This volume gathers refereed papers presented at the 1994 UCLA conference on "La tent Variable Modeling and Application to Causality. " The meeting was organized by the UCLA Interdivisional Program in Statistics with the purpose of bringing together a group of people who have done recent advanced work in this field. The papers in this volume are representative of a wide variety of disciplines in which the use of latent variable models is rapidly growing. The volume is divided into two broad sections. The first section covers Path Models and Causal Reasoning and the papers are innovations from contributors in disciplines not traditionally associated with behavioural sciences, (e. g. computer science with Judea Pearl and public health with James Robins). Also in this section are contri butions by Rod McDonald and Michael Sobel who have a more traditional approach to causal inference, generating from problems in behavioural sciences. The second section encompasses new approaches to questions of model selection with emphasis on factor analysis and time varying systems. Amemiya uses nonlinear factor analysis which has a higher order of complexity associated with the identifiability condi tions. Muthen studies longitudinal hierarchichal models with latent variables and treats the time vector as a variable rather than a level of hierarchy. Deleeuw extends exploratory factor analysis models by including time as a variable and allowing for discrete and ordi nal latent variables. Arminger looks at autoregressive structures and Bock treats factor analysis models for categorical data.

This paper summarizes recent advances in causal inference and underscores the paradigmatic shifts that must be undertaken in moving from traditional statistical analysis to causal analysis of multivariate data. Special emphasis is placed on the assumptions that underly all causal inferences, the languages used in formulating those assumptions, the conditional nature of all causal and counterfactual claims, and the methods that have been developed for the assessment of such claims. These advances are illustrated using a general theory of causation based on the Structural Causal Model (SCM) described in Pearl (2000a), which subsumes and unifies other approaches to causation, and provides a coherent mathematical foundation for the analysis of causes and counterfactuals. In particular, the paper surveys the development of mathematical tools for inferring (from a combination of data and assumptions) answers to three types of causal queries: (1) queries about the effects of potential interventions, (also called "causal effects" or "policy evaluation") (2) queries about probabilities of counterfactuals, (including assessment of "regret," "attribution" or "causes of effects") and (3) queries about direct and indirect effects (also known as "mediation"). Finally, the paper defines the formal and conceptual relationships between the structural and potential-outcome frameworks and presents tools for a symbiotic analysis that uses the strong features of both. The tools are demonstrated in the analyses of mediation, causes of effects, and probabilities of causation. -- p. 1.

When the first edition of this Handbook was fields are likely to be hard reading, but anyone who wants to get in touch with the published in 1966 I scarcely gave thought to a future edition. Its whole purpose was to growing edges will find something to meet his inaugurate a radical new outlook on ex taste. perimental psychology, and if that could be Of course, this book will need teachers. As accomplished it was sufficient reward. In the it supersedes the narrow conceptions of 22 years since we have seen adequate-indeed models and statistics still taught as bivariate staggering-evidence that the growth of a new and ANOV A methods of experiment, in so branch of psychological method in science has many universities, those universities will need become established. The volume of research to expand their faculties with newly trained has grown apace in the journals and has young people. The old vicious circle of opened up new areas and a surprising increase obsoletely trained members turning out new of knowledge in methodology. obsoletely trained members has to be The credit for calling attention to the need recognized and broken. And wherever re for new guidance belongs to many members search deals with integral wholes-in per of the Society of Multivariate Experimental sonalities, processes, and groups-researchers Psychology, but the actual innervation is due will recognize the vast new future that to the skill and endurance of one man, John multivariate methods open up.

Emphasizing causation as a functional relationship between variables, this book provides comprehensive coverage on the basics of SEM. It takes readers through the process of identifying, estimating, analyzing, and evaluating a range of models. The author discusses the history and philosophy of causality and its place in science and presents graph theory as a tool for the design and analysis of causal models. He explains how the algorithms in SEM are derived and how they work, covers various indices and tests for evaluating the fit of structural equation models to data, and explores recent research in graph theory, path tracing rules, and model evaluation.

This book introduces multiple-latent variable models by utilizing path diagrams to explain the underlying relationships in the models. This approach helps less mathematically inclined students grasp the underlying relationships between path analysis, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling more easily. A few sections of the book make use of elementary matrix algebra. An appendix on the topic is provided for those who need a review. The author maintains an informal style so as to increase the book's accessibility. Notes at the end of each chapter provide some of the more technical details. The book is not tied to a particular computer program, but special attention is paid to LISREL, EQS, AMOS, and Mx. New in the fourth edition of Latent Variable Models: *a data CD that features the correlation and covariance matrices used in the exercises; *new sections on missing data, non-normality, mediation, factorial invariance, and automating the construction of path diagrams; and *reorganization of chapters 3-7 to enhance the flow of the book and its flexibility for teaching. Intended for advanced students and researchers in the areas of social, educational, clinical, industrial, consumer, personality, and developmental psychology, sociology, political science, and marketing, some prior familiarity with correlation and regression is helpful.

The application and interpretation of statistics are central to ecological study and practice. Ecologists are now asking more sophisticated questions than in the past. These new questions, together with the continued growth of computing power and the availability of new software, have created a new generation of statistical techniques. These have resulted in major recent developments in both our understanding and practice of ecological statistics. This novel book synthesizes a number of these changes, addressing key approaches and issues that tend to be overlooked in other books such as missing/censored data, correlation structure of data, heterogeneous data, and complex causal relationships. These issues characterize a large proportion of ecological data, but most ecologists' training in traditional statistics simply does not provide them with adequate preparation to handle the associated challenges. Uniquely, Ecological Statistics highlights the underlying links among many statistical approaches that attempt to tackle these issues. In particular, it gives readers an introduction to approaches to inference, likelihoods, generalized linear (mixed) models, spatially or phylogenetically-structured data, and data synthesis, with a strong emphasis on conceptual understanding and subsequent application to data analysis. Written by a team of practicing ecologists, mathematical explanations have been kept to the minimum necessary. This user-friendly textbook will be suitable for graduate students, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of ecology, evolution, environmental studies, and computational biology who are interested in updating their statistical tool kits. A companion web site provides example data sets and commented code in the R language.

Causality in a Social World introduces innovative new statistical research and strategies for investigating moderated intervention effects, mediated intervention effects, and spill-over effects using experimental or quasi-experimental data. The book uses potential outcomes to define causal effects, explains and evaluates identification assumptions using application examples, and compares innovative statistical strategies with conventional analysis methods. Whilst highlighting the crucial role of good research design and the evaluation of assumptions required for identifying causal effects in the context of each application, the author demonstrates that improved statistical procedures will greatly enhance the empirical study of causal relationship theory. Applications focus on interventions designed to improve outcomes for participants who are embedded in social settings, including families, classrooms, schools, neighbourhoods, and workplaces.