Incremental validity testing (e.g., “X predicts Y over and above Z”) is one illustration of the disconnect between abstract ideas versus concrete experiences of analytic methods. Although researchers often wish to make such conceptual claims, their method for doing so is frequently fraught with problems, including overemphasis of counterintuitive findings, neglect of measurement issues, and a surprisingly large inflation of Type I error rates. To address these challenges, my work provides researchers actionable guidance to navigate these issues, including advice on using latent variable approaches that model measurement properties of constructs to more accurately estimate effects of interest (Wang & Eastwick, 2020, Personal Relationships).