Factor analysis, image analysis, and principal component analysis are compared with respect to the factor patterns they would produce under various conditions. The general conclusion that is reached is that the three methods produce results that are equivalent. (Author/JKS)

Monte Carlo methods are used to simulate activities in baseball such as a team's "hot streak" and a hitter's "batting slump." Student participation in such simulations is viewed as a useful method of giving pupils a better understanding of the probability concepts involved. (MP)

Hawkin's procedure for testing a sequence of observations for a shift in location could have applicability for assessing change within a single subject. Monte Carlo results suggest that Hawkins' procedure is robust with respect to moderate violations of its underlying assumptions of homogeneity of variance and normality. (Author/GDC)

For some situations the beta-binomial distribution might be used to describe the marginal distribution of test scores for a particular population of examinees. Several different methods of approximating the maximum likelihood estimate were investigated, and it was found that the Newton-Raphson method should be used when it yields admissable…

TAILOR, a computer program which implements an approach to tailored testing, was examined by Monte Carlo methods. The evaluation showed the procedure to be highly reliable and capable of reducing the required number of tests items by about one half. (Author/JKS)

A Monte Carlo simulation was employed to determine the accuracy with which the shrinkage in R squared can be estimated by five different shrinkage formulas. The study dealt with the use of shrinkage formulas for various sample sizes, different R squared values, and different degrees of multicollinearity. (Author/JKS)

Monte Carlo methods were used to estimate the power of randomization tests used with single-case designs involving random assignment of treatments to phases. Simulations of two treatments and six phases showed an adequate level of power when effect sizes were large, phase lengths exceeded five, and autocorrelation was not negative. (SLD)

A Monte Carlo approach was used to examine bias in the estimation of indirect effects and their associated standard errors. Results illustrate the adverse effects of nonnormality on the accuracy of significance tests in latent variable models estimated using normal theory maximum likelihood statistics. (SLD)

Describes item response and information functions for the Zinnes and Griggs paired comparison item response theory (IRT) model (1974) and presents procedures for estimating stimulus and person parameters. Monte Carlo simulations show that at least 400 ratings are required to obtain reasonably accurate estimates of the stimulus parameters and their…

Data from two samples of 32,862 and 6,757 males, respectively, from the Danish draft board indicate that gains in intelligence test scores are continuing and are concentrated among lower intelligence levels. Monte Carlo simulations suggested that this distributional change did not result from a ceiling effect in the test. (SLD)

A general model is presented for homogeneous, dichotomous items when the answer key is unknown. The model is related to the two-class latent structure model with the roles of respondents and items interchanged. Iterative maximum likelihood estimates of parameters and Monte Carlo assessment of estimation methods are described. (TJH)

This paper presents a new stochastic multidimensional scaling vector threshold model designed to analyze "pick any/n" choice data. A maximum likelihood procedure is formulated to estimate a joint space of both individuals and stimuli. The non-linear probit type model is described, and a Monte Carlo analysis is performed. (TJH)

Three heuristic methods of assessing the dimensionality of binary item pools were evaluated in a Monte Carlo investigation. The indices were based on (1) the local independence of unidimensional tests; (2) patterns of second-factor loadings derived from simplex theory; and (3) the shape of the curve of successive eigenvalues. (SLD)

A Monte Carlo study was conducted to assess the robustness of the limited information two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimation procedure on a confirmatory factor analysis model with nonnormal distributions. Full information maximum likelihood methods were used for comparison. One hundred model replications were used to generate data. (TJH)

Use of parallel analysis (PA), a selection rule for the number-of-factors problem, is investigated from the viewpoint of permutation assessment through a Monte Carlo simulation. Results reveal advantages and limitations of PA. Tables of sample eigenvalues are included. (SLD)