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A Comparison Of Latent Trait And Latent Class Analyses Of Likert-Type Data, Geoff Masters

Prof Geoff Masters AO

This paper brings together and compares two developments in the analysis of Likert attitude scales. The first is the generalization of latent class models to ordered response categories. The second is the introduction of latent trait models with multiplicative parameter structures for the analysis of rating scales. Key similarities and differences between these two methods are described and illustrated by applying a latent trait model and a latent class model to the analysis of a set of 'life satisfaction' data. The way in which the latent trait model defines a unit of measurement, takes into account the order of the …