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ERIC Number: EJ968245
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Jun
Pages: 3
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1082-989X
EISSN: N/A
The Relationship between Mean Square Differences and Standard Error of Measurement: Comment on Barchard (2012)
Pan, Tianshu; Yin, Yue
Psychological Methods, v17 n2 p309-311 Jun 2012
In the discussion of mean square difference (MSD) and standard error of measurement (SEM), Barchard (2012) concluded that the MSD between 2 sets of test scores is greater than 2(SEM)[superscript 2] and SEM underestimates the score difference between 2 tests when the 2 tests are not parallel. This conclusion has limitations for 2 reasons. First, strictly speaking, MSD should not be compared to SEM because they measure different things, have different assumptions, and capture different sources of errors. Second, the related proof and conclusions in Barchard hold only under the assumptions of equal reliabilities, homogeneous variances, and independent measurement errors. To address the limitations, we propose that MSD should be compared to the standard error of measurement of difference scores (SEM[subscript x-y]) so that the comparison can be extended to the conditions when 2 tests have unequal reliabilities and score variances.
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org/publications
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A