Why the items versus parcels controversy needn’t be one.
Open accessAbstract
The use of item parcels has been a matter of debate since the earliest use of factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Here, we review the arguments that have been levied both for and against the use of parcels and discuss the relevance of these arguments in light of the building body of empirical evidence investigating their performance. We discuss the many advantages of parcels that some researchers find attractive and highlight, too, the potential problems that ill-informed use can incur. We argue that no absolute pro or con stance is warranted. Parcels are an analytic tool like any other. There are circumstances in which parceling is useful and those when it is not. We emphasize the precautions that should be taken when creating item parcels and interpreting model results based on parcels. Finally, we review and compare several proposed strategies for parcel building and suggest directions for further research.
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Different methods of parcelling exist and each have benefits and drawbacks.
“Different methods of parcelling exist and each have benefits and drawbacks”
From Psychometric properties of acceptance measures: A systematic review (2019) · cites this paper as Little, Rhemtulla, Gibson, & Schoemann, 2013
In scale development, parcelling might hide true relationships amongst scale items.
“especially in scale development where true relationships amongst scale items might be hidden (Little, Rhemtulla, Gibson, & Schoemann, 2013; Worthington & Whittaker, 2006).”
From Psychometric properties of acceptance measures: A systematic review (2019) · cites this paper as Little, Rhemtulla, Gibson, & Schoemann, 2013
Parcelling is the source of much debate.
“Parcelling, an approach whereby items are combined together into parcels, is the source of much debate.”
From Psychometric properties of acceptance measures: A systematic review (2019) · cites this paper as Little, Rhemtulla, Gibson, & Schoemann, 2013
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(1999)
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“Latent factors were defined by using a partially disaggregated parcel approach in which latent constructs were defined by using parcels as indicators (Bandalos and Finney, 2001; Coffman and MacCallum, 2005; Little et al., 2013).”
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- Authors
- Little, T. D., Rhemtulla, M., Gibson, K., & Schoemann, A. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Kansas (US)
- Venue
- Psychological Methods
- Published
- 2013
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 285-300
- ISSN
- 1082-989X (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1463
- PMC
- PMC3909043
- OpenAlex
- W2097789390
- Cited by
- 1,603
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 144 · 2025: 177 · 2024: 140 · 2023: 140 · 2022: 156 · 2021: 184 · 2020: 139 · 2019: 136 · 2018: 105 · 2017: 102 · 2016: 67 · 2015: 58 · 2014: 41 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 79.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- dare.uva.nl
- Licence
- other-oa
- Locations
- Psychological Methods (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation (NSF1053160)
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
- University of Kansas
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods and Bayesian Inference
- Keywords
- parceling, factor analysis, structural equation modeling
- MeSH terms
- Factor Analysis, Statistical, Humans, Psychometrics, Statistics as Topic
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