ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the conceptual framework surrounding measurement problems that is developed in cross-cultural psychology to statistical developments and current practices in structural equation modeling (SEM) vis-a-vis multigroup testing. It addresses the question of the strengths and weaknesses of SEM from a conceptual bias and equivalence framework. There are few publications in which conceptually based approaches to bias that are mainly derived from substantive studies are linked to statistically based approaches such as those developed in SEM. An instrument administered in different cultural groups shows structural equivalence if it measures the same constructs in all these groups. Item bias can arise in various ways, such as poor item translation, ambiguities in the original item, low familiarity/appropriateness of the item content in certain cultures, and the influence of culture-specific nuisance factors or connotations associated with the item wording. Scalar equivalence assumes an identical interval or ratio scale in all cultural groups.
