TY - JOUR
T1 - Sensitivity of fit indices to misspecification in growth curve models
AU - Wu, Wei
AU - West, Stephen
N1 - Funding Information:
Supplementary materials for this article are available at http://people.ku.edu/ wwei or by contacting Wei Wu. The collection of the data in the empirical example was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to Jan N. Hughes (5 RO1 HD 39367).
PY - 2010/5
Y1 - 2010/5
N2 - This study investigated the sensitivity of fit indices to model misspecification in within-individual covariance structure, between-individual covariance structure, and marginal mean structure in growth curve models. Five commonly used fit indices were examined, including the likelihood ratio test statistic, root mean square error of approximation, standardized root mean square residual, comparative fit index, and Tucker-Lewis Index. The fit indices were found to have differential sensitivity to different types of misspecification in either the mean or covariance structures with severity of misspecification controlled. No fit index was always more (or less) sensitive to misspecification in the marginal mean structure relative to those in the covariance structure. Specifying the covariance structure to be saturated can substantially improve the sensitivity of fit indices to misspecification in the marginal mean structure; this result might help identify the sources of specification error in a growth curve model. An empirical example of children's growth in math achievement (Wu, West, & Hughes, 2008) was used to illustrate the results.
AB - This study investigated the sensitivity of fit indices to model misspecification in within-individual covariance structure, between-individual covariance structure, and marginal mean structure in growth curve models. Five commonly used fit indices were examined, including the likelihood ratio test statistic, root mean square error of approximation, standardized root mean square residual, comparative fit index, and Tucker-Lewis Index. The fit indices were found to have differential sensitivity to different types of misspecification in either the mean or covariance structures with severity of misspecification controlled. No fit index was always more (or less) sensitive to misspecification in the marginal mean structure relative to those in the covariance structure. Specifying the covariance structure to be saturated can substantially improve the sensitivity of fit indices to misspecification in the marginal mean structure; this result might help identify the sources of specification error in a growth curve model. An empirical example of children's growth in math achievement (Wu, West, & Hughes, 2008) was used to illustrate the results.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77953503622&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77953503622&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/00273171.2010.483378
DO - 10.1080/00273171.2010.483378
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77953503622
SN - 0027-3171
VL - 45
SP - 420
EP - 452
JO - Multivariate Behavioral Research
JF - Multivariate Behavioral Research
IS - 3
ER -