Gulliksen's pool: A quick tool for preliminary detection of problematic items in item factor analysis

Author, as appears in the article.: Ferrando, Pere J; Lorenzo-Seva, Urbano; Bargallo-Escriva, M Teresa

Department: Psicologia

URV's Author/s: Bargalló Escrivà, Maria Teresa / Ferrando Piera, Pere Joan / Lorenzo Seva, Urbano

Keywords: Response theory; Reference values; Redundanc; Personality disorders; Personality; Humans; Factor analysis, statistical; Computer simulation; redundancy

Abstract: Exploratory factor analysis is widely used for item analysis in the earlier stages of scale development, usually with large pools of items. In this scenario, the presence of inappropriate or ineffective items can hamper the process of analysis, making it very difficult to correctly assess dimensionality and structure. To minimize, this (quite frequent) problem, we propose and implement a simple procedure designed to flag potentially problematic items before we specify any particular factorial solution. The procedure defines regions of item appropriateness and efficiency based on the combined impact of two prior item features: extremeness and consistency. The general proposal is related to the most widely used frameworks for item analysis. The limits of the appropriateness regions are obtained by extensive simulation in conditions that mimic those found in applications. An Item Response Theory index of prior item efficiency is then defined, and a combined approach for selecting the most effective and problem-free item sub-set is proposed. The proposal is useful to normal-range measures, such as questionnaire surveys that elicit reports about non-extreme attitudes, facts, beliefs or states, or personality questionnaires that measure normal-range constructs. The procedure is implemented in a freeware software.

Thematic Areas: Zootecnia / recursos pesqueiros; Sociology; Sociología; Serviço social; Saúde coletiva; Química; Psychology; Psicología; Planejamento urbano e regional / demografia; Odontología; Nutrição; Multidisciplinary sciences; Multidisciplinary; Medicine (miscellaneous); Medicina veterinaria; Medicina iii; Medicina ii; Medicina i; Materiais; Matemática / probabilidade e estatística; Linguística e literatura; Letras / linguística; Interdisciplinary research in the social sciences; Interdisciplinar; Human geography and urban studies; History & philosophy of science; Historia; Geografía; Geociências; General medicine; General biochemistry,genetics and molecular biology; General agricultural and biological sciences; Farmacia; Environmental studies; Ensino; Engenharias iv; Engenharias iii; Engenharias ii; Engenharias i; Enfermagem; Educação física; Educação; Economia; Direito; Demography; Comunicação e informação; Ciências sociais aplicadas i; Ciências biológicas iii; Ciências biológicas ii; Ciências biológicas i; Ciências ambientais; Ciências agrárias i; Ciência política e relações internacionais; Ciência de alimentos; Ciência da computação; Biotecnología; Biology; Biodiversidade; Biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology (miscellaneous); Astronomia / física; Arquitetura, urbanismo e design; Archaeology; Antropologia / arqueologia; Anthropology; Agricultural and biological sciences (miscellaneous); Administração, ciências contábeis e turismo; Administração pública e de empresas, ciências contábeis e turismo

licence for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/

Author's mail: mariateresa.bargallo@estudiants.urv.cat; mariateresa.bargallo@estudiants.urv.cat; urbano.lorenzo@urv.cat; perejoan.ferrando@urv.cat

Record's date: 2025-02-24

Paper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Link to the original source: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0290611

Licence document URL: https://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/

Paper original source: Plos One. 18 (8): e0290611-

APA: Ferrando, Pere J; Lorenzo-Seva, Urbano; Bargallo-Escriva, M Teresa (2023). Gulliksen's pool: A quick tool for preliminary detection of problematic items in item factor analysis. Plos One, 18(8), e0290611-. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290611

Article's DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290611

Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili

Journal publication year: 2023

Publication Type: Journal Publications