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Modeling and Data Analysis with Mplus
Five-day Course • June 17 - 21, 2013• Lawrence, Kansas
Presented by the Quantitative Training Program of Psychology and the Center for Research Methods and Data Analysis at the University of Kansas.
Institute Overview
More and more researchers in the social and behavioral sciences use, or want to use, Mplus to analyze their structural equation models or multilevel models. This course is a five day workshop on using Mplus v7.
The course starts with an introduction of structural equation modeling with some emphasis on the specific way Mplus is used to specify and estimate models and how to deal with error messages. The second day introduces multigroup models, how Mplus deals with non-normal and categorical data and what to do with missing data. The third day covers more advanced topics that are introduced briefly (e.g. latent growth curve models, latent class analysis, latent growth mixture analysis). The available choices of different estimation methods and statistical tests are also discussed. The fourth day covers Bayesian statistics. On the fifth day we discuss some new ways of testing measurement invariance using Bayesian statistics: a comparison of full, partial and approximate measurement invariance.
On each day, the morning session consists of lectures, and the afternoon session is a computer lab where the topics of the morning are applied on example data (from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day). During the computer labs there is plenty of time to work on your own data and get feedback on your models.
Preparation
As participant of this course you are requested to prepare an exercise in advance where you will also be shown how to get the software Mplus. The exercise, ‘Mplus: how to get started?’, can be downloaded from http://mplus.fss.uu.nl/mplus-tutorial-papers/. In this exercise you will perform a simple regression analysis in SPSS, or any other software package you are already familiar with, and you will be taught how to analyze the same model using Mplus.
Objectives
The institute on Modeling and Data Analysis with Mplus will enable participants to:
- Acquire a basic understanding of how structural equation models as applied in the social and behavioral sciences are analyzed using the software Mplus.
- Gain expert knowledge in using Mplus and the ways in which one should formulate models, test alternative models, and evaluate models with regard to statistical and practical significance.
- Gain knowledge of Bayesian statistics and learn when to switch to Bayesian analyses.
- Become proficient in the use of the program Mplus version 7.x for analysis of structural models.
Audience
If you need to analyze your data in Mplus or if you want to know when to switch to Mplus, this course is for you. You should have some (basic) experience with other SEM software, for example AMOS, LISRELL, openMX, SAS. No previous knowledge of Mplus is assumed. You do not need to know matrix algebra, calculus, or likelihood theory, or any knowledge on Bayesian statistics. Participants from a variety of fields, including sociology, psychology, education, human development, marketing, business, biology, medicine, political science, and communication, will benefit from the course.
Instructors
Joop Hox, Ph.D. (http://joophox.net), is a psychologist, specializing in social research methods. He is full professor of social science methods at the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences of Utrecht University. He is also a member of the Netherlands International Graduate School for Psychometrics and Sociometrics (IOPS), which is a collaborative network of many Methods & Statistics Departments, mostly in Europe. In 1990 he spent four months at the Department of Psychology at UCLA as a Fulbright scholar. He is a founding member of the European Association for Methodology (EAM). The course presented here was developed together with professors Rens van de Schoot and Peter Lugtig, also of Utrecht University.
Rens van de Schoot, Ph.D. (http://rensvandeschoot.wordpress.com/), has taught this course for StatsCamp in the past, but unfortunately cannot make it this year. He is an assistant professor in Methods and Statistics at Utrecht University, the Netherlands and an extra-ordinary professor at North-West University in South Africa. Besides his research on how to directly evaluate expectations using Bayesian statistics, he collaborates with many developmental researchers from different fields on projects about identity development, immigrants, post traumatic stress and he takes part in different projects about the labor market position of PhD students. Finally, he teaches many SEM and Mplus courses all around the world and he organizes Mplus users meetings in the Netherlands (mplus.fss.uu.nl).
Software and Computer Support
Participants should bring a laptop computer. Before arriving for the summer institute, participants should acquire either the Mplus demo version 7 or higher or the full Mplus version 7 or higher. The computer exercises are based on the demo version, but there will be plenty of time to work on your own dataset and then the full version might be needed. Ordering Mplus: www.statmodel.com
In addition to a course packet, you will receive a zip file containing all course materials, including PowerPoint slides, exercises, data and Mplus scripts, output files, relevant supporting documentation, and recommended readings.
Syllabus
Modeling and Data Analysis with Mplus
Joop Hox
Utrecht University
| Monday | June 17, 2013 |
| 9:00 – 10:00 | Welcome & Introductions |
| 10:00–12:00 | Lecture: Introduction to Mplus, moderation and mediation, and how to deal with error messages |
| 12:00 – 1:00 | Lunch * |
| 1:00 – 5:00 | Computer exercises |
| 5:00 – 8:30 | Free BBQ (burgers, veggie burgers, brats) and open beer/wine bar at Holiday Inn |
| Tuesday | June 18, 2013 |
| 9:00 – 12:00 | Lecture: Multiple group models, how Mplus deals with non-normal and categorical data, bootstrapping |
| 12:00 – 1:00 | Lunch * |
| 1:00 – 5:00 | Computer exercises |
| 5:45 | Free Bus to Downtown Departs |
| 8:45 | Free Bus returns from Downtown |
| Wednesday | June 19, 2013 |
| 9:00 – 12:00 | Lecture: Advanced topics: latent growth curve models, latent class analysis, latent growth mixture analysis |
| 12:00 – 1:00 | Lunch * |
| 1:00 – 5:00 | Computer exercises |
| 5:45 | Free Bus to Downtown Departs |
| 8:45 | Free Bus returns from Downtown |
| Thursday | June 20, 2013 |
| 9:00 – 12:00 | Introduction to Bayesian statistics |
| 12:00 – 1:00 | Lunch * |
| 1:00 – 5:00 | Computer exercises: How to run your first Bayesian model |
| 5:45 | Free Bus to Downtown Departs |
| 8:45 | Free Bus returns from Downtown |
| Friday | June 21 2013 |
| 9:00 – 12:00 | Full, partial and, the newly available, approximate measurement invariance using Bayes |
| 12:00 – 1:00 | Lunch * |
| 1:00 – 5:00 | Computer Exercises |
* Our group lunch is included in the Holiday Inn room rate and tickets for the group lunch are also available for purchase for those not staying at the Holiday Inn. There are other lunch options in Lawrence as well.
Course Files
Below are links to course files for those who enrolled in the course. The files are password protected to respect the intellectual property rights of the instructors. By using your login information you agree not to share your login information or the content protected by it.
Coming soon.
Contact Information
For information on course content, contact Joop Hox.
A full list of prices and fellowship opportunities for this course and all the courses offered at this year's Summer Institutes in Statistics can be found on the Fees and Registration Page.