Back to Top

About

Dr. Peter M. Bentler is a highly esteemed American psychologist and statistician renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to psychometrics and multivariate analysis. As the developer of the widely-used structural equation modeling software EQS, Bentler has had a profound impact on the study of complex statistical relationships in psychology and beyond. His academic journey began with a doctorate in clinical psychology from Stanford University in 1964, after which he embarked on a prolific career at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). There, he served in various roles, including Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Statistics, Chair of the Department of Psychology, and Director of Social Science Computing. Bentler’s impressive body of work has earned him over 300,000 citations as of 2023, a testament to his enduring influence in his field. Throughout his illustrious career, Bentler has received numerous accolades for his contributions to science and academia. These include the Cattell Award for Distinguished Multivariate Research, the Sells Award for Outstanding Career Contributions to Multivariate Experimental Psychology, and the American Psychological Association's Distinguished Scientific Award for the Applications of Psychology. He has also held prestigious positions such as President of the Psychometric Society, the Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology, and the Western Psychological Association. In addition, Bentler has significantly contributed to the editorial boards of prominent journals like Psychometrika and Multivariate Behavioral Research. His research has extended into diverse areas, including drug abuse prevention, through his role as Director of a National Institute on Drug Abuse research center. Bentler's career is a beacon of excellence, marked by his dedication to advancing psychological science and statistics.

View More >>

Skills

Experience

Distinguished Research Professor

University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)

Mar-1965 to Present

Education

Stanford University

Ph.D. in clinical psychology

Passout Year: 1964

Publication

  • dott image February, 2025

Corrigenda to Satorra, A., and Bentler, P.M. (2010), “Ensuring Positiveness of the Scaled Difference Chi-Square Test Statistic,” Psychometrika, 75...

Journal : Psychometrika

On page 245, lines 3 and 4, of the published paper, we find the following text: “Since tr{UdΓ} can be expressed as the trace of the product of two positive definite matrices, tr{UdΓ} >...

  • dott image January, 2025

Enhancing Model Fit Evaluation in SEM: Practical Tips for Optimizing Chi-Square Tests

Journal : Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal

This paper aims to advocate for a balanced approach to model fit evaluation in structural equation modeling (SEM). The ongoing debate surrounding chi-square test statistics and fit indices h...

  • dott image November, 2024

Improved LM Test for Robust Model Specification Searches in Covariance Structure Analysis

Covariance Structure Analysis (CSA) or Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is critical for political scientists measuring latent structural relationships, allowing for the simultaneous assess...

On the Relationship Between Factor Loadings and Component Loadings When Latent Traits and Specificities are Treated as Latent Factors

Journal : Fudan Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences 1674-0750

Most existing studies on the relationship between factor analysis (FA) and principal component analysis (PCA) focus on approximating the common factors by the first few components via the cl...

  • dott image April, 2023

Data driven pathway analysis and forecast of global warming and sea level rise

Climate change is a critical issue of our time, and its causes, pathways, and forecasts remain a topic of broader discussion. In this paper, we present a novel data driven pathway analysis f...

  • dott image March, 2023

RGLS and RLS in Covariance Structure Analysis

Journal : Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal

This paper assesses the performance of regularized generalized least squares (RGLS) and reweighted least squares (RLS) methodologies in a confirmatory factor analysis model. Normal theory ma...

  • dott image August, 2022

Distributionally weighted least squares in structural equation modeling.

Journal : Psychological Methods 1082-989X

n real data analysis with structural equation modeling, data are unlikely to be exactly normally distributed. If we ignore the non-normality reality, the parameter estimates, standard error ...

40-Year Old Unbiased Distribution Free Estimator Reliably Improves SEM Statistics for Nonnormal Data

Journal : Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal

In structural equation modeling, researchers conduct goodness-of-fit tests to evaluate whether the specified model fits the data well. With nonnormal data, the standard goodness-of-fit test ...

  • dott image January, 2022

Distributionally-Weighted Least Squares in Growth Curve Modeling

Journal : Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal

Growth curve modeling is a widely used technique in psychological, educational, and social science research. While mainstream estimators for growth curve modeling are based on normal theory,...

  • dott image October, 2021

Testing Mean and Covariance Structures with Reweighted Least Squares

Journal : Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal

Chi-square tests based on maximum likelihood (ML) estimation of covariance structures often tend to over-reject the null hypothesis, Σ = Σθ, particularly when the sample size is small. Re...

Role in Research Journals

Conference/Seminar/STTP/FDP/Symposium/Workshop

Conference
  • dott image Dec 2019

S.-Y. Lee’s Lagrange Multiplier Test in Structural Modeling: Still Useful?

Hosted By:

University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) ,

Los Angeles, California, United States

Membership

dott image
Editorial Council

Psychometric Society

From year 1984 to 1990

Honours & Awards

dott image
Lifetime Achievement Award
Awarded by:

Western Psychological Association

Year: 2015
dott image
Cattell Award for Distinguished Multivariate Research
Awarded by:

Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology

Year: 1972