Individual differences make a difference: On the use and the psychometric properties of difference scores in social psychology
Individual differences make a difference: On the use and the psychometric properties of difference scores in social psychology
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DOI：
10.1002/ejsp.2042
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发表时间：
2014-12-01
影响因子：
3.9
通讯作者：
Lemmer, Gunnar
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Gollwitzer, Mario;Christ, Oliver;Lemmer, Gunnar
许多社会心理学研究都关注行为是否以及如何因治疗而改变（例如，引发心理反应的情况）的问题。研究此类变化的一种简单方法是分析治疗前（时间 1）和治疗后（时间 2）的个体差异。有趣的是，许多学者避免使用差异分数，因为他们认为差异分数本质上是不可靠的。然而，在许多情况下，差异分数的坏名声是没有根据的：当测量场合之间的标准差不同时，差异分数可能足够可靠，并且由于不同的治疗效果（即对治疗的反应性的个体间差异）和/或强烈的情境治疗，测量场合之间的标准差可能会有所不同。在本文中，我们将（1）总结关于差异分数可靠性的经典和当前争论，（2）讨论使用残余变化分数作为差异分数的替代方案，以及（3）认为潜在差异分数模型是社会心理学家应该考虑更频繁使用的特别有用的工具。版权所有 (c) 2014 约翰·威利父子有限公司
Much social psychological research is concerned with the question whether and how behavior changes because of a treatment (e.g., a situation that triggers a psychological reaction). One easy way to investigate such changes would be to analyze intraindividual differences before (Time 1) and after the treatment (Time 2). Interestingly, many scholars refrain from using difference scores because they think they are inherently unreliable. However, the bad reputation of difference scores is, in many cases, unwarranted: difference scores can be sufficiently reliable when standard deviations differ between measurement occasions, and standard deviations are likely to differ between measurement occasions because of differential treatment effects (i.e., interindividual differences in responsiveness to a treatment) and/or strong situation treatments. In the present article, we will (1) summarize classic and current arguments regarding the reliability of difference scores, (2) discuss the use of residual change scores as an alternative to difference scores, and (3) argue that latent difference score models are a particularly useful tool that social psychologists should consider using more frequently. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.