Taxometrics, Polytomous Constructs, and the Comparison Curve Fit Index: A Monte Carlo Analysis

Psychological Assessment

Volumn 22, Issue 1, 2010, Pages 149-156

  Walters, Glenn D ^a   McGrath, Robert E ^b   Knight, Raymond A ^c  

^a FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION   (United States)

^b FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^c BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

Comparison curve fit index; Polytomous data; Taxometric

Indexed keywords

ACCURACY; ARTICLE; CLASSIFICATION; COVARIANCE; CURVE FITTING; MONTE CARLO METHOD; POLYTOMOUS CONSTRUCT; PSYCHOMETRY; SIMULATION; STRUCTURE ANALYSIS; TAXOMETRICS; THEORETICAL MODEL;

HUMANS; MONTE CARLO METHOD; PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS; PSYCHOMETRICS;

EID: 77950263391     PISSN: 10403590     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1037/a0017819     Document Type: Article

References (32)

1. Bartlett M.S. The statistical conception of mental factors. British Journal of Psychology 1937, 28:97-104.
2. Beach S.R.H., Amir N. Is depression taxonic, dimensional, or both?. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 2003, 112:228-236.
3. Broman-Fulks J.J., Hill R.W., Green B.A. Is perfectionism categorical or dimensional? A taxometric analysis. Journal of Personality Assessment 2008, 90:481-490.
4. De Boeck P., Wilson M., Acton G.S. A conceptual and psychometric framework for distinguishing categories and dimensions. Psychological Review 2005, 112:129-158.
5. Haslam N., Cleland C. Taxometric analysis of fuzzy categories: A Monte Carlo study. Psychological Reports 2002, 90:401-404.
6. McGrath R.E. Inferential errors in taxometric analyses of ordered three-class constructs. Journal of Personality Assessment 2008, 90:11-25.
7. McLachlan G.J., Peel D. Finite mixture models 2001, Wiley, New York, NY.
8. Meehl P.E. Factors and taxa, traits and types, differences of degree and differences in kind. Journal of Personality 1992, 60:117-174.
9. Meehl P.E. Bootstraps taxometrics: Solving the classification problem in psychopathology. American Psychologist 1995, 50:266-275.
10. Meehl P.E. What's in a taxon?. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 2004, 113:39-43.
11. Meehl P.E., Golden R.R. Taxometric methods. Handbook of research methods in clinical psychology 1982, 127-181. Wiley, New York, NY. P.C. Kendall, J.N. Butcher (Eds.).
12. Meehl P.E., Yonce L.J. Taxometric analysis: I. Detecting taxonicity with two quantitative indicators using means above and below a sliding cut (MAMBAC procedure). Psychological Reports 1994, 74:1059-1274.
13. Meehl P.E., Yonce L.J. Taxometric analysis: II. Detecting taxonicity using covariance of two quantitative indicators in successive intervals of a third indicator (MAXCOV procedure). Psychological Reports 1996, 78:1091-1227.
14. Moffitt T.E. Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behavior: A developmental taxonomy. Psychological Review 1993, 100:674-701.
15. Olatunji B.O., Broman-Fulks J.J. A taxometric study of the latent structure of disgust sensitivity: Converging evidence for dimensionality. Psychological Assessment 2007, 19:437-448.
16. Ruscio J. Taxometric analysis: An empirically-grounded approach to implementing the method. Criminal Justice and Behavior 2007, 34:1588-1622.
17. Ruscio J. Assigning cases to groups using taxometric results: An empirical comparison of classification techniques. Assessment 2009, 16:55-70.
18. Ruscio J. Taxometric programs for the R computing environment: User's manual 2009, Retrieved from http://www.taxometricmethod.com.
19. Ruscio J., Haslam N., Ruscio A.M. Introduction to the taxometric method: A practical guide 2006, Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ.
20. Ruscio J., Kaczetow W. Simulating multivariate nonnormal data using an iterative algorithm. Multivariate Behavioral Research 2008, 43:355-381.
21. Ruscio J., Kaczetow W. Differentiating categories and dimensions: Evaluating the robustness of taxometric analyses. Multivariate Behavioral Research 2009, 44:259-280.
22. Ruscio J., Marcus D.K. Detecting small taxa using simulated comparison data: A reanalysis of Beach, Amir, and Bau's (2005) data. Psychological Assessment 2007, 19:241-246.
23. Ruscio J., Ruscio A.M. Clarifying boundary issues in psychopathology: The role of taxometrics in a comprehensive program of structural research. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 2004, 113:24-38.
24. Ruscio J., Ruscio A.M. A nontechnical introduction to the taxometric method. Understanding Statistics 2004, 3:151-194.
25. Ruscio J., Ruscio A.M., Kean T.M. Using taxometric analysis to distinguish a small latent taxon from a latent dimension with positively skewed indicators: The case of the involuntary defeat syndrome. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 2004, 113:145-154.
26. Ruscio J., Ruscio A.M., Meron M. Applying the bootstrap to taxometric analysis: Generating empirical sampling distributions to help interpret results. Multivariate Behavioral Research 2007, 42:349-386.
27. Ruscio J., Walters G.D., Marcus D.K., Kaczetow W. Comparing the relative fit of categorical and dimensional latent variable models using consistency tests. Psychological Assessment 2010, 22:xxx.
28. Solomon A., Ruscio J., Seeley J.R., Lewinsohn P.M. A taxometric investigation of unipolar depression in a large community sample. Psychological Medicine 2006, 36:973-985.
29. Waller N.G., Meehl P.E. Multivariate taxometric procedures: Distinguishing types from continua 1998, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.
30. Walters G.D., Berry D.T.R., Lanyon R.I., Murphy M.P. Are exaggerated health complaints continuous or categorical? A taxometric analysis of the Health Problem Overstatement Scale. Psychological Assessment 2009, 21:219-226.
31. Walters G.D., Ruscio J. To sum or not to sum: Taxometric analysis with ordered categorical assessment items. Psychological Assessment 2009, 21:99-111.
32. Whisman M.A., Beach S.R.H., Snyder D.K. Is marital discord taxonic and can taxonic status be assessed reliably? Results from a national, representative sample of married couples. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2008, 76:745-755.