Summary
Contents
Subject index
Ideal for researchers and graduate students in the social sciences who require knowledge of structural equation modeling techniques to answer substantive research questions, Using Mplus for Structural Equation Modeling provides a reader-friendly introduction to the major types of structural equation models implemented in the Mplus framework. This practical book, which updates author E. Kevin Kelloway’s 1998 book Using LISREL for Structural Equation Modeling, retains the successful five-step process employed in the earlier book, with a thorough update for use in the Mplus environment. Kelloway provides an overview of structural equation modeling techniques in Mplus, including the estimation of confirmatory factor analysis and observed variable path analysis. He also covers multilevel modeling for hypothesis testing in real life settings and offers an introduction to the extended capabilities of Mplus, such as exploratory structural equation modeling and estimation and testing of mediated relationships. A sample application with the source code, printout, and results is presented for each type of analysis.
Structural Equation Models : Theory and Development
Structural Equation Models : Theory and Development
To begin, let us consider what we mean by the term theory. Theories serve many functions in social science research, but most would accept the proposition that theories explain and predict behavior (e.g., Klein & Zedeck, 2004). At a more basic level, a theory can be thought of as an explanation of why variables are correlated (or not correlated). Of course, most theories in the social sciences go far beyond the description of correlations to include hypotheses about causal relations, boundary conditions, and the like. However, a necessary but insufficient condition for the validity of a theory would be that the relationships (i.e., correlations or covariances) among variables are consistent with the propositions of the theory.
For example, ...
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