Fit assessment and selection between competitive models in sem

Abstract

This paper outlines some issues in fit assessment and in selection between competitive models in Structural Equation Models(SEM). The theory on chi-square statistic and the results of some simulation studies are reviewed and the methodological consequences are discussed. Several goodnees-of-fit indices are discussed and their employment in fit assessment and in the selection between competitive models are taken into consideration. A Monte Carlo study was used to point out the difficulties connected with model selection in SEM under misspecification. Keywords: structural equation models, LISREL, fit assessment, competitive models, misspecification.