Research interests

Although I am interested in many issues in psychology, my work seems to gravitate around a single question: What are psychological attributes? When using words like "depression" or "neuroticism", what do we designate? A traditional answer is: latent variables. Latent variables are structures that are not directly observable, but can be measured indirectly through their manifestations in behavior. Thus, the latent variable of depression is measured through items like "do you feel sad?" and "are you tired?". This idea has been used to formulate statistical models for psychological measurement. Today, the assumption that such a model is true underlies much research in psychology. In early work, I analyzed the assumptions behind this approach. I concluded that, to use measurement models profitably, one needs to interpret the indicator variables (e.g., insomnia, fatigue, concentration loss)as being caused by the psychological attribute (e.g., depression). This requirement is unreasonably strong in many areas of psychology, and this realization drives the second half of my research life (so far). I developed the hypothesis that attributes like depression are not latent variables, but instead are systems of components that reinforce each other (e.g., insomnia -> fatigue -> concentration loss). That is, they form networks . With a team of methodologists, statisticians, and clinical psychologists, I have recently initiated the Psychosystems Project (see link below) in which we apply network modeling and complex systems techniques to psychopathology and personality. Most of my research efforts are now dedicated to this project, which is sponsored by an NWO-Vidi grant.

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• Go to the psychosystems research project

Selected publications

• Borsboom, D., Cramer, A. O. J., Schmittmann, V. D., Epskamp, S.,&Waldorp, L. J. (2011). The small world of psychopathology. PLoS ONE, 11, e27407.

• Kievit, R.A., Romeijn, J.W., Waldorp, L.J., Wicherts, J. M., Scholte, H. S.,&Borsboom, D. (2011). Mind the gap: A psychometric approach to the reduction problem. Psychological Inquiry, 22, 1-21.

• Cramer, A. O. J., Waldorp, L. J., van der Maas, H.,&Borsboom, D. (2010). Comorbidity: A network perspective. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 33, 137-193.

• Borsboom, D. (2008). Psychometric perspectives on diagnostic systems. Journal of Clinical Psychology,64,1089-1108.

• Borsboom, D. (2006). The attack of the psychometricians. Psychometrika, 71, 425-440.

• Borsboom, D. (2005). Measuring the mind: Conceptual issues in contemporary psychometrics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Borsboom, D., Mellenbergh, G.J.,&Van Heerden (2004). The concept of validity. Psychological Review, 111, 1061-1071.

• Borsboom, D., Mellenbergh, G.J.,&Van Heerden, J. (2003). The theoretical status of latent variables. Psychological Review, 110, 203-219.

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