Cited by 3,618Psychometric Methodologies and TestingEducational Assessment and PedagogyMental Health Research Topics

Conventional wisdom on measurement: A structural equation perspective.

Bollen, Kenneth, Lennox, Richard·1991·Psychological Bulletin

Abstract

The applicability of 5 conventional guidelines for construct measurement is critically examined: (a) Construct indicators should be internally consistent for valid measures, (b) there are optimal magnitudes of correlations between items, (c) the validity of measures depends on the adequacy with which a specified domain is sampled, (d) within-construct correlations must be greater than between-construct correlations, and (e) linear composites of indicators can replace latent variables. A structural equation perspective is used, showing that without an explicit measurement model relating indicators to latent variables and measurement errors, none of these conventional beliefs hold without qualifications. Moreover, a causal indicator model is presented that sometimes better corresponds to the relation of indicators to a construct than does the classical test theory effect indicator model.

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Crossref · 10.1037/0033-2909.110.2.305

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  • The psychometric independence of cultural conflict and distance suggests that they are formative (causal) rather than reflective (effect) indicators of BII.

    “the psychometric independence of cultural conflict and distance suggests that they are formative (i.e., causal) rather than reflective (i.e., effect) indicators of BII (Bollen & Lennox, 1991).”

    From Bicultural Identity Integration (BII): Components and Psychosocial Antecedents (2005) · cites this paper as Bollen & Lennox, 1991

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Authors
Bollen, K., & Lennox, R.
Affiliations
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
Venue
Psychological Bulletin
Published
1991-09
Volume
110
Issue
2
Pages
305-314
ISSN
  • 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1455
OpenAlex
W1980996468
Cited by
3,618
References
5
Citations by year
2026: 216 · 2025: 116 · 2024: 104 · 2023: 123 · 2022: 116 · 2021: 145 · 2020: 113 · 2019: 126 · 2018: 163 · 2017: 139 · 2016: 161 · 2015: 174 · 2014: 168 · 2013: 179 · 2012: 193
FWCI
12.85
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
  • Social Sciences › Education › Educational Assessment and Pedagogy
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
Keywords
construct measurement, measurement validity, internal consistency, item correlation, latent variables, measurement error, classical test theory, structural equation modeling

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