Person-centered latent-profile analysis for testing relative universalism of psychological theories¶
Research Method · All research methods
Evidence · 7 claims (7 for) · 3 studies (3 associational),q2–q3· 0 of 3 report an effect size · 7 claims rest on one study
Description¶
The article proposes testing a theory's relative universalism—functional forms invariant while parameter magnitudes vary—by combining latent profile analysis with within-profile structural equation modeling. Person-centered methods, following Howard and Hoffman (2018), "balance both" parsimony and specificity by "grouping individuals into relatively homogeneous subpopulations while maintaining analytical tractability," addressing the homogeneity condition of ergodicity for static cross-sectional models. Four pre-specified criteria operationalize the test: functional-form invariance, sign stability, bounded magnitude flexibility, and contextual robustness after covariates. The framework is offered as replicable for other educational-psychology theories.
Accounts¶
- Person-centered analysis (latent profile analysis) as a framework for testing the relative universalism of psychological theories: The article proposes testing a theory's relative universalism—functional forms invariant while parameter magnitudes vary—by combining latent profile analysis with within-profile structural equation modeling. Person-centered methods, following Howard and Hoffman (2018), "balance both" parsimony and specificity by "grouping individuals into relatively homogeneous subpopulations while maintaining analytical tractability," addressing the homogeneity condition of ergodicity for static cross-sectional models. Four pre-specified criteria operationalize the test: functional-form invariance, sign stability, bounded magnitude flexibility, and contextual robustness after covariates. The framework is offered as replicable for other educational-psychology theories. (Dirk Tempelaar · Alexandra Niculescu (2026))
- Cognitive-Affective Engagement Model extended with a person-centered approach to online multimodal reading: The study is grounded in the Cognitive-Affective Engagement Model (CAEM) of List and Alexander, which integrates "warm" motivational-emotional variables with "cold" analyses of observable behavior and strategy use in multiple-source comprehension. The article operationalizes the model's default stance as a motivational-emotional profile of OMR self-efficacy and emotional states, and extends it "by integrating a person-centered approach, which captures individual heterogeneity by identifying distinct combinations of variables within learners." Profiles are then linked to strategy use and performance outcomes. (Zhu et al. (2026))
- Use person-centered approaches to identify distinct motivational patterns that variable-centered analyses miss: The article argues that a person-centered approach to motivational factors reveals heterogeneity between and within individuals, enabling identification of key patterns of values across variables. It states this makes it possible "to more accurately detect hindering nonlinear and interactive effects compared to the variable-centered approach." Applied to students with SEN, this approach uncovered four distinct belief profiles and showed that SEN status relates probabilistically, not deterministically, to maladaptive motivation. The authors highlight its importance for identifying different reasons and consequences for performance. (Nyman et al. (2025))
Claims¶
- CVT structural relations are largely stable across gender and prior-education groupings, supporting relative universalism under variable-centered tests [+M]
- CVT's control–anxiety relation breaks down across latent emotional profiles, with unstandardized coefficients ranging from −0.292 to +0.024 including non-significant positive effects [+M]
- Explained variance of CVT emotion models falls below 15% within latent profiles versus a median above 30% in grouping analyses, beyond what variance restriction explains [+M]
- Hong Kong fourth graders' OMR self-efficacy and emotions form three distinct motivational-emotional profiles: positive, moderate, and ambivalent [+M]
- The ambivalent profile reported the highest OMR strategy use but achieved the lowest OMR performance, while the positive profile scored highest [+M]
- Four distinct action-control belief profiles (agentic, moderate, avoidant, and mixed) emerge among Finnish ninth graders [+M]
- Students with SEN are more likely to belong to motivational profiles with maladaptive patterns [+M]
Related Research Methods¶
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Key Sources¶
- Dirk Tempelaar · Alexandra Niculescu. (2026). Testing the Relative Universalism of Psychological Theories: A Person-Centered Analysis of Control-Value Theory. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10155-2
- Zhu, S., Yao, Y., Cheong, C. M., & Zhu, X. (2026). Latent motivational-emotional profiles and their effects on strategy use and performance in online multimodal reading tasks: A mixed-methods investigation. Learning and Instruction. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2026.102386
- Nyman, L., Koivuhovi, S., Greiff, S., Hotulainen, R., Little, T. D., & Vainikainen, M.-P. (2025). A person-centered approach to action-control beliefs of students with special educational needs and their relation to student performance and time on task. Journal of Educational Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0001000
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
research-method |
id |
person-centered-latent-profile-analysis-for-testing-relative-universalism-of-psychological |
title |
Person-centered latent-profile analysis for testing relative universalism of psychological theories |
description |
The article proposes testing a theory's relative universalism—functional forms invariant while parameter magnitudes vary—by combining latent profile analysis with within-profile structural equation modeling. |
status |
review |
generated |
by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-22 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
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