Ock Jisoo, McAbee Samuel T, Mulfinger Evan, Oswald Frederick L
Pusan National University, Department of Business Administration, Busan, Republic of Korea.
Bowling Green State University, Department of Psychology, Bowling Green, OH, USA.
Assessment. 2020 Jun;27(4):657-674. doi: 10.1177/1073191119885018. Epub 2019 Nov 5.
The essence of measurement invariance (MI) analysis is to test the assumption that observed scores on a scale accurately reflect respondents' standings on a measured construct. Based on exploratory structural equation modeling, the current study examines gender-based MI in two Big Five measures of personality: the Mini-IPIP, and the Big Five Inventory (BFI) facet scales. We report results for MI based on both model fit indices and a practical significance index that quantifies the extent of noninvariance (i.e., ). From the latter, we partition the observed group mean differences in scale scores into construct-irrelevant group differences versus construct-relevant group differences. In measures of Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Neuroticism across instruments, results supported metric invariance but not scalar invariance. That said, findings of statistical noninvariance were generally small in terms of practical effects, although some notable variability in the effects was evident. Overall, the current results provide evidence regarding gender-based MI of Big Five personality measures that are more detailed than that provided in past work. More generally, this study also provides useful guidance for future researchers investigating both the statistical and practical significance of measurement invariance.
测量不变性（MI）分析的本质是检验一个假设，即量表上的观测分数准确反映了受访者在被测量结构上的位置。基于探索性结构方程建模，本研究考察了在两种大五人格测量量表（即简版国际人格项目池量表和大五人格量表的分量表）中基于性别的测量不变性。我们报告了基于模型拟合指数和一个量化非不变性程度（即 ）的实际意义指数的测量不变性结果。从后者出发，我们将量表分数中观察到的组间均值差异分为与结构无关的组间差异和与结构相关的组间差异。在各量表中关于宜人性、尽责性、外向性和神经质的测量中，结果支持度量不变性，但不支持标量不变性。也就是说，尽管在实际影响方面存在一些明显的变异性，但统计非不变性的结果在实际影响方面通常较小。总体而言，当前结果提供了关于大五人格测量中基于性别的测量不变性的证据，比过去的研究提供的证据更为详细。更一般地说，本研究也为未来研究测量不变性的统计和实际意义的研究者提供了有用的指导。
