NCJ Number
69237
Date Published
1979
Length
87 pages
Annotation
THIS BOOKLET OUTLINES MULTIPLE-INDICATOR TECHNIQUES FOR SOCIAL SCIENTISTS ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM OF VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF MEASUREMENT PROCEDURES AND THE RESULTANT MEASURES.
Abstract
MULTIPLE-INDICATOR TECHNIQUES ARE USEFUL FOR BOTH INDIVIDUAL AND AGGREGATE DATA ANALYSIS APPLICATIONS WHICH INVOLVE EITHER CROSS-SECTIONAL OR LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH DESIGNS. TWO DIFFERENT APPROACHES FOR DEALING WITH VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY, ASSESSMENT ARE PRESENTED. FIRST, THE MULTITRAIT-MULTIMETHOD MATRIX TECHNIQUE IS DETAILED. USING THE TECHNIQUE TO CHOOSE AMONG ALTERNATIVE INDICATORS OF A CONCEPT AND ALTERNATIVE METHODS FOR MEASURING THOSE INDICATORS ARE ILLUSTRATED. SECOND, AN OUTLINE OF A MULTIPLE-INDICATOR APPROACH TO RELIABILITY ASSESMENT DEVISED BY COSTNER IS OUTLINED, AND THE VALUE OF THE TECHNIQUE FOR ANALYSIS APPLICATIONS INVOLVING AGGREGATE DATA IS DEMONSTRATED. FOLLOWING A CRITIQUE OF THE MULTITRAIT-MULTIMETHOD MATRIX APPROACH, THE AUTHORS OUTLINE HOW MULTIPLE-INDICATOR METHODS CAN BE EMPLOYED WITH DATA STEMMING FROM PANEL DESIGNS. THE MODEL BECOME CONSISTENTLY MORE COMPLEX, BUT IN THIS PROGRESSION FROM THE SIMPLE TO THE COMPLEX, EACH NEW MODEL IS BUILT CAREFULLY UPON THE PREVIOUS ONE. THE PAPER CONCLUDES WITH INTRODUCTORY DISCUSSIONS OF HYPOTHESIS TESTING WITH MULTIPLE-INDICATOR MODELS, PARAMETER ESTIMATION BASED ON THOSE MODELS, AND THE GENERAL PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH MULTIPLE-INDICATOR TECHNIQUES. TABLES, SCHEMATIC PRESENTATIONS, AND APPROXIMATELY 40 REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)