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Covariate-free and Covariate-dependent Reliability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2025

Peter M. Bentler
Peter M. Bentler*
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles
*
Correspondence should be made to Peter M. Bentler, Departments of Psychology and Statistics, University of California, Los Angeles, 4627 Franz Hall, PO Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563 USA.
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Abstract

Classical test theory reliability coefficients are said to be population specific. Reliability generalization, a meta-analysis method, is the main procedure for evaluating the stability of reliability coefficients across populations. A new approach is developed to evaluate the degree of invariance of reliability coefficients to population characteristics. Factor or common variance of a reliability measure is partitioned into parts that are, and are not, influenced by control variables, resulting in a partition of reliability into a covariate-dependent and a covariate-free part. The approach can be implemented in a single sample and can be applied to a variety of reliability coefficients.

Keywords

reliability of compositesclassical test theoryfactor analysisstructural equation modelingcovariance structure analysis
Type
Article
Information
Psychometrika , Volume 81 , Issue 4 , December 2016 , pp. 907 - 920
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 The Psychometric Society

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Footnotes

Based on the invited Lifetime Achievement Award Address, International Meeting of the Psychometric Society 2014, Madison WI, July 23, 2014.

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