Growth models are among the core methods for analyzing how and when people change. Discussing both structural equation and multilevel modeling approaches, this book leads readers step by step through applying each model to longitudinal data to answer particular research questions. It demonstrates cutting-edge ways to describe linear and nonlinear change patterns, examine within-person and between-person differences in change, study change in latent variables, identify leading and lagging indicators of change, evaluate co-occurring patterns of change across multiple variables, and more. User-friendly features include real data examples, code (for Mplus or NLMIXED in SAS, and OpenMx or nlme in R), discussion of the output, and interpretation of each model's results. 

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Today's social and behavioral researchers increasingly need to know: "What do I do with all this data?" This book provides the skills needed to analyze and report large, complex data sets using machine learning tools, and to understand published machine learning articles. Techniques are demonstrated using actual data (Big Five Inventory, early childhood learning, and more), with a focus on the interplay of statistical algorithm, data, and theory. The identification of heterogeneity, measurement error, regularization, and decision trees are also emphasized. The book covers basic principles as well as a range of methods for analyzing univariate and multivariate data (factor analysis, structural equation models, and mixed-effects models). Analysis of text and social network data is also addressed. End-of-chapter "Computational Time and Resources" sections include discussions of key R packages; the companion website provides R programming scripts and data for the book's examples. 

Companion Website

Multivariate categorical outcomes, such as Likert scale responses and disease diagnoses, require specialized structural equation modeling (SEM) software to be analyzed properly. Providing needed skills for applied researchers and graduate students, this book leads readers from regression analysis with categorical outcomes to complex SEMs with latent variables for categorical indicators. The initial section sets the stage by demonstrating regression analyses for binary, ordered, or count outcomes using R. Chapters then reanalyze the same data using Mplus and lavaan to show how univariate models for categorical outcomes can be estimated and interpreted with SEM programs.

Subsequently, the book turns to multivariate models, discussing path models, confirmatory factor models, and latent variable path models with categorical outcomes. Concluding chapters cover advanced SEM with categorical outcomes, including growth models, latent class models, and survival models. Worked-through examples are featured throughout. The companion website provides R (including lavaan), Mplus, and SAS code, as applicable, for the examples. 

This volume presents a collection of chapters focused on the study of multivariate change. As people develop and change, multivariate measurement of that change and analysis of those measures can illuminate the regularities in the trajectories of individual development, as well as time-dependent changes in population averages. As longitudinal data have recently become much more prevalent in psychology and the social sciences, models of change have become increasingly important. This collection focuses on methodological, statistical, and modeling aspects of multivariate change and applications of longitudinal models to the study of psychological processes.

The volume is divided into three major sections: Extension of latent change models, Measurement and testing issues in longitudinal modeling, and Novel applications of multivariate longitudinal methodology. It is intended for advanced students and researchers interested in learning about state-of-the-art techniques for longitudinal data analysis, as well as understanding the history and development of such techniques.