At What Sample Size Do Latent Variable Correlations Stabilize?

Publication date: Available online 11 March 2019Source: Journal of Research in PersonalityAuthor(s): André Kretzschmar, Gilles E. GignacAbstractWe conducted a Monte-Carlo simulation within a latent variable framework by varying the following characteristics: population correlation (ρ = .10, .20, .30, .40, .50, .60, .70, .80, .90, and 1.00) and composite score reliability (coefficient omega: ω = .40, .50, .60, .70, .80, and .90). The sample sizes required to estimate stable measurement-error-free correlations were found to approach N = 490 for typical research scenarios (population correlation ρ = .20; composite score reliability ω = .70) and as high as N = 1,000+ for data associated with lower, but still sometimes observed, reliabilities (ω = .40 to .50). We encourage researchers to take into consideration reliability, when evaluating the sample sizes required to produce stable measurement-error-free correlations.

Source: Journal of Research in Personality - March 12, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research