Bifactor Exploratory Structural

Equation Modeling

Mahesh Ramalingam
Trends in Application of Bifactor Model
 Application of bifactor models has increased dramatically in
past 10 years.
Number of hits in PsycINFO for “bifactor” through 2012

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 Problems with Testing Internal Structure
(Dimensionality)
 Numerous instruments are created to measure a single latent
variable (e.g., self-efficacy, depression)
 However, factor analysis studies tend to show conflicting
evidence for unidimensionality vs. multidimensionality
 Are we measuring a single latent variable or a variety of different-but-
related latent variables?
 Bifactor analysis provides helpful information when
confronted with these dimensionality debates

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How can the dimensionality of instruments be modeled?

 Unidimensional model
 Correlated factors model
 Second-order factor model
 Bifactor model

 Reise et al. (2007) recommended researchers

complement the analyses of unidimensional and correlated
factors models with a bifactor model

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 Unidimensional Model

Overall Factor

var1 var2 var3 var4 var5 var6 var7 var8 var9 var10 var11 var12

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 Correlated Factors Model

F1 F2 F3 F4

var1 var2 var3 var4 var5 var6 var7 var8 var9 var10 var11 var12

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 Second-Order Factor Model

Second
Order Factor

First order First order First order First order

factor factor factor factor
F1 F2 F3 F4

var1 var2 var3 var4 var5 var6 var7 var8 var9 var10 var11 var12

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 Bifactor Model – Example 1

Intelligence
Overall Factor

var1 var2 var3 var4 var5 var6 var7 var8 var9 var10 var11 var12

Verbal Perceptual Working

F1 F2
Reasoning F3
Memory Processing
F4 Speed
Comprehension

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 Bifactor Model

Affective

General
Depression Cognitive
Factor

Somatic

(Brouwer et
al., 2013) 10
Bifactor Model – Example 3

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(Marsh et al.,
CFA

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Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling

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Bifactor CFA

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Bifactor E-SEM

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Three Examples of Data for which a bifactor modelmight be
applicable
1. WAIS-III Intelligence subtests

Brunner, M., Nagy, G., & Wilhelm, O. (2012). A tutorial on hierarchically

structured constructs. Journal of Personality, 80, 796-846.
Information
Vocabulary
14 subtests of intellectual functioning Similarities
Comprehension

Verbal Comprehension Object Assembly

Blok Design

PictCompletion
Perceptual Organization Matrix Reasoning

PictArrangement

Working Memory Digit Span

Sequencing
Arithmetic

Processing Speed Dig-Symbol Coding

Symbol Search

Overarching construct: General intelligence Subconstructs: VC, PO, WM, PS

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 2. The Observer Alexithymia Scale (OAS) Distant1
Distant2
Distant3
Distant4
Reise, S. P., Moore, T. M., & Haviland, M. G. (2010). Bifactor models and Distant5
Distant6
rotations: Exploring the extent to which multidimensional data yield Distant7
Distkant8
univocal scale scores. Journal of Personality Assessment, 92, 544-559. Distant9
Distant10

33 observer-rated items 5 Uninsightful1

Uninsightful2
Uninsightful3
Uninsightful4

groups of items Uninsightful5

Uninsightful6
Uninsightful7
Uninsightful8

Distant Somaticizing1
Somaticizing2
Somaticizing3
Uninsightful Somaticizing4
Somaticizing5
Somatizing Humorless1

Humorless Rigid Hiumorless2

Humorless3
Humorless4
Humorless6

Overarching construct: Alexithymia Rigid1

Rigid2
Subconstructs: D, U, S, H, R Rigid3
Rigid4
Rigid5

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3. Big Five Questionnaires Extrav1
Extrav2
Extrav3
Extrav4
Extrav5
Extrav6
For example, the 50-item Sample Questionnaire on the IPIP website at Extrav7
Extrav8
Extrav9
www.ipip.ori.org Extrav10
Agree1
Agree2
Agree3
Biderman, M. D., Nguyen, N. T., Cunningham, C. J. L., & Ghorbani, N. (2011). The Agree4
Agree5
ubiquity of common method variance: The case of the Big Five. Journal of Agree6
Agree7
Agree8
Research in Personality, 45, 417-429. Agree9
Agree10
Consc1
Consc2

5 groups of items Consc3

Consc4
Consc5
Consc6
Consc7
Consc8
Extraversion Consc9
Consc10

Agreeableness Stabil1
Stabil2
Stabil3
Conscientiousness Stabil4
Stabil5
Stabil6
Stability Stabil7
Stabil8
Openness to Experience Stabil9
Stabil10
Open1
Open2
Open3
Subconstructs: E,A, C, S, andO Open4
Open5
Open6
Overarching construct: Hmm. General Factor of Personality? Open7
Open8

I’ll call it the GFPhere. Open9

Open10

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 Big 5
The basic data for each example Extrav1
Extrav2
Extrav3

WAIS-III OAS Extrav4

Extrav5
Extrav6
Distant1 Extrav7
Distant2 Extrav8
Distant3 Extrav9
Information Extrav10
Distant4
Vocabulary Distant5 Agree1
Distant6 Agree2
Similarities Agree3
Distant7
Compreh Distkant8 Agree4
Agree5
Distant9 Agree6
Obj Assem Distant10 Agree7
Agree8
Blk Design Uninsightful1 Agree9
PctCompl Uninsightful2 Agree10
Uninsightful3
Consc1
Mat Reas Uninsightful4 Consc2
Uninsightful5 Consc3
PictArrange
Uninsightful6 Consc4
Uninsightful7 Consc5
Digit Span
Sequencing
Subtest Uninsightful8
Responses Consc6
Consc7
Consc8
Arithmetic scores. Somaticizing1
Somaticizing2
to individual Consc9
Consc10

Dig-Sym
Somaticizing3
Somaticizing4
items Stabil1
Stabil2
SymSearch Somaticizing5 Stabil3
Stabil4
Humorless1 Stabil5
Hiumorless2 Stabil6
Humorless3 Stabil7
Humorless4 Stabil8
Humorless6 Stabil9
Stabil10
Rigid1 Open1
Rigid2 Open2
Rigid3 Open3
Open4
Rigid4
Open5
Rigid5 Open6
Open7
Open8
Open9
Open10 19
Possible models of the data sets
1. Single Factor only

2.Multiple correlated factors

3.Higher order factor

4.Bifactor

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 Big 5
Model 1: Single factor models of each dataset Extrav1
Extrav2
Extrav3
OAS Extrav4
Extrav5
Extrav6
Distant1 Extrav7
Distant2 Extrav8
Extrav9
Distant3
Extrav10
WAIS-III Distant4
Distant5 Agree1
Distant6 Agree2
Agree3
Information Distant7
Agree4
Distkant8 Agree5
Vocabulary Distant9 Agree6
Similarities Distant10 Agree7
Agree8
Compreh Uninsightful1 Agree9
Uninsightful2 Agree10
ObjAssem Uninsightful3
Consc1
Uninsightful4 Consc2
BlkDesign
Uninsightful5 Consc3
PctCompl Uninsightful6 Consc4
Uninsightful7 Consc5
Consc6
Mat Reas
g Uninsightful8
Consc7 GFP
Pict Arrange
Somaticizing Alx Consc8
Consc9
1
Digit Span Consc10
Somaticizing
2 Stabil1
Sequencing Stabil2
Somaticizing
3 Stabil3
Arithmetic
Stabil4
Somaticizing
Humorless1 Stabil5
4
Dig-Sym Hiumorless2 Stabil6
Somaticizing
Humorless35 Stabil7
SymSearch Stabil8
Humorless4
Stabil9
Humorless6 Stabil10

Rigid1 Open1
Rigid2 Open2
Open3
Rigid3 Open4
Rigid4 Open5
Rigid5 Open6
Open7

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Open8
Open9
Open10
Model 2: Multiple correlated factor models ofeach data set
Extrav1
Extrav2
Big 5
Extrav3
OAS Extrav4
Extrav5
Extrav6
E
Distant1 Extrav7
Distant2 Extrav8
WISC-III Distant3
Distant4
Extrav9
Extrav10
Distant5 Agree1
Information
Distant6 D Agree2
Distant7 Agree3
Distkant8 Agree4
Vocabulary Agree5
Similarities VC Distant9
Distant10
Agree6 A
Agree7
Compreh Agree8
Uninsightful1 Agree9
Uninsightful2 Agree10
Obj Assem
Uninsightful3
BlkDesign Consc1
Uninsightful4
Uninsightful5 U Consc2
PctCompl
PO Uninsightful6
Consc3
Consc4
Mat Reas Uninsightful7
Uninsightful8
Consc5
Consc6
C
Pict Arrange Consc7
Consc8
Somaticizing1
Digit Span Consc9
Somaticizing2 Consc10
Sequencing WM Somaticizing3 S Stabil1
Somaticizing4
Arithmetic Stabil2
Somaticizing5 Stabil3
Humorless1 Stabil4
Dig-Sym
PS Hiumorless2
Stabil5
Stabil6 S
SymSearch Humorless3
Humorless4
H Stabil7
Stabil8
Humorless6 Stabil9
Stabil10
Rigid1 Open1
Rigid2 Open2
Rigid3 R Open3
Open4
Rigid4
Rigid5
Open5
Open6
O
Open7

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Open8
Open9
Open10
Model 3: Higher order factor models of each dataset Big 5
Extrav1
Extrav2 RE
OAS Extrav3
Extrav4

Distant1
Extrav5
Extrav6 E
RD Extrav7
WAIS-III Distant2
Distant3
Extrav8
Extrav9
Distant4 Extrav10
RVC Distant5 Agree1
Information Distant6 D Agree2
Agree3
RA
Distant7
Vocabulary Agree4
Distkant8
Similarities VC Distant9
Agree5
Agree6 A
Distant10 Agree7
Compreh
Agree8
Obj Assem RPO Uninsightful1 RU Agree9
Uninsightful2 Agree10
Blk Design Uninsightful3
Consc1
Uninsightful4 RC
PctCompl PO Uninsightful5 U Consc2
Consc3
Mat Reas Uninsightful6 Consc4
Uninsightful7 Consc5
C GFP
Pict Arrange RWM g Uninsightful8
RS
Alx Consc6
Consc7
Consc8
Digit Span Somaticizing Consc9
Sequencing WM 1
Somaticizing
Consc10

Arithmetic
2 S Stabil1
RS
Somaticizing Stabil2
3 Stabil3
Dig-Sym Somaticizing RH Stabil4
PS Humorless1
4 Stabil5
SymSearch Hiumorless2
Somaticizing Stabil6 S
RPS
Humorless35
Humorless4
H Stabil7
Stabil8
Humorless6 Stabil9
Stabil10
Rigid1
RR
Open1 RO
Rigid2 Open2
Rigid3 R Open3
Open4
Rigid4
Rigid5 Open5
Open6
O
Open7

6/11/2013
Open8
Open9 23
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Open10
 Big5
Model 4: Bifactor models of each dataset Extrav1
Extrav2
Extrav3
Extrav4
OAS Extrav5
Extrav6 E
Distant1 Extrav7
Distant2 Extrav8
Extrav9
WAIS-III Distant3
Distant4
Extrav10
Distant5 Agree1
Information Distant6 D Agree2
Agree3
Distant7
Vocabulary Agree4
Distkant8
Similarities VC Distant9
Agree5
Agree6 A
Distant10 Agree7
Compreh
Agree8
Uninsightful1 Agree9
ObjAssem Uninsightful2 Agree10
BlkDesign Uninsightful3
Consc1
Uninsightful4
g PctCompl PO Uninsightful5 U Consc2
Consc3
Mat Reas VC Uninsightful6
Uninsightful7
Consc4
Consc5
C
Pict Arrange Uninsightful8 GFP Consc6
Consc7
Consc8
Digit Span Somaticizing Consc9
1
Sequencing WM Somaticizing
Consc10

Arithmetic
2 S Stabil1
Somaticizing Stabil2
3 Stabil3
Dig-Sym Somaticizing Stabil4

SymSearch
PS Humorless1
4
Hiumorless2
Somaticizing
Stabil5
Stabil6 S
Humorless3
5
Humorless4
H Stabil7
Stabil8
Humorless6 Stabil9
Stabil10

Rigid1 Open1
Rigid2 Open2
Rigid3 R Open3
Open4
Rigid4
Rigid5
Open5
Open6
O
Open7
Open8
Open9
Open10 24
Comparisons in other Big Fivequestionnaires
Chi-square df CFI RMSEA SRMR
NEO-FFI; Biderman, et al. (2011); N=195
1 Single 4510 1710 .331 .092 .117
2 Multiple 3220 1700 .638 .068 .094
3 HOrder Δχ2(55)=298 3234 1705 .636 .068 .097
4 Bifactor 2936 1650 .694 .063 .082

IPIP “Other” 50-item Questionnaire; Unpublished data; N=206

1 Single 3694 1175 .347 .102 .126
2 Multiple 2667 1165 .611 .079 .104
3 HOrder 2679 1170 .609 .079 .107
Δχ2(45)=439
4 Bifactor 2240 1125 .711 .069 .088

Thompson MiniMarkers Questionnaire; Unpublished data; N=206

1 Single 3736 740 .250 .140 .152
2 Multiple 2018 730 .677 .093 .103
3 HOrder 2031 735 .675 .093 .106
Δχ2(35)=438
4 Bifactor 1593 700 .777 .079 .085
Thompson, E. R. (2008). Development and validation of an international English Big-Five
MiniMarkers. Personality and Individual differences, 45, 542-548.

The bifactor model fit all datasets significantly better than the othermodels.
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Thank You

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