Variable-Centered, Person-Centered, and Person-Specific Approaches: Where Theory Meets the Method

Content Provider	Semantic Scholar
Author	Howard, Matt C. Hoffman, Michael E.
Copyright Year	2018
Abstract	The variable-centered approach is favored in management and applied psychology, but the person-centered approach is quickly growing in popularity. A partial cause for this rise is the finer-grained detail that it allows. Many researchers may be unaware, however, that another approach may provide even finer-grained detail: the person-specific approach. In the current article, we (a) detail the purpose of each approach, (b) describe how to determine when each approach is most appropriate, and (c) delineate when the approaches diverge to give differing results. Through achieving these goals, we suggest that no single approach is the “best.” Instead, the choice of approach should be guided by the research question. To further emphasize this point, we provide illustrative examples using real data to answer three distinct research questions. The results show that each research question can be fully addressed only by the appropriate approach. To conclude, we directly suggest certain research areas that may benef...
Starting Page	846
Ending Page	876
Page Count	31
File Format	PDF HTM / HTML
DOI	10.1177/1094428117744021
Volume Number	21
Alternate Webpage(s)	https://mattchoward.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/howard_hoffman_2017_orm.pdf
Alternate Webpage(s)	https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428117744021
Language	English
Access Restriction	Open
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article