How can I estimate statistical power for a structural equation model?
This is a question that often arises when using structural equation models in practice, sometimes once a study is completed but more often in the…
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What are modification indices and should I use them when fitting SEMs to my own data?
This is a great question and is one that prompts much disagreement among quantitative methodologists. Nearly all confirmatory factor analysis or structural equation models impose…
What is the difference between a growth model estimated as a multilevel model versus as a structural equation model?
This very common question reflects a great deal of unnecessary confusion about how to select a specific analytic approach for modeling longitudinal data. The general…
How can I define nonlinear trajectories in a growth curve model?
Growth curve models, whether estimated as a multilevel model (MLM) or a structural equation model (SEM), have become widely used in many areas of behavioral,…
Can I estimate an SEM if the sample data are not normally distributed?
Continuous distributions are typically described by their mean (central tendency), variance (spread), skew (asymmetry), and kurtosis (thickness of tails). A normal distribution assumes a skew…
The Many Uses of Network Analysis
The past two decades have given rise to significant advances in the development and application of methods for analyzing networks, particularly within the behavioral and…
The Human Desire to Categorize
Whether colors in the rainbow, notes in a musical scale, types of coffee, or country versus pop singers, there is a natural human desire to…