Widaman Keith F, Ferrer Emilio, Conger Rand D
Department of Psychology, University of California at Davis.
Child Dev Perspect. 2010 Apr 1;4(1):10-18. doi: 10.1111/j.1750-8606.2009.00110.x.
Charting change in behavior as a function of age and investigating longitudinal relations among constructs are primary goals of developmental research. Traditionally, researchers rely on a single measure (e.g., scale score) for a given construct for each person at each occasion of measurement, assuming that measure reflects the same construct at each occasion. With multiple indicators of a latent construct at each time of measurement, the researcher can evaluate whether factorial invariance holds. If factorial invariance constraints are satisfied, latent variable scores at each time of measurement are on the same metric and stronger conclusions are warranted. In this paper we discuss factorial invariance in longitudinal studies, contrasting analytic approaches and highlighting strengths of the multiple-indicator approach to modeling developmental processes.
描绘行为变化作为年龄的函数，并研究各构念之间的纵向关系，是发展研究的主要目标。传统上，研究人员在每次测量时，针对每个人的给定构念依赖单一测量指标（例如量表分数），假定该测量指标在每次测量时都反映相同的构念。在每次测量时使用潜在构念的多个指标，研究人员可以评估因子不变性是否成立。如果满足因子不变性约束，每次测量时的潜在变量分数处于相同的度量标准上，就可以得出更有力的结论。在本文中，我们讨论纵向研究中的因子不变性，对比分析方法，并强调多指标方法在模拟发展过程方面的优势。
