Standardized Parameters in Misspecified Structural Equation Models: Empirical Performance in Point Estimates,Standard Errors,and Confidence Intervals |
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| Authors: | Keke Lai Xiaoguang Zhang |
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| Institution: | University of California, Merced |
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| Abstract: | In practice, models always have misfit, and it is not well known in what situations methods that provide point estimates, standard errors (SEs), or confidence intervals (CIs) of standardized structural equation modeling (SEM) parameters are trustworthy. In this article we carried out simulations to evaluate the empirical performance of currently available methods. We studied maximum likelihood point estimates, as well as SE estimators based on the delta method, nonparametric bootstrap (NP-B), and semiparametric bootstrap (SP-B). For CIs we studied Wald CI based on delta, and percentile and BCa intervals based on NP-B and SP-B. We conducted simulation studies using both confirmatory factor analysis and SEM models. Depending on (a) whether point estimate, SE, or CI is of interest; (b) amount of model misfit; (c) sample size; and (d) model complexity, different methods can be the one that renders best performance. Based on the simulation results, we discuss how to choose proper methods in practice. |
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| Keywords: | confidence interval misspecified model standard error standardized SEM parameters |
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