A new look at the big five factor structure through exploratory structural equation modeling

NEO instruments are widely used to assess Big Five personality factors, but confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) conducted at the item level do not support their a priori structure due, in part, to the overly restrictive CFA assumptions. We demonstrate that exploratory structural equation modeling (E...

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Veröffentlicht in:Psychological assessment Jg. 22; H. 3; S. 471
Hauptverfasser: Marsh, Herbert W, Lüdtke, Oliver, Muthén, Bengt, Asparouhov, Tihomir, Morin, Alexandre J S, Trautwein, Ulrich, Nagengast, Benjamin
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: United States 01.09.2010
Schlagworte:
Factor Analysis, Statistical
Female
Humans
Individuality
Male
Models, Psychological
Models, Statistical
Personality
Personality Assessment - statistics & numerical data
Personality Development
Psychometrics
Sex Factors
Time Factors
ISSN:1939-134X, 1939-134X
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Zusammenfassung:NEO instruments are widely used to assess Big Five personality factors, but confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) conducted at the item level do not support their a priori structure due, in part, to the overly restrictive CFA assumptions. We demonstrate that exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), an integration of CFA and exploratory factor analysis (EFA), overcomes these problems with responses (N = 3,390) to the 60-item NEO-Five-Factor Inventory: (a) ESEM fits the data better and results in substantially more differentiated (less correlated) factors than does CFA; (b) tests of gender invariance with the 13-model ESEM taxonomy of full measurement invariance of factor loadings, factor variances-covariances, item uniquenesses, correlated uniquenesses, item intercepts, differential item functioning, and latent means show that women score higher on all NEO Big Five factors; (c) longitudinal analyses support measurement invariance over time and the maturity principle (decreases in Neuroticism and increases in Agreeableness, Openness, and Conscientiousness). Using ESEM, we addressed substantively important questions with broad applicability to personality research that could not be appropriately addressed with the traditional approaches of either EFA or CFA.
Bibliographie:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:1939-134X
1939-134X
DOI:10.1037/a0019227