Parceling in Structural Equation Modeling
A Comprehensive Introduction for Developmental Scientists

This Element provides a detailed account of parceling advantages, disadvantages, and techniques for creating them in developmental science.

Todd D. Little (Author), Charlie Rioux (Author), Omolola A. Odejimi (Author), Zachary L. Stickley (Author)

9781009211642, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 28 July 2022

75 pages
23 x 15.2 x 0.4 cm, 0.11 kg

Parceling is pre-modeling strategy to create fewer and more reliable indicators of constructs for use with latent variable models. Parceling is particularly useful for developmental scientists because longitudinal models can become quite complex and even intractable when measurement models of items are fit. In this Element the authors provide a detailed account of the advantages of using parcels, their potential pitfalls, as well as the techniques for creating them for conducting latent variable structural equation modeling (SEM) in the context of the developmental sciences. They finish with a review of the recent use of parcels in developmental journals. Although they focus on developmental applications of parceling, parceling is also highly applicable to any discipline that uses latent variable SEM.

1. Introduction
2. Parceling: what is it and why use it?
3. How to build parcels
4. Longitudinal models
5. Parceling in the literature
6. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Child & developmental psychology [JMC]