Estimation of maximal reliability for multiple-component instruments in multilevel designs.

A procedure for point and interval estimation of maximal reliability of multiple-component measuring instruments in multi-level settings is outlined. The approach is applicable to hierarchical designs in which individuals are nested within higher-order units and exhibit possibly related performance on components of a given homogeneous scale. The method is developed within the framework of multi-level factor analysis. The proposed procedure is illustrated with an empirical example.