Discriminant validity, HTMT, and reporting

Questions about the implementation and application of the PLS-SEM method, that are not related to the usage of the SmartPLS software.
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mhf
PLS Junior User
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Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2017 4:07 am
Real name and title: Mary Helen Fagan, Ph.D.

Discriminant validity, HTMT, and reporting

Post by mhf »

I have a question of how to address issues with discriminant validity and, in particular, how to report the process I followed based upon figure 8 in Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A New Criterion for Assessing Discriminant Validity in Variance-based Structural Equation Modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1).

I have two conceptually similar reflective constructs for which I could not establish discriminant validity using the HTMT criterion. I have taken the second approach outlined in the paper (p. 130):
The second approach to treat discriminant validity problems aims at merging the constructs that cause the problems into a more general construct. Again, measurement theory must support this step. In this case, the more general construct replaces the problematic constructs in the model and researchers need to re-evaluate the newly generated construct’s discriminant validity with all the opposing constructs. This step may entail modifications to increase a construct’s average monotrait-heteromethod correlations and/or to decrease the average heteromethod-heterotrait correlations (Fig. 8).
However, as I proceed I am unsure how to describe this approach in my paper's methods section. After an extensive search I have not found a published paper that appears to have identified an issue with discriminant validity using SmartPLS and the HTMT criterion, has documented the steps the authors took in merging indicators into one construct, and then described the subsequent analysis.

So could someone point me to more detailed descriptions of the process outlined in figure 8 and, in particular, to any published paper's whose methods sections document how the author's proceeded to assess the measurement model, revise the research model, and then retest their model prior to assessing the structural model?

Many thanks for any assistance!
jmbecker
SmartPLS Developer
Posts: 1284
Joined: Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:09 am
Real name and title: Dr. Jan-Michael Becker

Re: Discriminant validity, HTMT, and reporting

Post by jmbecker »

I'm not aware of any published paper that describes this approach, but the recommendation is still quite new.
Maybe it is a good chance to be the paper that other can use as rolemodel.
Dr. Jan-Michael Becker, BI Norwegian Business School, SmartPLS Developer
Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jan_Michael_Becker
GoogleScholar: http://scholar.google.de/citations?user ... AAAJ&hl=de
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