11.1 What is a simulation study?

Simulation studies are a core part of research in the psychometric literature.

A simulation may also be referred to as a computer simulation or a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation.

The popularity and utility of simulations suggests that researchers and practitioners in measurement should be familiar with their appropriate use, the kinds of questions that simulations can answer best, and the most effective way to present or communicate simulation results. (Feinberg & Rubright, 2016)

One advantage of simulation studies is that they allow researchers to compare estimated parameters against their respective true parameters, which are unknown for real data applications.

References

Feinberg, R., & Rubright, J. (2016). Conducting Simulation Studies in Psychometrics. 35(2), 36–49. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/emip.12111