Should we constrain the thresholds in factor analysis of rating scale responses?

Sočan, Gregor (author)

In factor analysis of ordinal variables, category thresholds determine the values of a hypothetical latent response at which a transition to a higher response option occurs. In general, category thresholds are estimated as free parameters. In the Rasch measurement theory framework, the rating-scale model has been proposed that prescribes equal sets of distances between category thresholds for all items. As a factor analytic parallel, I propose a model with a constrained threshold structure (FACTS). The application of the model is illustrated with a real data example. A simulation study showed that the thresholds are estimated more accurately with the FACTS model than with the standard unconstrained model for different sample sizes, test lengths, and number of response categories. In addition, the likelihood ratio test generally showed good power in compar-ing the two models. Because the FACTS model performs well and provides a meaningful interpretation of category thresholds, it may be used routinely in factor analysis of categorical item responses.

• Language: English
• Keywords: rating scales, threshold, categorical data, factor analysis, simulation
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 159-170
• Numbering: Vol. 31, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-165614
• UDC: 159.9.072
• ISSN on article: 1972-6325
• DOI: 10.4473/TPM31.2.2
• COBISS.SI-ID: 201807363
• Publication date in RUL: 10.12.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: TPM Testing, psychometrics, methodology in applied psychology
• Shortened title: TPM Test., psychom., methodol. appl. psychol.
• Publisher: CISES
• ISSN: 1972-6325
• COBISS.SI-ID: 119631363

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: ocenjevalne lestvice, prag, kategorialni podatki, faktorska analiza, simulacija

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P5-0062
• Name: Uporabna razvojna psihologija