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Five Steps in Latent Curve and Latent Change Score Modeling with Longitudinal Data

  • John J. McArdleEmail author
  • Kevin J. Grimm
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Abstract

This paper describes a set of applications of one class of longitudinal growth analysis - latent curve (LCM) and latent change score (LCS) analysis using structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques. These techniques are organized in five sections based on Baltes & Nesselroade (1979). (1) Describing the observed and unobserved longitudinal data. (2) Characterizing the developmental shape of both individuals and groups. (3) Examining the predictors of individual and group differences in developmental shapes. (4) Studying dynamic determinants among variables over time. (5) Studying group differences in dynamic determinants among variables over time. To illustrate all steps, we present SEM analyses of a relatively large set of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). The inclusion of all five aspects of latent curve modeling is not often used in longitudinal analyses, so we discuss why more efforts to include all five are needed in developmental research.

Keywords

Structural Equation Modeling Reading Comprehension Antisocial Behavior Latent Curve Latent Growth Curve 
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Notes

Acknowledgements

The work described here has been supported since 1980 by the National Institute on Aging (Grant#AG-07137). Kevin Grimm was supported by a National Science Foundation REECE Program Grant (DRL-0815787) and the National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education (R305A06021). We are especially grateful to the assistance of our close friend and colleague, John R. Nesselroade. This research was also influenced by discussions with many others, including Paul Baltes, Steven Boker, Emilio Ferrer, Paolo Ghisletta, Fumiaki Hamagami, John Horn, Bill Meredith, and Carol Prescott.

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© Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2010

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of PsychologyUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUSA
  2. 2.Department of PsychologyUniversity of California, DavisDavisUSA

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