normally, the correlation coefficient between any item and the entire test can be expressed as a function solely of two proportions — the percentage of a high-scoring group passing the item and the percentage of a low-scoring group passing the item. This function is expressed graphically as a family of curves for each of two conditions — where the high-scoring and low-scoring groups are samples of the highest and the lowest quarters respectively, and where they are samples from the upper and lower halves. It is shown, moreover, that two other common measures of item validity, the upper-lower difference and the critical ratio of the upper-lower difference, may be drawn on the same coordinate axes.

In an attempt to investigate the concept of neurotic tendency thirty-nine of the forty-two most discriminative items in the Thurstone Neurotic Inventory were administered as a questionnaire to a group of five hundred male college students. An analysis of the table of intercorrelations by Thurstone's centroid method showed that eight factors were sufficient to account for the observed intercorrelations with negligible residuals. The eight centroid factors were then transformed into a simple structure. It is concluded that a single trait of neurotic tendency cannot be postulated and tentative hypotheses are formed as to the nature of the primary traits revealed by the analysis.

Readministering the same test to the same students a week later showed a high consistency of response both on the test as a whole, and on the individual items.

A general formula for the reliability of a weighted composite has been derived by which that reliability can be estimated from a knowledge of the weights whatever their source, reliabilities, dispersions, and intercorrelations of the components. The Spearman-Brown formula has been shown to be a special case of the general statement. The effect of the internal consistency or intercorrelation of the components has been investigated and the conditions defining the set of weights yielding maximum reliability shown to be that the weight of a component is proportional to the sum of its intercorrelations with the remaining components and inversely proportional to its error variance.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Clinical and translational science needs to address roadblocks to translational processes. We conducted a survey at two institutions, a private medical school and a large public university, to understand the frequency and distribution of barriers and roadblocks to research. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We reviewed the literature to compile a pool of barriers and roadblocks and convened a panel of relevant stakeholders to develop a 20-item questionnaire. Survey respondents were asked to select and prioritize the five leading clinical and translational roadblocks, provide information regarding their academic degrees and rank/position, complete open-ended items regarding their areas of research, and optionally add additional remarks in a comment box. The survey was disseminated in August 2022 via REDCap to faculty and staff with active research protocols at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Houston. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: In total, 227 respondents completed the survey. Their disciplines were basic science (29.5%), translational research (52.9%), clinical research (55.5%), community-engaged research (9.7%), and educational research (9.7%). Respondents identified 1) lack of access to trained research coordinators, 2) lack of understanding about different resources that facilitate research, 3) complex regulatory environment and delays, 4) fragmented infrastructure for administrative and fiscal processes, and 5) inadequate funding for pilot projects to foster new research. Other roadblocks included lack of established community stakeholder partnerships, inadequate access to medical record data, and limited biostatistical support. In the comments, several respondents noted that all items included were important. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Research workforce recruitment/training was the highest priority followed by lack of access to information and administrative bottlenecks. We are building an online portal to increase awareness and simplify access to competency-based training and research services. Initiatives are underway to address other roadblocks.