Originators of Reliability Coefficients : A Historical Review of the Originators of Reliability Coefficients Including Cronbach’s Alpha

The names of commonly used reliability coefficients, such as Cronbach’s alpha, give the impression that we are expressing respect for the first developers of the formulas. However, few studies have investigated the identity of each person who first discovered each reliability coefficient from a neutral point of view. This study examines the history of reliability coefficients and presents conclusions regarding who should be credited for developing each reliability coefficient. For example, this study claims that credit for inventing the alpha formula should be awarded to Kuder and Richardson (1937) and that the merit of developing a reliability coefficient based on a unidimensional confirmatory factor analysis model should be returned to Joreskog (1971). This study criticizes the existing names of reliability coefficients as pseudo-historical (i.e., not actually but having the appearance of being historical), suggesting the use of ahistorical (i.e., without concern for history) names instead.