THE EXAMINATION OF ALTERNATIVE MODELS ENHANCES CONFIRMATORY FACTOR-ANALYSES

A recent study using confirmatory factor analysis on the Tridimensiona l Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) concludes that the proposed 3-factor structure was supported. Nevertheless, the 3-factor model failed to f it the data and was not compared to any alternative models, such as a single-factor or null model. Given the failure of the model to fit the data and the absence of comparisons to any alternative models, this s upport for the 3-factor model of the TPQ must be viewed as only prelim inary. Testing alternative models when confirming the factor structure of any instrument is strongly recommended.