 |
| Research article summary (published 27 Feb 2009): |
To sum or not to sum: taxometric analysis with ordered categorical assessment items.
Full Abstract
Meehl's taxometric method has been shown to differentiate between categorical and dimensional data, but there are many ways to implement taxometric procedures. When analyzing the ordered categorical data typically provided by assessment instruments, summing items to form input indicators has been a popular practice for more than 20 years. A Monte Carlo study compared the accuracy of taxometric analyses implemented in the traditional way (without summing items) and taxometric analyses implemented with the summed-input method. These analyses generated no support for the summed-input method, which substantially reduced discriminating power for 2 of the 3 procedures studied. Accuracy was highest when 5 or more indicators and 4 or more ordered categories were used. Findings from the simulation study were then used to help interpret the results for taxometric analyses of antisocial personality disorder criteria with real research data. In this example, the traditional method yielded clearer results than the summed-input method. Implications for the use and further study of the taxometric method in assessment research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).
Author information
Author/s: Walters, Glenn D (GD); Ruscio, John (J);
Affiliation: Psychology Services, Federal Correctional Institute-Schuylkill, USA. gwalters(-atsign-)bop.gov
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article
Journal: Psychological assessment (Psychol Assess), published in United States. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2009-Mar; vol 21 (issue 1) : pp 99-111
Dates: Created 2009/03/17; Completed 2009/05/28;
PMID: 19290770, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 5/28/2009, IMS Date: )
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):
Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.
This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.
MeSH headings (categories)
This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.
Related articles
This article has not been indexed for related articles as yet, however you can still use the live related article search links below.
See a large map of 100+ related articles.