An a priori Monte Carlo simulation is a special case of a Monte Carlo simulation that is used in the design of a research study, generally when analytic methods do not exist for the goal of interest for the specified model or are not convenient. A Monte Carlo simulation is generally used to evaluate empirical properties of some quantitative method by generating random data from a population with known properties, fitting a particular model to the generated data, collecting relevant information of interest, and replicating the entire procedure a large number of times (e.g., 10,000). In an a priori Monte Carlo simulation study, interest is generally in the effect of design factors on the inferences that can be made rather than a general attempt at ...