Mediation models have been widely used in many disciplines to better understand the underlying processes between independent and dependent variables. Despite their popularity and importance, the appropriate sample sizes for estimating those models are not well known. Although several approaches (such as Monte Carlo methods) exist, applied…

Path models with observed composites based on multiple items (e.g., mean or sum score of the items) are commonly used to test interaction effects. Under this practice, researchers generally assume that the observed composites are measured without errors. In this study, we reviewed and evaluated two alternative methods within the structural…

Researchers using factor analysis tend to dismiss the significant ill fit of factor models by presuming that if their factor model is close-to-fitting, it is probably close to being properly causally specified. Close fit may indeed result from a model being close to properly causally specified, but close-fitting factor models can also be seriously…

The relationship between saturated path-analysis models and their fit to data is revisited. It is demonstrated that a saturated model need not fit perfectly or even well a given data set when fit to the raw data is examined, a criterion currently frequently overlooked by researchers utilizing path analysis modeling techniques. The potential of…

Methods for the path analysis of complex (i.e., not fully recursive) causal models are briefly discussed. A computer program which simplifies analysis of such models and provides an option for automatically deleting marginal paths is described. (Author)

Structural equation models require formidable computational techniques. Testing the goodness of fit involves discrepancies between original correlations among variables and correlations estimated by solved path coefficients. A BASIC computer program which solves these problems is presented and discussed. (Author/GDC)

Focus of this paper is on the logic of the model rather than the estimation of parameters or testing the fit of the model to data. (Authors/MB)

A path analytic model is hypothesized and tested to explain the effect of a series of intellective and nonintellective student attributes on high school achievement and college achievement. Patterns of predictability for male and female students are compared. (Author/GK)