Research article summary (published 29 Apr 2008):

Power and sensitivity of alternative fit indices in tests of measurement invariance.

Full Abstract

Confirmatory factor analytic tests of measurement invariance (MI) based on the chi-square statistic are known to be highly sensitive to sample size. For this reason, G. W. Cheung and R. B. Rensvold (2002) recommended using alternative fit indices (AFIs) in MI investigations. In this article, the authors investigated the performance of AFIs with simulated data known to not be invariant. The results indicate that AFIs are much less sensitive to sample size and are more sensitive to a lack of invariance than chi-square-based tests of MI. The authors suggest reporting differences in comparative fit index (CFI) and R. P. McDonald's (1989) noncentrality index (NCI) to evaluate whether MI exists. Although a general value of change in CFI (.002) seemed to perform well in the analyses, condition specific change in McDonald's NCI values exhibited better performance than a single change in McDonald's NCI value. Tables of these values are provided as are recommendations for best practices in MI testing.PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved.

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Author information

Author/s: Meade, Adam W (AW); Johnson, Emily C (EC); Braddy, Phillip W (PW);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7650, USA. awmeade@ncsu.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: The Journal of applied psychology (J Appl Psychol), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-May; vol 93 (issue 3) : pp 568-92

Dates: Created 2008/05/06; Completed 2008/07/29;

PMID: 18457487, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Humans Power (Psychology)

Psychological Tests Sensitivity and Specificity

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