Observed scores (e.g., summed scores and estimated factor scores) are assumed to reflect underlying constructs and have many uses in psychological science. Constructs are often operationalized as latent variables (LVs), which are mathematically defined by their relations with manifest variables in an LV measurement model (e.g., common factor model). We examine the performance of several types of observed scores for the purposes of (a) estimating latent scores and classifying people and (b) recovering structural relations among LVs. To better reflect practice, our evaluation takes into account different sources of uncertainty (i.e., sampling error and model error). We review psychometric properties of observed scores based on the classical test theory applied to common factor models, report on a simulation study examining their performance, and provide two empirical examples to illustrate how different scores perform under different conditions of reliability, sample size, and model error. We conclude with general recommendations for using observed scores and discuss future research directions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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总和与估计因子得分：考虑使用观察到的得分时的不确定性。


观察到的分数（例如，总分数和估计因子分数）被认为反映了潜在的结构，并且在心理科学中有许多用途。构造通常被操作为潜在变量（LV），其在数学上通过它们与LV测量模型（例如，公因子模型）中的显变量的关系来定义。我们检查了几种类型的观察分数的表现，目的是（a）估计潜在分数并对人进行分类以及（b）恢复 LV 之间的结构关系。为了更好地反映实践，我们的评估考虑了不同的不确定性来源（即抽样误差和模型误差）。我们基于应用于公因子模型的经典测试理论回顾了观察到的分数的心理测量特性，报告了检查其表现的模拟研究，并提供了两个实证示例来说明不同分数在不同的可靠性、样本量和模型条件下的表现错误。最后，我们提出了使用观察到的分数的一般建议，并讨论了未来的研究方向。 （PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2024 APA，保留所有权利）。