Journal
MULTIVARIATE BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH
Volume 51, Issue 2-3, Pages 396-412Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/00273171.2015.1050481
Keywords
Measurement; latent variable; invariance; idiographic filter
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Funding
- National Institute on Aging [AG034284]
- National Science Foundation [0852147, 1157220]
- Division Of Behavioral and Cognitive Sci
- Direct For Social, Behav & Economic Scie [1157220] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Divn Of Social and Economic Sciences
- Direct For Social, Behav & Economic Scie [0852147] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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Primarily from a measurement standpoint, we question some basic beliefs and procedures characterizing the scientific study of human behavior. The relations between observed and unobserved variables are key to an empirical approach to building explanatory theories and we are especially concerned about how the former are used as proxies for the latter. We believe that behavioral science can profitably reconsider the prevailing version of this arrangement because of its vulnerability to limiting idiosyncratic aspects of observed/unobserved variable relations. We describe a general measurement approach that takes into account idiosyncrasies that should be irrelevant to the measurement process but can intrude and may invalidate it in ways that distort and weaken relations among theoretically important variables. To clarify further our major concerns, we briefly describe one version of the measurement approach that fundamentally supports the individual as the primary unit of analysis orientation that we believe should be preeminent in the scientific study of human behavior.
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