The DOI matches its Crossref record; 69 of the 70 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach
Abstract
In this article, we provide guidance for substantive researchers on the use of structural equation modeling in practice for theory testing and development. We present a comprehensive, two-step modeling approach that employs a series of nested models and sequential chi-square difference tests. We discuss the comparative advantages of this approach over a one-step approach. Considerations in specification, assessment of fit, and respecification of measurement models using confirmatory factor analysis are reviewed. As background to the two-step approach, the distinction between exploratory and confirmatory analysis, the distinction between complementary approaches for theory testing versus predictive application, and some developments in estimation methods also are discussed.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“When the 95% CI for the correlation between two constructs does not include 1.0, this provides evidence of discriminant validity for the two constructs involved.”
From Reporting reliability, convergent and discriminant validity with structural equation modeling: A review and best-practice recommendations (2024) · cites this paper as Anderson & Gerbing, 1988
In the citing paper
“Unidimensionality requires no cross-loaded indicator, a condition for assigning meaning to a latent construct (Anderson & Gerbing, 1988).”
From Reporting reliability, convergent and discriminant validity with structural equation modeling: A review and best-practice recommendations (2024) · cites this paper as Anderson & Gerbing, 1988
In the citing paper
“In addition to establishing convergent validity, discriminant validity requires that each indicator loads uniquely on only one construct.”
From Reporting reliability, convergent and discriminant validity with structural equation modeling: A review and best-practice recommendations (2024) · cites this paper as Anderson & Gerbing, 1988
In the citing paper
“First proposed by Jöreskog (1971), with subsequent recommendations by Bagozzi and Phillips (1982, p. 476) and by Anderson and Gerbing (1988, p. 416), this is the most widely-used approach to evaluate discriminant validity.”
From Reporting reliability, convergent and discriminant validity with structural equation modeling: A review and best-practice recommendations (2024) · cites this paper as Anderson & Gerbing, 1988
In the citing paper
“While this represents a suitable minimum requirement for discriminant validity, it is insufficient because it does not guarantee two constructs are distinct”
From Reporting reliability, convergent and discriminant validity with structural equation modeling: A review and best-practice recommendations (2024) · cites this paper as Anderson & Gerbing, 1988
In the citing paper
“We aim to cover current and potential users of VUI, which is a commonly used and valid way to investigate users’ adoption intention of specific technologies [91,98].”
From The Investigation of Adoption of Voice-User Interface (VUI) in Smart Home Systems among Chinese Older Adults (2022) · cites this paper as [98]
In the citing paper
“Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in AMOS 28 following the two-step approach (Anderson & Gerbing, 1988).”
From Balancing Affective Engagement and Cognitive Load in Generative-AI-Based Learning: Empathy, Immersion, and Emotional Design in Design Education (2025) · cites this paper as Anderson & Gerbing, 1988
In the citing paper
“Further, our measurement model exhibits convergent validity since each indicator loads significantly on the construct they were supposed to represent, which indicates minimal cross-loadings, and establishes convergent validity (Anderson & Gerbing, 1988).”
From Influence of need for affiliation on small business customer loyalty (2025) · cites this paper as Anderson & Gerbing, 1988
In the citing paper
“The reliability and the convergent validity were confirmed, as all five factors reached construct reliabilities (CRs) exceeding the generally recommended 0.70 threshold [31] and (b) the average variances extracted (AVE) exceeding the suggested 0.50 threshold [33], indicating that more than 50% of a factor's variance is due to its measurement items.”
In the citing paper
“Before testing the hypotheses, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to verify the reliability of the constructs (Anderson & Gerbing, 1988).”
From Digital government transformation: A structural equation modelling analysis of driving and impeding factors (2021) · cites this paper as Anderson & Gerbing, 1988
In the citing paper
“The nested model comparison (chi-square difference test, Anderson and Gerbing 1988) supported the discriminant validity, and square root of average variance extracted (AVE) for each of the constructs was substantially larger than the correlation between these two constructs.”
From Trust, Satisfaction, and Online Repurchase Intention: The Moderating Role of Perceived Effectiveness of E-Commerce Institutional Mechanisms1 (2014) · cites this paper as Anderson and Gerbing 1988
In the citing paper
“The nested model comparison (chi-square difference test, Anderson and Gerbing 1988) supported the discriminant validity, and square root of average variance extracted (AVE) for each of the constructs was substantially larger than the correlation between these two constructs.”
From Trust, Satisfaction, and Online Repurchase Intention: The Moderating Role of Perceived Effectiveness of E-Commerce Institutional Mechanisms1 (2014) · cites this paper as Anderson and Gerbing 1988
In the citing paper
“First, through chi-square difference test (Anderson et al 1988; Joreskog 1993), it was confirmed that correlations between each pair of constructs were significantly different from 'unity' (i.e. 1.0).”
From Trust, Satisfaction, and Online Repurchase Intention: The Moderating Role of Perceived Effectiveness of E-Commerce Institutional Mechanisms1 (2014) · cites this paper as Anderson et al 1988
In the citing paper
“Due to the high amount of the observed variables in this study (altogether 57), we could not fully follow the two-step approach suggested by Anderson and Gerbing (1988)”
From Job demands–resources model in the context of recovery: Testing recovery experiences as mediators (2011) · cites this paper as Anderson and Gerbing, 1988
Citations
Cites
Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures.
Bentler, P. M., & Bonett, D. G. (1980) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.88.3.588 · Cited by 20,015
Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix.
Campbell, D. T., & Fiske, D. W. (1959) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/h0046016 · Cited by 17,116
Psychometric theory (2nd ed.).
Sitgreaves, R. (1979) · Contemporary Psychology · doi:10.1037/018882 · Cited by 14,384
Construct validity in psychological tests.
Cronbach, L. J., & Meehl, P. E. (1955) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/h0040957 · Cited by 11,195
Harman, H. H. (1960) · Cited by 5,148
Two Structural Equation Models: LISREL and PLS Applied to Consumer Exit-Voice Theory
Fornell, C., & Bookstein, F. L. (1982) · Journal of Marketing Research · doi:10.2307/3151718 · Cited by 4,645
Kmenta, J. (1997) · University of Michigan Press eBooks · doi:10.3998/mpub.15701 · Cited by 3,240
A leisurely look at the bootstrap, the jackknife, and cross-validation
Efron, B., & Gong, G. (1983) · The American Statistician · doi:10.1080/00031305.1983.10483087 · Cited by 3,229
The Scientific Use of Factor Analysis in Behavioral and Life Sciences
Cattell, R. B. (1978) · doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-2262-7 · Cited by 2,165
Factor Analysis as a Statistical Method.
Browne, M. W., Lawley, D., & Maxwell, A. E. (1964) · Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series D (The Statistician) · doi:10.2307/2986693 · Cited by 2,067
Representing and Testing Organizational Theories: A Holistic Construal
Bagozzi, R. P., & Phillips, L. W. (1982) · Administrative Science Quarterly · doi:10.2307/2392322 · Cited by 2,064
Muthén, B. (1984) · Psychometrika · doi:10.1007/bf02294210 · Cited by 2,029
Asymptotically distribution-free methods for the analysis of covariance structures.
Browne, M. (1984) · British Journal of Mathematical & Statistical Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.2044-8317.1984.tb00789.x · Cited by 1,890
Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. (1984) · Psychometrika · doi:10.1007/bf02294170 · Cited by 1,775
Self-citationSoft modelling: The Basic Design and Some Extensions
Wold, H. (1982) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 1,314
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF SETS OF CONGENERIC TESTS*
Jöreskog, K. G. (1969) · ETS Research Bulletin Series · doi:10.1002/j.2333-8504.1969.tb00777.x · Cited by 1,207
Methodology Review: Assessing Unidimensionality of Tests and ltenls
Hattie, J. (1985) · Applied Psychological Measurement · doi:10.1177/014662168500900204 · Cited by 1,024
Structural Analysis of Covariance and Correlation Matrices
Jöreskog, K. G. (1978) · Psychometrika · doi:10.1007/bf02293808 · Cited by 1,006
Contemporary Developments in Mathematical Psychology
Humphreys, M. S., Krantz, D. H., Atkinson, R. C., Luce, R. D., & Suppes, P. (1976) · The American Journal of Psychology · doi:10.2307/1421426 · Cited by 984
Some Methods for Respecifying Measurement Models to Obtain Unidimensional Construct Measurement
Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1982) · Journal of Marketing Research · doi:10.2307/3151719 · Cited by 972
Self-citationSome contributions to maximum likelihood factor analysis
Jöreskog, K. (1967) · Psychometrika · doi:10.1007/bf02289658 · Cited by 880
Cross-Validation Of Covariance Structures
Cudeck, R. A., & Browne, M. W. (1983) · Multivariate Behavioral Research · doi:10.1207/s15327906mbr1802_2 · Cited by 857
Specification searches in covariance structure modeling.
MacCallum, R. C. (1986) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.100.1.107 · Cited by 855
(1982) · Cited by 842
Factor Analysis as a Statistical Method.
Browne, M. W., Lawley, D. N., & Maxwell, A. E. (1973) · Journal of the American Statistical Association · doi:10.2307/2284191 · Cited by 733
A Second Generation of Multivariate Analysis
Fornell, C. (1982) · Cited by 686
Personality and mood by questionnaire.
Cattell, R. B. (1973) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 574
Recommendations for APA test standards regarding construct, trait, or discriminant validity.
Campbell, D. T. (1960) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/h0048255 · Cited by 560
Some Cautions Concerning The Application Of Causal Modeling Methods
Cliff, N. (1983) · Multivariate Behavioral Research · doi:10.1207/s15327906mbr1801_7 · Cited by 553
On the Meaning of within-Factor Correlated Measurement Errors
Gerbing, D. W., & Anderson, J. C. (1984) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/208993 · Cited by 526 · cited 8×
“Further analyses of these composites could then be undertaken to isolate the constructs of interest, which would be conceptualized as higher order factors ( Gerbing & Anderson, 1984 ).”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationThe dimensionality of tests and items
McDonald, R. P. (1981) · British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.2044-8317.1981.tb00621.x · Cited by 510
On the Multivariate Asymptotic Distribution of Sequential Chi-Square Statistics
Steiger, J. H., Shapiro, A., & Browne, M. W. (1985) · Psychometrika · doi:10.1007/bf02294104 · Cited by 482
The ML and PLS techniques for modeling with latent variables : Historical and comparative aspects
Jöreskog, K. G. (1982) · Cited by 472
Bentler, P. M. (1983) · Psychometrika · doi:10.1007/bf02293875 · Cited by 456
A general model for multivariate analysis
Finn, J. D. (1978) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 448
The Likelihood Ratio, Wald, and Lagrange Multiplier Tests: An Expository Note
Buse, A. (1982) · The American Statistician · doi:10.1080/00031305.1982.10482817 · Cited by 438
A Prospectus for Theory Construction in Marketing
Bagozzi, R. P. (1984) · Journal of Marketing · doi:10.1177/002224298404800102 · Cited by 430
VI.—The Estimation of Factor Loadings by the Method of Maximum Likelihood
Lawley, D. N. (1940) · Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh · doi:10.1017/s037016460002006x · Cited by 387
Generalized least squares estimators in the analysis of covariance structures
Browne, M. W. (1974) · South African Statistical Journal · Cited by 337
Dillon, W. R., Kumar, A. S., & Mulani, N. (1987) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.101.1.126 · Cited by 334
Analysis of Covariance Structures
Bock, R. D., & Bargmann, R. E. (1966) · Psychometrika · doi:10.1007/bf02289521 · Cited by 322
Issues in the Application of Covariance Structure Analysis: A Comment
Fornell, C. (1983) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/208938 · Cited by 321
Analyzing psychological data by structural analysis of covariance matrices
Jöreskog, K. G. (1974) · Cited by 306
Topics in Applied Multivariate Analysis
Hawkins, D. M. (1982) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511897375 · Cited by 306
Babakus, E., Ferguson, C. E., & Jöreskog, K. G. (1987) · Journal of Marketing Research · doi:10.1177/002224378702400209 · Cited by 301
Interpretational Confounding of Unobserved Variables in Structural Equation Models
Burt, R. S. (1976) · Sociological Methods & Research · doi:10.1177/004912417600500101 · Cited by 280
Some comments on maximum likelihood and partial least squares methods
Dijkstra, T. K. (1983) · Journal of Econometrics · doi:10.1016/0304-4076(83)90094-5 · Cited by 277
Gerbing, D. W., & Anderson, J. C. (1985) · Multivariate Behavioral Research · doi:10.1207/s15327906mbr2003_2 · Cited by 272
Self-citationOn Various Causes of Improper Solutions in Maximum Likelihood Factor Analysis
van Driel, O. P. (1978) · Psychometrika · doi:10.1007/bf02293865 · Cited by 213
Gerbing, D. W., & Anderson, J. C. (1987) · Psychometrika · doi:10.1007/bf02293958 · Cited by 173
Self-citationTesting a Simple Structure Hypothesis in Factor Analysis
Jöreskog, K. G. (1966) · Psychometrika · doi:10.1007/bf02289505 · Cited by 160
Structural Modeling and Psychometrika: An Historical Perspective on Growth and Achievements
Bentler, P. M. (1986) · Psychometrika · doi:10.1007/bf02293997 · Cited by 157
Factor Indeterminacy in the 1930’s and the 1970’s Some Interesting Parallels
Steiger, J. H. (1979) · Psychometrika · doi:10.1007/bf02293967 · Cited by 151
Lee, S. Y., & Jennrich, R. I. (1979) · Psychometrika · doi:10.1007/bf02293789 · Cited by 146
Issues in the Application of Covariance Structure Analysis: A Further Comment
Bagozzi, R. P. (1983) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/208939 · Cited by 146
Confirmatory Factor-Analytic Structures and the Theory Construction Process
Burt, R. S. (1973) · Sociological Methods & Research · doi:10.1177/004912417300200201 · Cited by 117
Chatfield, C., & Krishnaiah, P. R. (1987) · Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A (General) · doi:10.2307/2981641 · Cited by 107
Testing for Ellipsoidal Symmetry of a Multivariate Density
Beran, R. J. (1979) · The Annals of Statistics · doi:10.1214/aos/1176344561 · Cited by 83
Determinacy of common factors: A nontechnical review.
McDonald, R. P., & Mulaik, S. A. (1979) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.86.2.297 · Cited by 75
GENERAL ABILITY, ITS EXISTENCE AND NATURE
Hart, B., & Spearman, C. (1912) · British Journal of Psychology 1904-1920 · doi:10.1111/j.2044-8295.1912.tb00055.x · Cited by 74
Multistructure Statistical Model Applied To Factor Analysis
Bentler, P. M. (1976) · Multivariate Behavioral Research · doi:10.1207/s15327906mbr1101_1 · Cited by 73
Spearman, C. (1914) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/h0070799 · Cited by 57
Hunter, J. E. (1973) · Journal of Educational Measurement · doi:10.1111/j.1745-3984.1973.tb00782.x · Cited by 49
Bentler, P. M., & Lee, S. (1983) · Journal of Educational Statistics · doi:10.3102/10769986008003207 · Cited by 36
THE SAMPLING ERROR IN THE THEORY OF TWO FACTORS
Spearman, C., & Holzinger, K. J. (1924) · British Journal of Psychology General Section · doi:10.1111/j.2044-8295.1924.tb00158.x · Cited by 36
A Second-Order Longitudinal Model Of Ability Structure
Weeks, D. G. (1980) · Multivariate Behavioral Research · doi:10.1207/s15327906mbr1503_8 · Cited by 31
The function of theory in a dilemma of path analysis.
Young, J. W. (1977) · Journal of Applied Psychology · doi:10.1037/0021-9010.62.1.108 · Cited by 27
The Metric of the Latent Variables in a LISREL-IV Analysis
Gerbing, D. W., & Hunter, J. E. (1982) · Educational and Psychological Measurement · doi:10.1177/001316448204200204 · Cited by 16
Self-citationThe weight matrix in asymptotic distribution‐free methods
Mooijaart, A., & Bentler, P. M. (1985) · British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.2044-8317.1985.tb00833.x · Cited by 15
Cited by
Sorted by citations
A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015) · Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science · doi:10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8 · Cited by 38,459
Pls-Sem: indeed a silver bullet
Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2011) · Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice · doi:10.2753/mtp1069-6679190202 · Cited by 21,631
Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Witzki, A. H., Howerter, A., & Wager, T. D. (2000) · Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1006/cogp.1999.0734 · Cited by 15,798
The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing
Morgan, R. M., & Hunt, S. D. (1994) · Journal of Marketing · doi:10.1177/002224299405800302 · Cited by 22,355
Self-rated health and mortality: a review of twenty-seven community studies.
Idler, E. L., & Benyamini, Y. (1997) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.2307/2955359 · Cited by 8,598
Metadata
- Authors
- Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W.
- Affiliations
- Northwestern University (US)
- Portland State University (US)
- Venue
- Psychological Bulletin
- Published
- 1988-05
- Volume
- 103
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 411-423
- ISSN
- 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1455
- OpenAlex
- W2122912498
- Semantic Scholar
- 2265a198e55665ed3df0f19688350567dab593de
- Cited by
- 41,941
- References
- 70
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1902 · 2025: 2183 · 2024: 2385 · 2023: 2571 · 2022: 2705 · 2021: 2802 · 2020: 2420 · 2019: 2305 · 2018: 2082 · 2017: 2000 · 2016: 1933 · 2015: 1887 · 2014: 1912 · 2013: 1767 · 2012: 1613
- FWCI
- 51.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods and Bayesian Inference
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
- Keywords
- structural equation modeling, nested models, chi-square difference test, model fit assessment, confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory factor analysis, theory testing, predictive modeling, estimation methods
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review