Common Error 8: Lack of Attention to Measurement Invariance Across Categories

Measurement invariance is essential for valid group comparisons (Leitgöb et al., 2023). Our analysis revealed 13.50% of studies failed to address it. This is critical when using categorical moderators. For example, unbalanced samples (e.g., 80%/20% gender split) combined with non-invariance can introduce bias and obscure true effects. We recommend aiming for balanced group sizes and, more importantly, conducting rigorous measurement invariance tests before any multi-group analysis (MGA) to ensure the construct is measured equivalently across groups (Hair et al., 2022).

常见问题八：忽视跨类别的测量不变性检验

当调节变量是分类变量（如性别、企业类型）时，进行多组分析（MGA）前，必须确保测量工具在不同组别间具有等价性（即测量不变性）。我们的综述发现，13.50%的相关研究忽略了这一关键步骤。例如，在检验性别调节效应时，若男女样本严重不平衡（如80% vs 20%），且测量不变性不成立，那么观测到的组间差异可能源于测量工具本身在不同群体中意义不同，而非真实的调节效应。

问题实质：

比较两组人的身高差异前，必须确保用的是同一把刻度准确的尺子。测量不变性检验就是确保你这把“理论尺子”在不同人群中都测量同一个构念。

解决建议：

Ÿ  先检验，后比较：在进行多组分析（如比较路径系数差异）之前，务必先执行一系列的测量不变性检验（如形态不变性、因子载荷不变性、截距不变性等）。

Ÿ  追求样本平衡：在实验或抽样设计时，尽量保证各分类组别的样本量相对平衡，以减少方差偏差对结果的影响。

Reference

• Aguinis, H., Edwards, J. R., & Bradley, K. J. (2017).      Improving our understanding of moderation and mediation in strategic management research. Organizational Research Methods, 20(4),      665-685.

• Becker, J. M., Cheah, J. H., Gholamzade, R., Ringle, C. M.,      & Sarstedt, M. (2023). PLS-SEM's most wanted guidance. International      Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 35(1), 321-346.

• Carte, T. A., & Russell, C. J. (2003). In pursuit of moderation: Nine common errors and their solutions. MIS Quarterly,      27(3), 479-501.

• Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M.      (2022). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling      (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

• Memon, M. A., Cheah, J. H., Ramayah, T., Ting, H., Chuah, F.,      & Cham, T. H. (2019). Moderation analysis: Issues and guidelines. Journal of Applied Structural Equation Modeling, 3(1), i-xi.

• Xu, Y., & Shiau, W. L. (2026). Moderation analysis in business and management research: Common issues, solutions, and guidelines for future research. International Journal of Information      Management, 86, 102995.