A recent review found that 11% of published factor models are hierarchical models with second-order factors. However, dedicated recommendations for evaluating hierarchical model fit have yet to emerge. Traditional benchmarks like RMSEA <0.06 or CFI >0.95 are often consulted, but they were never intended to generalize to hierarchical models.…

The p-factor is a construct that is thought to explain and maybe even cause variation in all forms of psychopathology. Since its 'discovery' in 2012, hundreds of studies have been dedicated to the extraction and validation of statistical instantiations of the p-factor, called general factors of psychopathology. In this Perspective, we outline five…

In exploratory factor analysis, although the researchers decide which items belong to which factors by considering statistical results, the decisions taken sometimes can be subjective in case of having items with similar factor loadings and complex factor structures. The aim of this study was to examine the validity of classifying items into…

Advanced modeling of item response data through the item response theory (IRT) or item factor analysis frameworks is becoming increasingly popular. In the social and behavioral sciences, the underlying structure of tests/assessments is often multidimensional (i.e., more than 1 latent variable/construct is represented in the items). This review…

Complexity in item response theory (IRT) has traditionally been quantified by simply counting the number of freely estimated parameters in the model. However, complexity is also contingent upon the functional form of the model. The information-theoretic principle of minimum description length provides a novel method of investigating complexity by…

A simulation study was conducted to investigate the model size effect when confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models include many ordinal items. CFA models including between 15 and 120 ordinal items were analyzed with mean- and variance-adjusted weighted least squares to determine how varying sample size, number of ordered categories, and…

As the theme of the 2022 annual meeting of the American Education Research Association, cultivating equitable education systems has gained renewed attention amid an increasingly diverse society. However, systemic inequalities persist for traditionally underserved student populations. As a way to better address diverse students' needs, it is of…

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the models for interpretation and use that serve as the foundation of an interpretation/use argument for the Social and Academic Behavior Risk Screener (SABRS). The SABRS was completed by 34 teachers with regard to 488 students in a Midwestern high school during the winter portion of the academic…

As the school-aged English language learner (ELL) population continues to grow in the United States and other English-speaking countries, psychometrically sound instruments to measure their language learning strategies (LLS) become ever more critical. This study adapted and validated an adult-oriented measure of LLS (50-item "Strategy…

The taxometric method effectively distinguishes between dimensional (1-class) and taxonic (2-class) latent structure, but there is virtually no information on how it responds to polytomous (3-class) latent structure. A Monte Carlo analysis showed that the mean comparison curve fit index (CCFI; Ruscio, Haslam, & Ruscio, 2006) obtained with 3…

This study examined the validity of the SILL by performing a confirmatory factor analysis among 914 university students learning English in Korea. The results showed that all the fit indices including chi-square, RMSEA, CFI, and NFI used to test Oxford's two construct and six construct taxonomy of the SILL provided unacceptable fit to the data.…

NEO instruments are widely used to assess Big Five personality factors, but confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) conducted at the item level do not support their a priori structure due, in part, to the overly restrictive CFA assumptions. We demonstrate that exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), an integration of CFA and exploratory…

Background: Empirical studies of the structure of autism symptoms have challenged the three-domain model of impairment currently characterizing pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). The objective of this study was to assess the internal validity of the DSM as a conceptual model for describing PDD, while paying particular attention to certain…

In this article, the author identifies 3 main purposes of conducting confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and their different requirements on goodness-of-fit assessment. For a better understanding of fit indices, he proposes a hierarchical classification scheme based on J. S. Tanaka's (1993) multifaceted conceptions and discusses how to assess…

Background: This study examines the use of the Brief Child and Family Phone Interview (BCFPI) to screen for childhood psychiatric disorder based on Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV (DISC-IV) classifications of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder (CD),…