Multiple-Group Analysis for Structural Equation Modeling With Dependent Samples

摘要

Multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM) plays a key role in studying measurement invariance and in group comparison. However, existing methods for multigroup SEM assume that different samples are independent. This article develops a method for multigroup SEM with correlated samples. Parallel to that for independent samples, the focus here is on the cross-group stability of the within-group structure and parameters. In particular, the method does not require the specification of any between-group relationship. Rescaled and adjusted statistics as well as sandwich-type covariance matrices make the developed method work for possibly nonnormal variables with finite 4th-order moments. The method is applied to a longitudinal data set on the development of entrepreneurial teams across 4 phases. Detailed analysis is provided regarding the stability of the effect of psychological compatibility on team performance, as it is mediated by fairness perception and team cohesion.