A small Monte Carlo study was conducted to determine whether MAXCOV analysis, a taxometric method for testing between discrete (“taxonic”) and continuous models of latent variables, is robust when indicators of the latent variable are skewed. Analysis of constructed data sets containing three levels of skew indicated that the MAXCOV procedure is unlikely to yield spurious findings of taxonicity even when skewness is considerable. However, care must be taken to distinguish low base-rate taxonic variables from skewed nontaxonic variables.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ClelandC.HaslamN. (1996) Robustness of taxometric analysis with skewed indicators: I. A Monte Carlo study of the MAMBAC procedure. Psychological Reports, 79, 243–248.
2.
GangestadS. W.SnyderM. (1985) “To carve nature at its joints”: on the existence of discrete classes in personality. Psychological Review, 92, 317–349.
3.
GoldenR. R.MeehlP. E. (1979) Detection of the schizoid taxon with MMPI indicators. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 88, 217–233.
4.
HaslamN. (1994) Categories of social relationship. Cognition, 53, 59–90.
5.
HaslamN.BeckA. T. (1994) Subtyping major depression: a taxometric analysis, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 103, 686–692.
6.
LenzenwegerM. F.KorfineL. (1992) Confirming the latent structure and base rate of schizotypy: a taxometric analysis, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 101, 567–571.
7.
MeehlP. E. (1973) MAXCOV-HITMAX: a taxonomic search method for loose genetic syndromes. In MeehlP. E., Psychodiagnosis: selected papers. Minneapolis, MN: Univer. of Minnesota Press. Pp. 200–224.
8.
MeehlP. E.YonceL. J. (1994) Taxometric analysis: I. Detecting taxonicity with two quantitative indicators using means above and below a sliding cut (MAMBAC procedure). Psychological Reports, 74, 1059–1274.
9.
MeehlP. E.YonceL. J. (1996) Taxometric analysis: II. Detecting taxonicity using covariance of two quantitative indicators in successive intervals of a third indicator (MAXCOV procedure). Psychological Reports, 78, 1091–1227.
