Beware the default: some statistical packages correlate model errors automatically
In this brief report, we show that when performing structural equation modeling, substantive conclusions may differ drastically depending on the statistical program that is used. This can occur because some programs assume that certain model errors are correlated by default, whereas others do not. We argue that the uncritical use of statistical software can lead to situations in which incorrect inferences are made.
Authors
- Franklin J. Boster
- Brian Manata
Institutions
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Michigan State University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communication Research Reports
- Published
- 2026-03-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2026.2648242
- Primary Topic
- Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00