The decomposition of the overall effect of a treatment into direct and indirect effects is here investigated with reference to a recursive system of binary random variables. We show how, for the single mediator context, the marginal effect measured on the log odds scale can be written as the sum of the indirect and direct effects plus a residual…

Structural equation modeling (SEM) and path analysis using composite-scores are distinct classes of methods for modeling the relationship of theoretical constructs. The two classes of methods are integrated in the partial-least-squares approach to structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), which systematically generates weighted composites and uses…

The sampling variability and zeta-values of parameter estimates for misspecified structural equation models were examined. A Monte Carlo study was used. Results are discussed in terms of asymptotic theory and the implications for the practice of structural equation models. (SLD)

An empirical sampling approach was used to assess the accuracy of a Taylor approximation for the estimation of sampling errors. The sampling errors were in the statistics involved in estimating a path model based on medium-sized samples gathered using five sample designs commonly used in educational research. (TJH)