title: Practical Person-Fit Assessment with the Linear FA Model: New Developments and a Comparative Study.
abstract: Linear factor analysis (FA) is, possibly, the most widely used model in psychometric applications based on graded-response or more continuous items. However, in these applications consistency at the individual level (person fit) is virtually never assessed. The aim of the present study is to propose a simple and workable approach to routinely assess person fit in FA-based studies. To do so, we first consider five potentially appropriate indices, of which one is a new proposal and the other is a modification of an existing index. Next, the effectiveness of these indices is assessed by using (a) a thorough simulation study that attempts to mimic realistic conditions, and (b) an illustrative example based on real data. Results suggest that the mean-squaredlicoindex and the personal correlation work well in conjunction and can function effectively for detecting different types of inconsistency. Finally future directions and lines of research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Behavior Assessment, Department of Psychology, Universitat Rovira I Virgili Tarragona, Spain.
authors.forename: Pere J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Ferrando
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Behavior Assessment, Department of Psychology, Universitat Rovira I Virgili Tarragona, Spain.
authors.forename: Andreu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vigil-Colet
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Behavior Assessment, Department of Psychology, Universitat Rovira I Virgili Tarragona, Spain.
authors.forename: Urbano
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lorenzo-Seva
keywords: linear factor analysis; mean-squared person-fit indices; outliers detection; person-fit statistics; personal correlation