Latent class multitrait-multimethod models

Abstract

The present paper suggests a statistical method, the latent class MTMM model, of estimating the quality of single questions while making fewer assumptions than have been made so far in such evaluations. The method is a combination of the multitrait-multimethod research design of Campbell and Fiske (1959), the basic response model for single questions of Saris and Andrews (1991), and the latent class factor model of Vermunt et al. (2004). The latent class MTMM model is thus not novel in itself, but combines an existing design, model, and method to improve the analysis of single questions in survey research. A real experiment from the European Social Survey (ESS) is analyzed and the results are discussed at length, yielding valuable insights into the functioning of these questions.