Matching Items (2)
Description
In the past, it has been assumed that measurement and predictive invariance are consistent so that if one form of invariance holds the other form should also hold. However, some studies have proven that both forms of invariance only hold under certain conditions such as factorial invariance and invariance in the common factor variances. The present research examined Type I errors and the statistical power of a method that detects violations to the factorial invariant model in the presence of group differences in regression intercepts, under different sample sizes and different number of predictors (one or two). Data were simulated under two models: in model A only differences in the factor means were allowed, while model B violated invariance. A factorial invariant model was fitted to the data. Type I errors were defined as the proportion of samples in which the hypothesis of invariance was incorrectly rejected, and statistical power was defined as the proportion of samples in which the hypothesis of factorial invariance was correctly rejected. In the case of one predictor, the results show that the chi-square statistic has low power to detect violations to the model. Unexpected and systematic results were obtained regarding the negative unique variance in the predictor. It is proposed that negative unique variance in the predictor can be used as indication of measurement bias instead of the chi-square fit statistic with sample sizes of 500 or more. The results of the two predictor case show larger power. In both cases Type I errors were as expected. The implications of the results and some suggestions for increasing the power of the method are provided.
ContributorsAguilar, Margarita Olivera (Author) / Millsap, Roger E. (Thesis advisor) / Aiken, Leona S. (Committee member) / Enders, Craig K. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2010
Description
Perception of the future self (i.e., future self-identification) is an important indicator of outcomes over time and during different life-stages (e.g., adolescence, emerging adulthood, retirement). Although recent research established that future self-identification is comprised of three distinct but interrelated factors (i.e., relatedness, positivity, and vividness of the future self), the current research was the first to consider the stability of that factor structure (i.e., factorial invariance) over extended time and over the course of a major life-stage transition. Using a longitudinal design, this research investigated (1) longitudinal factorial invariance as young adults transitioned into, and became established in, their college education and (2) explored differences in factor stability across demographic groups (i.e., sex; college generation status). Results indicated that as students progressed through their first three semesters of college, future self-identification had a stable factor structure over the short-term. However, from the first week of college to when students were established in college, strong factorial invariance (i.e., invariance of the item intercepts) did not hold. In general, there were not differences in future self-identification factor structure by sex. However, from the first year of college to the second year, strict invariance was not supported (i.e., the item residual variances were not invariant between men and women). This sex difference appeared during the first stage of the transition into college and diminished as students became established in their college career. Finally, complete factorial invariance was established between first-generation and continuing-generation college students suggesting that the future self-identification factor structure did not differ based on college generation status. Findings provide crucial information regarding the validity of mean comparisons of future self-identification across a transition into a life-stage and across demographic groups. Future research may build on this foundation to better understand the sources of factorial non-invariance.
ContributorsMcMichael, Samantha Leigh (Author) / Kwan, Virginia S.Y. (Thesis advisor) / Mackinnon, David P. (Committee member) / West, Stephen G. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021