Deletion or selection of persons from a test to be analyzed, but without removing their responses from your data file, is easily accomplished by creating a file in which each line contains the sequence number of a person or persons to be deleted or selected (according to the same rules given under IDFILE=), and then specifying this file by means of the control variable, PDFILE=, or enter the deletion list in the control file using PDFILE=*. PDFILE=filename can be action from the Specification menu dialog box. See also PDELETE=.
PDFILE= file name
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file containing list of person entry numbers to be deleted or reinstated. Each line in the file is in the PDELETE= format.
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PDFILE = ?
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opens a Browser window to find the file
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PDFILE = *
4
18-23
6 5.23
*
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in-line list in the control file
delete person entry number 4
delete person entry number 18 to 23
second number 5.23 is ignored, so that PWEIGHT= can be changed to PDFILE=
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PDFILE=* 4 18-23 *
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At the Extra Specifications prompt
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PDFILE=
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In the Specifications Menu dialog box, reinstates all temporary deletions
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Example 1: You wish to delete the fifth and tenth persons from this analysis.
1. Create a file named, say, "PERSON.DEL"
2. Enter into the file, the lines:
5
10
3. Specify, in the control file,
PDFILE=PERSON.DEL
or, enter directly into the control file,
PDFILE=*
5
10
*
Example 2: The analyst wants to delete the most misfitting persons reported in Table 6.
1. Set up a standard control file.
2. Specify
PDFILE=*
*
3. Copy the target portion of Table 6.
4. Paste it between the "*"
5. Delete characters before the entry numbers.
6. Type ; after the entry numbers to make further numbers into comments.
Example 3:
TITLE = 'Example of person deletion list from Table 6'
PDFILE = *
Delete the border character before the entry number
; ENTRY RAW INFIT OUTFIT
; NUM SCORE COUNT MEASURE ERROR MNSQ ZSTD MNSQ ZSTD PTBSE PUP
73 ; 21 22 .14 .37 .95 -.3 1.03 .2 B-.19 SAN
75 ; 16 22 -.56 .39 .95 -.3 1.03 .2 C-.19 PAU
Enter the ; to make other numbers into comments
* ; closure of PDFILE=*
Example 4: My sample is large enough (n>2000). I want to exclude in the analysis the persons and items that have infit or outfit statistics of less than -2 or greater than +2.
1. Perform your analysis.
2. Output files menu: PFILE to Excel.
3. In Excel sort the persons in Outfit ZSTD order.
4. Delete all person rows you want to keep in your analysis.
5. Copy the column of entry numbers of persons you want to delete.
6. Create a new text file "delete.txt"
7. Paste the list of entry numbers into the text file
8. In your Winsteps control file, add
PDFILE = delete.txt
9. Perform your revised analysis
