Current Areas of Focus
Replication x Psychometrics
My program of research has been focused on exploring psychometric issues from a meta-science perspective. Specifically, I have been interested in the replicability of psychometric analyses (i.e., psychometric replication). Recent work in this area includes the development of a taxonomy for assessing research and reporting practices (Manapat et al., 2024) as well as a simulation study that examines the replicability of exploratory factor analyses (Manapat et al., 2025). I am currently working on extending the simulation work to confirmatory factor analysis and the structural model.
Non-Normality
Distributional assumptions for latent constructs can affect the validity of psychometric work. In practice, latent constructs are often assumed to follow a normal distribution. However, there are situations where this assumption is unreasonable (e.g., constructs of a clinical nature - tend to be low for most people, medium for some, and high for few). Recent work includes an examination of the types and degrees of non-normality most detrimental to parameter recovery for the 2-parameter logistic and graded response models (Manapat & Edwards, 2022).
Scale Development
My scale development work spans a diverse range of domains, from self-regulation (Manapat et al., 2021) to canine temperament (Gilchrist et al., 2025). As a psychometrician, I often focus on assessing dimensionality using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, along with item-level analyses using item response theory. More recently, I contributed to a psychometric evaluation of the Duke Misophonia Questionnaire (Bain et al., 2025). With my established network of both methodological and applied collaborators, I am able to leverage psychometric advancements to address real-world measurement challenges.
Presentations
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June 24, 2026
M³ in New York, NY
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