Interpretational Confounding of Unobserved Variables in Structural Equation Models

1976 Sociological Methods & Research 276 citations

Abstract

The problem of assigning empirical meaning to unobserved variables in structural equation models is discussed. Interpretational confounding is discussed as the assignment of the other than a priori assigned empirical meaning of an unobserved variable. Hypotheses conceming the possibility of interpretational confounding as a concomitant of a lack of point variability in unobserved variables are specified, and corresponding chi-square statistics are given. Numerical illustration is provided

Keywords

ConfoundingA priori and a posterioriStructural equation modelingEconometricsMeaning (existential)StatisticsMathematicsVariablesVariable (mathematics)EstimationPsychologyEpistemologyEngineering

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Publication Info

Year
1976
Type
article
Volume
5
Issue
1
Pages
3-52
Citations
276
Access
Closed

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Ronald S. Burt (1976). Interpretational Confounding of Unobserved Variables in Structural Equation Models. Sociological Methods & Research , 5 (1) , 3-52. https://doi.org/10.1177/004912417600500101

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DOI
10.1177/004912417600500101

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