Approximate Confidence Interval for Difference in Fit of Structural Equation Models

A method for obtaining an approximate confidence interval for the difference in root mean square error of approximation-a widely used goodness-of-fit measure-of 2 structural equation models is discussed, which is based on an application of the bootstrap methodology. The confidence interval represents a useful tool when studying plausibility of parameter restrictions in nested structural equation models and can be used for examining the difference in fit, accounting for complexity, for any 2 models-whether nested or nonnested-fitted to the same data set. The method is illustrated on a numerical example.