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Activity Number: 475 - SPEED: Predictive Analytics with Social/Behavioral Science Applications: Spatial Modeling, Education Assessment, Population Behavior, and the Use of Multiple Data Sources
Type: Contributed
Date/Time: Wednesday, August 1, 2018 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
Sponsor: Social Statistics Section
Abstract #329733 Presentation
Title: A Monte Carlo Simulation of the Effects of Ignoring Measurement Non-Invariance on the Standard Error for Mean Difference Testing
Author(s): Scott Colwell* and Theodore J Noseworthy
Companies: University of Guelph and York University
Keywords: Measurement; Measurement Invariance; Bias in Standard Error; Group Comparisons; Latent Variables; Monte Carlo Simulation
Abstract:

The ability to reliably measure latent constructs of interest is fundamental to drawing insightful conclusions in the social, behavioral and health sciences. When comparing different populations or sub-populations on a specific measure, it is important to first establish that the measure performs equally in both populations. When a measure exhibits non-invariance, the ability to make substantive cross-group comparisons become problematic as the measure may not be performing equally across respondents. A significant amount of literature exists supporting the need for invariance testing, however, to the best of our knowledge, the implications of ignoring measurement non-invariance in group mean difference testing has yet to be explored. In this research we simulated a six-item multiple group confirmatory factor analysis using R version 3.4.3 (R Core Team 2017) to allow for the mean comparison of two groups, the focal group and the comparison group. Overall, our results indicate that ignoring measurement non-invariance can lead to an underestimation or over estimation of the standard error in group mean difference testing.


Authors who are presenting talks have a * after their name.

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