# AGING AND ERRORS OF MEASURMENT

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 1992 · $140,050

## Abstract

This application seeks support for an investigation of the relationship
between age and the reliability of survey measures.  It proposes to conduct
research on four sets of issues concerned to this relationship.  First, to
investigate the relation between measurement reliability and age for a
large number of survey measures.  Second, to examine the relation between
age and reliability of measurement by topic of question, in order to assess
interactions between age and question content in affecting reliability.
Third, to examine the relationship between question characteristics and
measurement reliability by age.  And fourth, to ascertain the extent to
which conclusions about these relationships are affected by estimation
strategy, specifically comparing LISREL maximum-likelihood estimation to
alternative least-squares estimation strategies, namely using the EQS
estimates based on arbitrary-distribution theory, and recently-developed
techniques for structural equation models involving categoric variables,
via LISCOMP.

In order to accomplish these aims, support is requested for the secondary
analysis of sex existing survey data sets, involving three-wave panel
designs, which permit unbiased estimation of components of error variance
in survey measures.  The data sets to be analyzed in the proposed research
are: (a) the 1956-58-60 National Election Panel Study (n = 1,132), (b) the
1972-74-76 National Election Panel Study (n = 1,320), (c) the 1980 National
Election Panel Study (n = 769), (d) the 1973 reinterview subsample of the
General Social Survey (n = 195), (e) the 1974 reinterview subsample of the
General Social Survey (n = 195), and (f) the 1984 reinterview subsample of
the German National Social Survey (the ALLBUS) (n = 154).

Using these data sets the proposed research will investigate variation in
reliability of measurement by age", by topic of the questions, and formal
characteristics of the question.  Reliability estimates will be obtained in
these three-wave studies using several different approaches (LISREL, EQS,
and LISCOMP) to estimating the parameters of structural equation models.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3121635
- **Project number:** 1R01AG009747-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **SAM.gov UEI:** GNJ7BBP73WE9
- **Principal Investigator:** Duane F Alwin
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1992
- **Award amount:** $140,050
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 1992-02-06 → 1994-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3121635

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3121635, AGING AND ERRORS OF MEASURMENT (1R01AG009747-01A1). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3121635. Licensed CC0.

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