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I've Found It, but What Does It Mean? On the Importance of Theory in Identifying Dominant General Factors

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  • Yuan, Zhenyu

Abstract

In their focal article, Ree, Carretta, and Teachout (2015) based their definition of a dominant general factor (DGF) on two criteria: (a) A DGF should be the largest source of reliable variance; (b) it is influencing every variable measuring the construct. Although detailed attention has been paid to the statistical properties of a DGF, I believe another criterion of equal if not greater importance is the theoretical justification to expect a DGF in the measurement of a construct. In the following commentary, I will highlight the importance of theory as another important criterion when determining the meaningfulness and usefulness of DGFs, discuss the risks of creating a DGF without any theoretical guidance, and elaborate on the complexities surrounding job performance as a detailed example to illustrate why theory is important before extracting a DGF from performance ratings.

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  • Yuan, Zhenyu, 2016. "I've Found It, but What Does It Mean? On the Importance of Theory in Identifying Dominant General Factors," Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Cambridge University Press, vol. 9(1), pages 212-216, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:inorps:v:9:y:2016:i:01:p:212-216_00
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