Illustrates the design and planning of Monte Carlo simulations, presenting nine steps in planning and performing a Monte Carlo analysis from developing a theoretically derived question of interest through summarizing the results. Uses a Monte Carlo simulation to illustrate many of the relevant points. (SLD)

We consider a general type of model for analyzing ordinal variables with covariate effects and 2 approaches for analyzing data for such models, the item response theory (IRT) approach and the PRELIS-LISREL (PLA) approach. We compare these 2 approaches on the basis of 2 examples, 1 involving only covariate effects directly on the ordinal variables…

In applications of structural equation modeling, it is often desirable to obtain measures of uncertainty for special functions of model parameters. This article provides a didactic discussion of how a method widely used in applied statistics can be employed for approximate standard error and confidence interval evaluation of such functions. The…

The purpose of this article is to illustrate the steps involved in testing for multigroup invariance using Amos Graphics. Based on analysis of covariance (ANCOV) structures, 2 applications are demonstrated, each of which represents a different set of circumstances. Application 1 focuses on the equivalence of a measuring instrument and tests for…

This article considers the implications for other noncentrality parameter-based statistics from Steiger's (1998) multiple sample adjustment to the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) measure. When a structural equation model is fitted simultaneously in more than 1 sample, it is shown that the calculation of the noncentrality parameter…