Structural Equation Modeling using AMOS: An

Introduction
Section 1: Introduction

About this Document/Prerequisites

Accessing AMOS

Documentation

Getting Helpwith AMOS

Section 2: SEM Basics

Overview of Structural Equation Modeling

SEM Nomenclature

Why use SEM?

Section 3: SEM Assumptions

A Reasonable Sample Size

Continuous and Normal Endogenous Variables

Model Identification (Identified Equations)

Complete Data or Appropriate Handling of Incomplete Data

Theoretical Basis for Model Specification and Causality

Section 4: Building and Testing a Model Using AMOS Graphics

Illustration of the SEM-Multiple Regression Relationship

Drawing a model using AMOS Graphics

Reading Data into AMOS

Selecting AMOS Analysis Options and Running your Model

Section 5: Interpreting AMOS Output

Evaluating Global Model Fit

Tests of Absolute Fit

Tests of Relative Fit

Modifying the Model to Obtain Superior Goodness of Fit

Viewing Path Diagram Output

Significance Tests of Individual Parameters

Section 6: Putting it all together: A substantive interpretation of the findings

References
Section 1: Introduction

About this Document/Prerequisites

This course is a brief introduction and overview of structural equation modeling

using the AMOS (Analysis of Moment Structures) software. Structural equation
modeling (SEM) encompasses such diverse statistical techniques as path
analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, causal modeling with latent variables, and
even analysis of variance and multiple linear regression. The course features an
introduction to the logic of SEM, the assumptions and required input for SEM
analysis, and how to perform SEM analyses using AMOS.

By the end of the course you should be able to fit structural equation models
using AMOS. You will also gain an appreciation for the types of research
questions well-suited to SEM and an overview of the assumptions underlying SEM
methods.

You should already know how to conduct a multiple linear regression analysis
using SAS, SPSS, or a similar general statistical software package. You should
also understand how to interpret the output from a multiple linear regression
analysis. Finally, you should understand basic Microsoft Windows navigation
operations: opening files and folders, saving your work, recalling previously
saved work, etc.

Accessing AMOS

You may access AMOS in one of three ways:

License a copy from SPSS, Inc. for your own personal computer.

AMOS is available to faculty, students, and staff at the University of Texas at

Austin via the STATS Windows terminal server. To use the terminal server, you
must obtain an ITS computer account (an IF or departmental account) and then
validate the account for Windows NT Services. You then download and configure
client software that enables your PC, Macintosh, or UNIX workstation to connect
to the terminal server. Finally, you connect to the server and launch AMOS by
double-clicking on the AMOS program icon located in the STATS terminal server
program group. Details on how to obtain an ITS computer account, account use
charges, and downloading client software and configuration instructions may be
found in General FAQ #36: Connecting to published statistical and mathematical
applications on the ITS Windows Terminal Server.
Download the free student version of AMOS from the AMOS development website
for your own personal computer. If your models of interest are small, the free
demonstration version may be sufficient to meet your needs. For larger models,
you will need to purchase your own copy of AMOS or access the ITS shared copy
of the software through the campus network. The latter option is typically more
cost effective, particularly if you decide to access the other software programs
available on the server (e.g., SAS, SPSS, HLM, Mplus, etc.).

Documentation

The AMOS manual is the AMOS 4.0 User's Guide by James Arbuckle and Werner
Wothke. It contains over twenty examples that map to models typically fitted by
many investigators. These same examples, including sample data, are included
with the student and commercial versions of AMOS, so you can easily fitand
modify the models described in the AMOS manual.

A copy of the AMOS 4.0 User's Guide is available at the PCL for check out by
faculty, students, and staff at UT Austin. You may also order copies directly from
the Smallwaters Corporation Web site. Barbara Byrne has also written a book on
using AMOS. The title is Structural Equation Modeling with AMOS: Basic
Concepts, Applications, and Programming. The book is published by Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. also publishes the
journal Structural Equation Modelingon a quarterly basis. The journal contains
software reviews, empirical articles, and theoretical pieces, as well as a teacher’s
section and book reviews.

A number of textbooks about SEM are available, ranging from Ken Bollen’s
encyclopedicreference book to Rick Hoyle’s more applied edited volume. Several
commonly cited titles are shown below.

Bollen, K.A. (1989). Structural Equationswith Latent Variables. New York: John
Wiley and Sons.

Loehlin, J.C. (1997). Latent Variable Models.Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum

Associates.

Hoyle, R. (1995). Structural Equation Modeling: Concepts, Issues, and

Applications. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Hatcher, L. (1996). A Step-by-Step Approach to using the SAS System for Factor
Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling. Cary, NC: SAS Institute, Inc.

Getting Help with AMOS

If you have difficulties accessing AMOS on the STATS Windows terminal server,
call the ITS helpdesk at 512-475-9400 or send e-mail to [email protected].

If you are able to log in to the Windows NT terminal server and run AMOS, but
have questions about how to use AMOS or interpret output, call the ITS helpdesk
to schedule an appointment with SSC statistical consulting using Amicus or send
e-mail to [email protected]. Important note: Both services are available to
University of Texas faculty, students, and staff only. See our Web site at
http://ssc.utexas.edu/consulting/index.html for more details about consulting
services, as well as frequently asked questions and answers about EFA, CFA/SEM,
AMOS, and other topics.

Non-UT and UT AMOS users will find Ed Rigdon's SEM FAQ Web site to be a
useful resource; see the information on the SEMNET online discussion group for
information on how to subscribe to this forum to post questions and learn more
about SEM.

Section 2: SEM Basics

Overview of Structural Equation Modeling

SEM is an extension of the general linear model (GLM) that enables a researcher
to test a set of regression equations simultaneously. SEM software can test
traditional models, but it also permits examination of more complex relationships
and models, such as confirmatory factor analysis and time series analyses.

The basic approach to performing a SEM analysis is as follows:

The researcher first specifies a model based on theory, thendetermines how to
measure constructs, collects data, and then inputs the data into the SEM
software package. The package fits the data to the specified model and produces
the results, which include overall model fit statistics and parameter estimates.

The input to the analysis is usually a covariance matrix of measured variables

such as survey item scores, though sometimes matrices of correlations or
matrices of covariances and means are used. In practice, the data analyst
usually supplies SEM programs with raw data, and the programs convert these
data into covariancesand means for its own use.

The model consists of a set of relationships among the measured variables.

These relationships are then expressed as restrictions on the total set of possible
relationships.

The results feature overall indexes of model fit as well as parameter estimates,
standard errors, and test statistics for each free parameter in the model.

SEM Nomenclature

SEM has a language all its own. Statistical methods in general have this property,
but SEM users and creators seem to have elevated specialized language to a
new level.

Independent variables, which are assumed to be measured without error, are

called exogenous or upstream variables; dependent or mediating variables are
called endogenous or downstream variables.

Manifest or observed variables are directly measured by researchers, while latent

or unobserved variables are not directly measured but are inferred by the
relationships or correlations among measured variables in the analysis. This
statistical estimation is accomplished in much the same way that an exploratory
factor analysis infers the presence of latent factors from shared variance among
observed variables.

SEM users represent relationships among observed and unobserved variables

using path diagrams. Ovals or circles represent latent variables, while rectangles
or squares represent measured variables. Residuals are always unobserved, so
they are represented by ovals or circles.

In the diagram shown below, correlations and covariances are represented by

bidirectional arrows, which represent relationships without an explicitly defined
causal direction. For instance, F1 and F2 are related or associated, but no claim
is made about F1 causing F2, or vice versa.
By contrast, we do claim that F1 causes the scores observed on the measured
variables I1 and I2. Causal effects are represented by single-headed arrows in
the path diagram. F1 and F2 can be conceptualized as the variance the two
indicators share (i.e., what the two indicators have in common.) As you have
probably guessed by now, F1 and F2 are latent factors; I1 through I4 are
observed variables. Perhaps they are survey items. E1 through E4 are residual or
error variances that also cause response variation in I1 through I4. This diagram
tells us that scoresor responses on survey items one through four are caused by
two correlated factors, along with variance that is unique to each item. Some of
that unique variance might be due to measurement error.

Some of the paths shown in the diagram are labeledwith the number “1”. This
means that those paths’ coefficients have fixed values set to 1.00. These fixed
values are included by necessity: they set the scale of measurement for the
latent factors and residuals. Alternatively, you can set the variances of the
factors to 1.00 to obtain implicitly standardized solutions Note: you should not
use this latter method when you perform a multiple group analysis.

Why SEM?

Why would a researcherwant to use SEM and have to deal with its own language
and, as you shall soon see, some fairly stringent statistical assumptions? SEM
has a number of attractive virtues:

tab-stops:list .5in"> Assumptions underlying the statistical analyses are clear

and testable, giving the investigator full control and potentially furthering
understanding of the analyses.

tab-stops:list .5in"> Graphical interface software boosts creativity and facilitates

rapid model debugging (a feature limited to selected SEM software packages).

tab-stops:list .5in"> SEM programs provide overall tests of model fit and
individual parameter estimate tests simultaneously.

tab-stops:list .5in"> Regression coefficients, means, and variances may be

compared simultaneously, even across multiple between-subjects groups.

tab-stops:list .5in"> Measurement and confirmatory factor analysis models can

be used to purge errors, making estimated relationships among latent variables
less contaminated by measurement error.

tab-stops:list .5in"> Ability to fit non-standard models, including flexible handling

of longitudinal data, databases with autocorrelated error structures (time series
analysis), and databases with non-normally distributed variables and incomplete
data.
tab-stops:list .5in"> This last feature of SEM is its most attractive quality. SEM
provides a unifying framework under which numerous linear models may be fit
using flexible, powerful software.

Section 3: SEM Assumptions

A Reasonable Sample Size

Structural equation modelingis a flexible and powerful extension of the general

linear model. Like any statistical method, it features a number of assumptions.
These assumptions should be met or at least approximated to ensure trustworthy
results.

According to James Stevens’ Applied Multivariate Statistics for the Social

Sciences, a good rule of thumb is 15 cases per predictor in a standard ordinary
least squares multiple regression analysis. Since SEM is closely related to
multiple regression in some respects, 15 cases per measured variable in SEM is
not unreasonable. Bentler and Chou (1987) note that researchers may go as low
as five cases per parameter estimate in SEM analyses, but only if the data are
perfectly well-behaved (i.e., normally distributed, no missing data or outlying
cases, etc.). Notice that Bentler and Chou mention five cases per parameter
estimate rather than per measured variable. Measured variables typically have
at least one path coefficient associated with another variable in the analysis, plus
a residual term or variance estimate, so it is important to recognize that the
Bentler and Chou and Stevens recommendations dovetail at approximately 15
cases per measured variable, minimum. More generally, Loehlin (1992) reports
the results of monte carlosimulation studies using confirmatory factor analysis
models. After reviewing the literature, he concludes that for this class of model
with two to four factors, the investigator should plan on collecting at least 100
cases, with 200 being better (if possible). Consequences of using smaller
samples include more convergence failures (the software cannot reach a
satisfactory solution), improper solutions (including negative error variance
estimates for measured variables), and lowered accuracy of parameter estimates
and, in particular, standard errors – SEM program standard errors are computed
under the assumption of large sample sizes.

When data are not normally distributed or are otherwise flawed in some way
(almost always the case), larger samples are required. It is difficult to make
absolute recommendations as to what sample sizes are required when data are
skewed, kurtotic, incomplete, or otherwise less than perfect. The general
recommendation is thus to obtain more data whenever possible.
Continuously and Normally Distributed Endogenous Variables

SEM programs assume that dependent and mediating variables (so-called

endogenous or downstream variables in SEM parlance) are continuously
distributed, with normally distributed residuals. In fact, residuals from a SEM
analysis are not only expected to be univariate normally distributed, their joint
distribution is expected to be joint multivariate normal (JMVN) as well. However,
this assumption is never completely met in practice.

SEM specialists have developed a number of methods to deal with non-normally

distributed variables. These methods are designed for variables that are
assumed to have an underlying continuous distribution. For instance, perhaps
you administered a Likertscale of self-esteem items to research participants. The
scale points tap into points along a continuum of self-esteem, and even though
the item data are not continuously distributed, the underlying self-esteem
distribution is continuous.

By contrast, other outcome variables are not continuously distributed. For

instance, did a patient in a medical study live or die after treatment? Most SEM
programs cannot handle these types of nominal-level dependent variables at this
time.

Model Identification (Identified Equations)

As you will soon see, SEM programs require an adequate number of known
correlations or covariances as inputs in order to generate a sensible set of
results. An additional requirement is that each equation be properly identified.
Identification refers to the idea that there is at least one unique solution for each
parameter estimate in a SEM model. Models in which there is only one possible
solution for each parameter estimate are said to be just-identified. Models for
which there are an infinite number of possible parameter estimate values are
said to be underidentified. Finally, models that have more than one possible
solution (but one best or optimal solution) for each parameter estimate are
considered overidentified.

The following equation, drawn from Rigdon (1997) may help make this more
clear:

x + 2y = 7

In the above equation, there are an infinite number of solutions for x and y (e.g.,
x = 5 and y =1, or x = 3 and y = 2). These values are therefore underidentified
because there are fewer "knowns" than "unknowns." A just-identified model is
one in which there are as many knowns as unknowns.

x + 2y = 7

3x - y = 7

For this equation, there are just as many known as unknowns, and thus there is
one best pair of values (x = 3, y = 2).

An overidentified model occurs when every parameter is identified and at least

one parameter is overidentified (i.e., it can be solved for in more than way--
instead of solving for this parameter with one equation, more than one equation
will generate this parameter estimate). Typically, most people who use structural
equation modeling prefer to work with models that are overidentified. An
overidentified model has positive degrees of freedom and may not fit as well as a
model that is just identified. Imposing restrictions on the model when you have
an overidentified model provides you with a test of your hypotheses, which can
then be evaluated using the chi-square statistic of absolute model fit and various
descriptive model fit indices. The positive degrees of freedom associated with an
overidentified model allows the model to be falsified with the chi-square test.
When an overidentified model does fit well, then the researcher typically
considers the model to be an adequate fit for the data.

Identification is a structural or mathematical requirement in order for the SEM

analysis to take place. A number of rules can be used to assess the identification
level of your models, but these rules are not perfect, and they are very difficult
(almost impossible, in fact) to evaluate by hand, especially for complex models.
SEM software programs such as AMOS perform identification checks as part of
the model fitting process. They usually provide reasonable warnings about
underidentificationconditions.

An additional complication that can arise is empirical underidentification.

Empirical underidentification occurs when a parameter estimate that establishes
model identification has a very small (close to zero) estimate. When the SEM
program performs its matrix inversion, that parameter estimate may drop from
the solution space defined by the list of model parameters, and the program thus
suddenly detects what it perceives to be a structural underidentification problem.
Due to the iterative nature of SEM estimation, a parameter estimate such as a
variance may start out with a positive value and gradually approach zero with
each successive iteration. For example, a path coefficient whose value is
estimated as being close to zero may be treated as zero by the SEM program's
matrix inversion algorithm. If that path coefficient is necessary to identify the
model, the model thus becomes underidentified.
The remedy for all forms of underidentification is to try to locate the source of
the identification problem and determine if the source is empirical
underidentification or structural underidentification. For structural
underidentification, the only remedy is to respecify the model. Empirical
underidentificationmay be correctable by collecting more data or respecifying
the model.

An example from Rigdon (1997) may be informative to highlight these issues.

Consider the following model:
It contains one factor, F1, two error variances or residuals, e1 and e2, and one
factor loading value connecting F1 to v2. This model requires four parameters to
be estimated: the factor’s variance, the two error variances, and the one factor
loading.

How many available inputs are there that can be used in the analysis? Three.How
do you know there are three available inputs? You can use the formula

[Q(Q + 1)] / 2

whereQ represents the number of measured variables in the database that are
used in the model. In this model there are two observed variables, I1 and I2, so
via the formula shown above, [2(2+1)]/2 = 3. There are two variances, one for
each of the two variables, and one covariance between I1 and I2.

How is it possible to estimate four unknown parameters from three inputs? The
answer is that it is not possible: There are three available knowns or degrees of
freedom available, but there are four unknown parameters to estimate, so
overall, the model has 3 – 4 = -1 degrees of freedom, a clearly impossible state
of affairs. This model is clearly underidentified– additional constraints will need
to be imposed on this model in order to achieve a satisfactory level of
identification.
Now consider a second model:
This new model has [4(4+1)] / 2 = 10 available degrees of freedom because
there are four observed variables used in the model. Subtracting four error
variances, two factor loadings, and two factor variances, and one covariance
between the factors from the 10 available degrees of freedom results in one left
over or available degree of freedom. This model is structurally identified. In fact,
it is overidentifiedbecause there is one positive degree of freedom present.

As it turns out, if the parameter estimate of the covariance between F1 and F2

becomes zero or very close to zero, the model can become empirically
underidentifiedbecause even though it is structurally identified by the covariance
specified between F1 and F2, it is not identified on an empirical basis from the
computer software’s perspective.

In practice, all successfully fitted models are just-identified or overidentified.

Typically you want to use overidentified models because these models allow you
to test statistical hypotheses, including global model fit (Loehlin, 1992).

Complete Data or Appropriate Handling of Incomplete Data

Many SEM software programs accept correlation or covariance matrix input. That
is, you could compute these matrices yourself using another software package
(such as SPSS) and then input them into AMOS or another SEM package for
analysis. This feature is useful if you plan to re-analyzea covariance matrix
reported in a journal article, for instance.

Usually, however, the preferred mode of analysis uses raw data input: the
researcher passes a database, perhaps in SPSS or some other common format
(like Microsoft Excel), to the SEM program and it computes the covariances as
part of its analysis. What do these programs do about databases without
complete data? Typical ad hoc solutions to missing data problems include listwise
deletion of cases, where an entire case’s record is deleted if the case has one or
more missing data points, and pairwise data deletion, where bivariate
correlations are computed only on cases with available data. Pairwise deletion
results in different N’s for each bivariatecovariance or correlation in the
database. Another typically used ad hoc missing data handling technique is
substitution of the variable’s mean for the missing data points on that variable.

But none of these ad hoc missing data handling methods are appealing from a
statistical point of view. Listwise deletion can result in a substantial loss of power,
particularly if many cases each have a few data points missing on a variety of
variables, not to mention limiting statistical inference to individuals who
complete all measures in the database. Pairwise deletion is marginally better, but
the consequences of using different ns for each covariance or correlation can
have profound consequences for model fitting efforts, including impossible
solutions in some instances. Finally, mean substitution will shrink the variances
of the variables where mean substitution took place, which is not desirable. The
most important problem with these methods is that they assume that the
missing data are missing completely at random, which is often not the case
(Little & Rubin, 1987).

What is a researcher to do about missing data? If the proportion of cases with

missing data is small, say five percent or less, listwise deletion may be
acceptable (Roth, 1994). Of course, if the five percent (or fewer) cases are not
missing completely at random, inconsistent parameter estimates can result.
Otherwise, missing data experts (e.g., Littleand Rubin, 1987) recommend using a
maximum likelihood estimation method for analysis, a method that makes use of
all available data points. AMOS features maximum likelihood estimation in the
presence of missing data.

Theoretical Basis for Model Specification and Causality

SEM models can never be accepted; they can only fail to be rejected. This leads
researchers to provisionally accept a given model. SEM researchers recognize
that in most instances there are equivalent models that fit equally as well as
their own provisionally accepted model. Any of these models may be “correct”
because they fit the data as well as the preferred model. Researchers do their
best to eliminate alternative models, and by extension alternative explanations,
but this is not always possible. The use of SEM thus entails some uncertainty,
particularly with cross-sectional data that are not collected under controlled
conditions. (This is also true of other commonly used models such as ANOVA and
multiple regression techniques.)

For this reason, SEM software programs require researchers to be very explicit in
specifying models. While models that fit the data well can only be provisionally
accepted, models that do not fit the data well can be absolutely rejected. For
instance, if you fit a single factor confirmatory factor analysis model to a set of
ten survey items, and the model is rejected, you can be confident that a single
factor is not sufficient to explain the items’ shared variance, a useful finding,
particularly if you believe that one common factor is not enough to explain the
items’ shared variance. Suppose you ran a single factor model and then a dual
factor model on the same set of ten items; the former model is rejected but the
latter model is not rejected. Now you know that more than one factor is needed
to account for the shared variance among the measured items.
In addition to evaluating the absolute goodness of fit of single models, you can
also evaluate competing models by using likelihood ratio chi-square tests to
compare them. Returning to the previous example, you could compare the single
and dual factor models to each other using a statistical test. If that test statistic
is significant, you can conclude that the more complex two factor model fits the
data better than the one factor model. On the other hand, had you found no
significant difference between the two models, you could conclude that the one
factor model fit the data just as well as the two factor model.

Not all models are directly comparable in this way. Only models where you can
derive a simpler model by imposing a set of constraints or restrictions onto a
more complex model may be compared in this manner. These models are called
nested models. When you want to compare models that are not directly
comparable, you can use various descriptive criteria to compare these non-
nested models.

Section 4: Building and Testing a Model using AMOS Graphics

Illustration of the SEM-Multiple Regression Relationship

In essence, SEM is a multivariate extension of the multiple linear regression

model with one dependent (Y) variable:

y = i + Xb + e

where y = a vector containing observed scores on the dependent variable, iis a

vector 1’s representing the y-intercept, X is a matrix of continuously distributed
or categorical (dummy-coded) independent variables, B is the vector of
regression weights, and e represents the vector of residual or error or leftover
scoring unexplained by the model.

SEMsconsist of series of multiple regression equations – all equations are fitted

simultaneously. In fact, you can conduct a multiple regression analysis using SEM
software.

A typical multiple linear regression analysis produces several statistics, including

an overall test of model fit and tests of individual parameter estimates. In
addition, the analysis prints out unstandardizedregression coefficients, standard
errors for those coefficients, and a standardized version of the regression
coefficients. In addition, a squared multiple correlation or R2 for the regression
equation indicates the proportion of variance in the dependent variable
accounted for by the set of independent variables in the multiple regression
equation. As you will soon see, AMOS produces these very same statistics,
though it generates them for multiple equations rather than for a single
equation, as is the case in ordinary least-squares regression.

Suppose you have a database with three continuous predictor variables:

education level, a socioeconomic indicator, and feelings of powerlessness
measured in 1967. There is one continuous dependent variable, feelings of
powerlessness measured in 1971. These data are simulated based on the results
reported in a larger study by Wheaton, Muthén, Alwin, and Summers(1977).

If you run a multiple regression analysis in SPSS for Windows using these
variables, you will obtain the following results (some output is omitted in the
interest of conserving space):
The salient output from SPSS shows the correlations among each of the
predictors, as well as the predictors and the dependent variable. An R2 value of
.32 is then shown, with unstandardizedand standardized regression coefficients
and significance tests shown in the final table.

Now consider the equivalent model fit in AMOS:

The three predictors are allowed to covary; predictors’ covariances are shown in
the diagram. For example, the covariance between education and the
socioeconomic indicator is –3.95. The variance of each predictor appears above
its rectangle. The unstandardized regression weights, which correspond to the B
coefficients displayed in the SPSS output, link the predictor variables to the
dependent variable’s rectangle in the AMOS diagram. For instance, the
unstandardized regression coefficient of the education variable is –.11. Since the
unstandardizedregression coefficient represents the amount of change in the
dependent variable per single unit change in the predictor variable, this result
suggests that for every single unit of increase in education level, powerlessness
in 1971 is reduced by -.11 units in the population from which Wheaton et al. drew
their sample.

The diagram also features a residual variance associated with the measurement
of powerlessness in 1971. Since this variance is not directly measured, it is
represented as a latent variable in the AMOS diagram. The estimate of the error
variance is 6.86.

In addition to the unstandardized regression coefficients, SPSS also produces

standardized regression coefficients and an R2 value that summarizes the
proportion of variance in the dependent variable explainable by the collective set
of the predictors. AMOS produces these statistics as well, but it uses a separate
diagram to display the standardized coefficients and R2 value.

In this diagram the covarianceshave been replaced by correlations. For example,

the correlation between the socioeconomic indicator and the powerlessness
measure in 1967 is -.32, the same value shown in the SPSS Correlations table
above. Standardized regression coefficients now link the predictors to the
dependent variable, and the R2 value for the dependent variable appears above
its rectangle on the diagram. The standardized regression weights represent the
amount of change in the dependent variable that is attributable to a single
standard deviation unit’s worth of change in the predictor variable.

AMOS also produces tabular output similar to that of SPSS that displays the
unstandardized and standardized regression coefficients, the standard error
estimates of the unstandardized regression coefficients, and tests of statistical
significance of the null hypothesis that each unstandardizedregression coefficient
equals zero. The AMOS tabular output will be discussed at more length below.
The regression analysis shown above is limited in several ways:

Multiple dependent or outcome variables are not permitted

Mediating variables cannot be included in the same single model as predictors

Each predictor is assumed to be measured without error

The error or residual variable is only latent variable permitted in the model

Multicollinearity among the predictors may hinder result interpretation

AMOS can fit models that are not subject to these limitations. An example of
such a model applied to the Wheaton et al. database appears in the next section.

Drawing a model using AMOS Graphics

Suppose you want to test a model of the stability of alienation over time, as
measured by anomia and powerlessness feelings at two measurement occasions,
1967 and 1971, as well as education level and a socioeconomic index. The path
diagram, including standardized regression coefficients, appears below.
How can you test this model and develop from scratch a publication quality path
diagram like the one shown above? The first step is to launch AMOS. Select the
Start menu from the Windows taskbar, then select Programs, then choose the
AMOS 4 program set, then select AMOS Graphics. You will now see a blank AMOS
Graphics diagram page that looks like this:

You will also see a floating toolbar appear. The toolbar may partially obscure the
AMOS drawing area, but you can move it out of the way by dragging it to the
side of your computer screen. Select the toolbar by single-clicking on it with your
mouse pointer. If you place your mouse pointer over any tool icon with the
toolbar selected, AMOS displays the name and function of the tool. You can also
right-click on the tool icon for more detailed AMOS help on how to use the tool.

To add or remove individual tools from the toolbar, choose Move Tools from the
Tools menu in AMOS Graphics. You may need to resize your toolbar from time to
time to view all available tools, particularly if you have many tools displayed or
you have a small monitor.
Tools are activated by single-clicking on their icons with your mouse pointer. A
tool that is active or in use will have an icon that appears to be depressed or
lowered. To deactivate a particular tool, single-click on its icon once again. Its
icon should change to look like the other tools on the toolbar.

Select the Draw Latent Variables and Indicators tool from the toolbar by first
single-clicking on the toolbar to make it active and then single-clicking on the
Draw Latent Variables and Indicators button to make it active. This tool
resembles a factor analysis model with three indicator variables:

Move your mouse pointer to the drawing surface and draw an oval by clicking
and holding your mouse button. Once you have a satisfactory oval drawn, click
on the oval twice. You will now have a latent variable with two observed
indicators.

Perhaps your latent and observed variables are too close to the edge of the
AMOS drawing space. To move them closer to the centerof the diagram, click on
the Preserve Symmetries button.

Next, click on the red moving truck tool (Move Objects); then click and drag the
latent variable and its indicators closer to the centerof the AMOS drawing space.
When you are finished, you will have a diagram that looks like this:
So far, you have drawn part of the desired model. This part of the model could
represent a latent variable called Socioeconomic Status (SES) with two observed
indicators, Education, and Socioeconomic Index (SEI). Recall that rectangles
represent observed or measured variables, while ovals represent latent or
unobserved variables. The two ovals leading to the two observed variables
represent the residuals for those observed variables, while the larger oval
represents their shared variance. This shared variance is captured by the latent
variable, Socioeconomic Status.

The model has two more segments that resemble this section (alienation at 1967
and alienation at 1971), so you can copy the portion of the model you have
already built. To do that:

Turn off the Preserve Symmetries tool button by clicking on it.

Click on the Select All Objects tool (represented by a raised hand with four
fingers extended). The entire diagram should change color from black to blue.

Click on the Duplicate Objects tool icon (it resembles a photocopier), click on the
latent variable’s oval, and drag your mouse pointer to the right. You should see a
replica of the single latent variable-two indicator variable structure appear.
Hint: If you hold down the shift key while you perform this operation, the new
portion of the diagram will be horizontally aligned with the previous diagram
section.

When you finish with this step, your drawing should look like this:

Click on the Deselect Objects tool button to remove the object selection. This
button resembles a hand with four fingers retracted or bent.

Rotate the indicators of this second latent variable so that they point “down” on
the AMOS diagram space instead of “up”. Select the Rotate Indicators tool
button.
Click once on the second latent variable’s oval. The two indicators and their
residuals rotate 90 degrees clockwise. Click the oval once more. The indicators
rotate another 90 degrees. Click on the Rotate Indicators tool button to
deactivate it.

Click on the Preserve Symmetries tool and then click on the Move Objects tool.
Click on the second latent variable and move it beneath the first latent variable
and to the left on the diagram. When you finish, your diagram should look like
this:
(7) Copy the latent and observed variables in the lower set by selecting the
Duplicate Objects button from the toolbar once again, selecting the latent
variable of the “lower” latent variable, and drag it to the right. Your diagram will
now look like this:
Notice that a number of the paths are fixed to a value of 1.00. These are present
to ensure proper model identification. Perhaps you want to have those paths be
consistently on the left side of each variable set. To do that, use the Reflect
Indicators tool.
Once you have selected the tool button, click once on each of the two “lower”
latent variables. Your updated diagram will now look like this:
Congratulations! You have just specified the measurement part of your model.
Now you must tell AMOS where to find the data for conducting the analysis and
you must label the observed variables.

Reading Data into AMOS

To read data into AMOS, choose Data Files from the File menu.

File

Data Files

The following dialog box appears:

Click on File Name to specify the name of the data file. The View Data button
launches a data file’s external application. For instance, if you specify a SPSS
data file using the File Name button, and you then click View Data, AMOS will
launch SPSS so that you can view the contents of the data file. The Grouping
Variable button allows you to specify a grouping variable within a database,you
can easily set up and test models that involve multiple groups of subjects.

Currently AMOS reads the following data file formats:

Access

dBase 3 – 5

Microsft Excel 3, 4, 5, and 97

FoxPro 2.0, 2.5 and 2.6

Lotus wk1, wk3, and wk4

SPSS *.sav files, versions 7.0.2 through 9.0 (both raw data and matrix formats)
Comma-delimited text files (semicolon-delimited in countries where the comma
is used as a decimal separator).

AMOS recognizes empty or blank cells in MS Excel and Access as missing data.
System-missing data (represented by blank cells in the SPSS data editor
spreadsheet) are also properly recognized by AMOS as missing data points.
Comma-delimited data files should have two consecutive commas listed to
represent a missing data point.

Simulated data for this example model are in an SPSS for Windows data file
called Wheaton-generated.sav. If you have not already downloaded this data file,
you can retrieve it at the following Web address:

http://ssc.utexas.edu/consulting/tutorials/stat/amos/wheaton-generated.sav

There is a Microsoft Excel version of this file available from:

http://ssc.utexas.edu/consulting/tutorials/stat/amos/wheaton-generated.xls

To read these data into AMOS, select Data Files… from the AMOS Graphics File
menu.

File

Data Files

In the dialog box that appears, click on the File Name button. AMOS will produce
a file opening dialog box that resembles the box shown below.
In this example, the Wheaton-generated SPSS database has been located and
selected in the File Name slot of this dialog box. You should follow suit, using
your copy of AMOS Graphics: locate the Wheaton-generated.savSPSS data file on
your computer, and choose it using AMOS.

Once you have located and specified the appropriate data file, click on the Open
button. You will now see the following window:

Click OK to return to AMOS Graphics. You have now made the data available to
AMOS.
Once AMOS receives the data, you can label observed variables. Select the
Variables in Dataset option from the View/Set menu to see a window like the one
shown below.

View/Set

Variables in Dataset

Select each of these entries one at a time and drag them onto the appropriate
rectangles on the path diagram. You may notice that some of the variable names
are too large to fit inside their rectangles. One partial remedy for this problem is
to enlarge the entire model by clicking on the Resize Diagram to Fit the Page tool
bar icon.

You can also use the Shape Change tool icon to alter the shape of the rectangles
so that they are wide enough to hold the variable names:

Select each of the rectangles using the Select Single Objects tool (it resembles a
hand with the index finger extended).
Next, click on the Shape Change tool icon to alter the shape of the rectangles.
Finally, you can reduce the size of the variable name font by double-clicking on
the rectangle for a particular variable. After you make these adjustments, your
finished measurement model diagram should look like this:
There are three remaining tasks left. You must:

Name the latent variables.

Specify the relationships among the latent variables (the structural model).
Create residual terms for any latent variables predicted by other variables in the
model. Any variable predicted by another variable or set of variables must have
a residual value.

To name the upper latent variable, double-click on it and enter its name (SES) in
the Variable Name text box. Then close the window. To name the lower left latent
variable, double-click on it and enter its name, Alienation 1967, in the Variable
Name text box. Repeat this process for the lower right latent variable, Alienation
1971.

For large models, there is a Name Unobserved Variables macro available under
the Tools menu. This macro will name the unobserved variables automatically.
Select and run this macro now to name the remaining unobserved variables that
have not yet been named in the diagram (i.e., the residuals). After the macro
runs, each residual will have a name, beginning with e1.

To specify the paths among the latent variables, use single-headed arrows to
represent causal relationships and dual-headed arrows to represent bidirectional
relationships (correlations).

To create a residual for a latent variable, use the Add Unique Variable tool icon.

Select the tool’s icon on the toolbar. Next, click once on a latent variable to
create a unique residual variable for that latent variable. You can click on the
latent variable again to move the position of the new residual variable 45
degrees to the right (clockwise). By clicking on the latent variable repeatedly,
you can move the new residual variable around the original latent variable in 45
degree increments until you find a location where it looks best on the diagram.

After you make these adjustments, your finished model diagram should resemble
the following image.
After you have drawn your model, be sure to save it by choosing the File menu,
and then selecting Save As. When you save the model, AMOS automatically
creates two back-up model files in the same directory in which you have your
original diagram. The original diagram file will have the extension .amw; the
back-up files will have the extensions .bk1 and .bk2, respectively.
Selecting AMOS Analysis Options and Running your Model

You are now ready to run the model. But first, select Analysis Properties from the
View/Set menu. Investigate the various tabs and options available under each
tab. One of the more interesting choices is the Output tab.

In this analysis, the investigator requests a number of options, including a

standardized solution, squared multiple correlations, the sample covariance
matrix, and the covariance matrix of the residuals remaining after AMOS fits the
model.

Next, examine the Estimation tab. Notice that this tab provides a check box that
allows you to estimate means and intercepts.
Hint: If your database has any cases with incomplete data, AMOS will require you
to estimate means and intercepts; so you must select this check box if your
database has any missing data on observed variables included in your model.

Because this model’s database does not contain any missing data and we are
not interested in means at present, we leave the Estimation tab settings at their
default values.

Before you run the model, be sure to save it by choosing Save As from the File
menu and saving a copy of the model file to an appropriate location on your
computer’s disk drive.

To run the model, close the Analysis Properties window and click on the Calculate
Estimates tool icon. It resembles an abacus:

Section 5: Interpreting AMOS Output

You can check to see if your model ran successfully by examining the left-hand
side of the AMOS Graphics drawing area. Consider the following screen shot
taken after the Wheaton model finished running:
The bottom portion of this output shows a chi-square value of 76.10 with 6
degrees of freedom. This test statistic tests the overall fit of the model to the
data. The null hypothesis under test is that the model fits the data, so you hope
to find a small, non-significant chi-square value for this test. The significance test
for the chi-square model fit statistic is described in the next section.

Evaluating Global Model Fit

So far, none of the output you have seen contains tests of statistical significance.
AMOS produces such tests. They are stored in a spreadsheet table file. You can
access this output by selecting the View Table Output tool.

The table that appears contains a list of output categories on the left side of the
window and an open space on the right. When you select a particular subset of
output for display, it appears in the right-hand space. Consider the Notes for
Model section of the output.

You should always examine the Notes for Model section of the AMOS output after
each AMOS analysis finishes because AMOS will display most errors and warnings
in this section of the output. In the output shown above, AMOS reports that the
minimum was achieved with no errors or warnings. The chi-square test of
absolute model fit is reported, along with its degrees of freedom and probability
value. The interpretation of these results will be discussed in further detail below.

The absence of errors or warnings in this section of the output means that it is
safe for you to proceed to the next output section of interest, the Fit Measures
output.
The Fit Measures output contains five columns. The first column shows the name
of each fit measure. The second column, labeledDefault model, contains the fit
statistics for the model you specified in your AMOS Graphics diagram.

The next two columns, labeledSaturated and Independence, refer to two baseline
or comparison models automatically fitted by AMOS as part of every analysis.
The Saturated model contains as many parameter estimates as there are
available degrees of freedom or inputs into the analysis. The Saturated model is
thus the least restricted model possible that can be fit by AMOS. By contrast, the
Independence model is one of the most restrictive models that can be fit: it
contains estimates of the variances of the observed variables only. In other
words, the Independence model assumes all relationships between the observed
variables are zero.

Tests of Absolute Fit

The chi-square test of overall model fit is labeledDiscrepancy in this output. Its
value is 76.102 with 6 degrees of freedom, returning a probability value of less
than .001 that a chi-square value this large or larger would be obtained by
chance if the null hypothesis that the model fits the data is true.

The 6 degrees of freedom represent the level of overidentificationof the model.

Employing the earlier formula, there are 6 observed variables, so there are
[6(6+1)]/2 = 21 available degrees of freedom. There are 6 residual variance
estimates, 3 factor variances, 3 path coefficients, and 3 factor loadings – there
are 15 parameters estimated. 21 degrees of freedom – 15 estimated parameters
= 6 available degrees of freedom for the chi-square test of overall model fit.

Since the probability value of the chi-square test is smaller than the .05 level
used by convention, you would reject the null hypothesis that the model fits the
data. This conclusion is not good news for the researcher who hopes to fit this
model to the dataset used in the example.

Tests of Relative Fit

Because the chi-square test of absolute model fit is sensitive to sample size and
non-normality in the underlying distribution of the input variables, investigators
often turn to various descriptive fit statistics to assess the overall fit a model to
the data. In this framework, a model may be rejected on an absolute basis, yet a
researcher may still claim that a given model outperforms some other baseline
model by a substantial amount. Put another way, the argument researchers
make in this context is that their chosen model is substantially less false than a
baseline model, typically the independence model. A model that is parsimonious,
and yet performs well in comparison to other models may be of substantive
interest.

For example, the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) and the Comparative Fit Index (CFI)
compare the absolute fit of your specified model to the absolute fit of the
Independence model. The greater the discrepancy between the overall fit of the
two models, the larger the values of these descriptive statistics.

A separate block of the output displays parsimony adjusted fit statistics. These fit
statistics are similar to the adjusted R2 in multiple regression analysis: the
parsimony fit statistics penalize large models with many estimated parameters
and few leftover degrees of freedom.
The fit output contains a large array of model fit statistics. All are designed to
test or describe overall model fit. Each researcher has his or her favorite
collection of fit statistics to report. Commonly reported fit statistics are the chi-
square (labeled Discrepancy in the output shown above), its degrees of freedom
(DF), itsprobability value (P), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI), and the Root Mean
Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) and its lower and upper confidence
interval boundaries. There is also a Standardized Root Mean Residual
(Standardized RMR) available through the Tools, Macro menu, but it is important
to note that this fit index is only available for complete datasets (it will not be
printed for databases containing incomplete data).

Various rules of thumb for each of these fit statistics exist. These rules of thumb
change as statisticians publish new simulation studies that further document the
behavior of various measures of fit. The chi-square test is an absolute test of
model fit: If the probability value (P) is below .05, the model is rejected. The
other measures of fit are descriptive. Hu and Bentler(1999) recommend RMSEA
values below .06 and Tucker-Lewis Index values of .95 or higher. Since the RMSEA
for this model is .11 and the Tucker-Lewis Index value is .92, the model does not
fit well according to the descriptive measures of fit.

The final column in the Fit Measures table is labeledMacro and contains the name
of the corresponding macro variable for each fit statistic reported by AMOS in the
Fit Measures table. These macro variables may be specified as part of the path
diagram display if you want to display a fit index value as part of the AMOS
diagram output. For example, you could use the CMIN macro variable to display
the fitted model’s chi-square on the diagram. Macro variables are used in the
diagram’s title, which you can specify by selecting the Title button from the
AMOS toolbar.

Formulas for the discrepancy fit functions used to generate the chi-square test of
overall model fit and the descriptive model fit statistics may be found in the
AMOS manual and also in the AMOS program help files.

Modifying the Model to Obtain Superior Goodness of Fit

It is rare that a model fits well at first. Sometimes model modification is required
to obtain a better-fitting model. AMOS allows for the use of modification indices
to generate the expected reduction in the overall model fit chi-square for each
possible path that can be added to the model. To request modification index
output, select the Modification Indices check box in the Output tab in the
Analysis Properties window.

View/Set

Analysis Properties

Output

The Threshold for Modification Indices allows you to specify what level of chi-
square change is required for a path to be included in the modification index
output. The default value is 4.00 because it slightly exceeds the tabled critical
value of a chi-square distribution with one degree of freedom: 3.84. Any
additional parameter estimated by AMOS should result in an expected reduction
in the model chi-square of at least 3.84. The modification index results appear
below.
All possible variances were estimated, so there are no unmodeled variances that
could be estimated in a modified or revised model. Thus, the Variances section
contains no model modification information. There are, however, possible
regression weights and covariancesthat can be incorporated into a respecified
model that would result in substantial changes in the model fit chi-square test
statistic.

The largest modification index values are found in the first four pairs of residual
covariances. For example, the covariance of e4 with e6 is expected to be .901 if
you were to respecify the model with that covariance added and then refit the
model. That model’s chi-square test of overall fit should be approximately 30.127
units lower than the present model’s value of 76.102.

Should you allow the four pairs of error covariances to be estimated in a modified
model? From looking at modification index results, the answer appears to be
“Yes”, but it is wise to reconsider the conceptual implications of model
modification before you proceed further. It is important to understand that when
you modify a model based upon the modification index output, you are:
Respecifying your model

Respecifying your model based on sample-dependent results

Any time you respecify or modify your model, you are implicitly changing its
meaning in some fundamental way. In many instances, a change in model
specification results in a trivial or unimportant corresponding alteration of the
model’s substantive meaning, but in other cases model modification can
foreshadow a strong shift in the model’s meaning from a theoretical standpoint.
Therefore, it is crucially important to think through each proposed model
modification and ask yourself if making the modification is theoretically
consistent with your research goals.

A second consideration to take into account when you modify a model is that you
are relying on the empirical data rather than theory to help you specify the
model. The more empirically-based modifications you incorporate into your final
model, the less likely the model isto replicate in new samples of data. For these
reasons, you should modify your models based upon theory as well as the
empirical results provided by the modification indices.

As a practical consideration, it is also worth noting that AMOS provides

modification index output only when complete data are input into the program.
In other words, you cannot obtain modification index information when you use
missing data with AMOS.

Can you apply these principles to the model from the current example? Yes. In
examining the model, you can see that there are two instruments that have
multiple measurements: Anomia and Powerlessness are measured in 1967 and
1971. Since these data come from the same research participants, it seems
reasonable to conclude that there may be shared variance between Anomia in
1967 and Anomia in 1971 that is not captured by the present model. Similarly,
there may also be shared variance between Powerlessness in 1967 and
Powerlessness in 1971 that is not accounted for in the present model.

You can correlate the residuals of these two sets of variables to incorporate these
sets of shared variance into the model. To correlate the residuals, return to the
AMOS Graphics window and select the Draw Covariancestool, represented by a
double-headed arrow.
Draw a correlation between e3, the error term for Anomia in 1967, and e5, the
error term for Anomia in 1971. Repeat the process for the Powerlessness
residuals.

Hint: You can alter the amount of curvature in the correlation lines by using the
Shape Change tool.

The modified model appears below.

AMOS displays this result when this model is run:
Inclusion of the two correlated residuals results in a substantial drop in the model
fit chi-square from 76.1 to 7.8. Notice that degrees of freedom of the chi-square
test isreduced from six degrees of freedom to four degrees of freedom. The two
degrees of freedom change occurs because each parameter estimated by the
model consumes one degree of freedom; since you included two new parameters
in the modified model (the two residual correlations), the new model has two
fewer degrees of freedom remaining.

The model fit table produced by AMOS appears below:

The chi-square value of 7.817 with four degrees of freedom is non-significant at
the .05 level: its p-value is .099. This finding suggests that model fits the data
acceptably in the population from which Wheaton et al. drew their sample.
Corroborating evidence is provided by the RMSEA fit statistic – the obtained
value of .032 is well below the desired .06 cutoff. Similarly, the Tucker-Lewis
Index result of .993 is considerably above the .95 threshold denoting satisfactory
model fit.

Once you obtain a model that fits well and is theoretically consistent, you may
interpret the parameter estimates and individual tests of significance of each
parameter estimate. AMOS provides two ways for you to examine parameter
estimates. One method uses the path diagram output to visually display the
parameter estimates while the other approach uses tables similar to those
containing the overall model fit statistics.

Viewing Path Diagram Output

At the top of this section of the AMOS Graphics window is an up-arrow located
next to a down-arrow.
Clicking on the up-arrow will cause AMOS to display the parameter estimates.
Unstandardizedor standardized estimates can be chosen by clicking on the
appropriate selection. Standardized estimates are selected in the figure shown
below.

Clicking on the down-arrow returns you to the AMOS Graphics drawing interface,
where you can modify your existing model and then re-run it, or you can open a
new model or pre-existing model file. When you click on the up-arrow, the
following parameter estimates are displayed as part of the output.
The values associated with each path are standardized regression coefficients.
These values represent the amount of change in Y given a standard deviation
unit change in X. (The corresponding unstandardizedcoefficients represent the
amount of change in Y given a single raw score unit change in X).
AMOS also prints the R2 values for each dependent or mediating variable above
the variable. For example, the R2 value for Anomia67 is .62. Although AMOS
does a good job of laying out the coefficients in its default display, it may be
necessary from time to time to move a particular parameter estimate value so
that the drawing appears less cluttered and more easily interpretable. To move a
parameter on the output diagram, use the Move Parameter tool.

Select the tool and move your mouse pointer over the offending variable until it
is highlighted in red. Then click and pull the mouse in a direction you think would
allow the parameter estimate value to be displayed more appropriately. A good
choice in the present diagram is the .39 R2 value for the Alienation 1967 latent
variable. Currently, it is partially hidden by the SES to Alienation 1967 path. By
dragging the parameter estimate object slightly to the right of the path object,
you can see the .39 value unobstructed.
A nice feature of AMOS is its high-quality graphical output. You can take this
output and copy it to the Windows clipboard. From there you can insert it into a
word processor such as MS Word or a presentation package like MS PowerPoint.
This model has several interesting features worth noting. First, it contains both
latent (unobserved) and manifest (observed) variables. Second, it contains both
causal relationships among latent variables, represented by single-headed
arrows, and correlationalor bi-directional relationships among several of the
residuals. These are represented by the dual-headed arrows connecting e3 with
e5 and e4 with e6, respectively. As discussed above, because the two anomia
and powerlessness measures are identical and measured on the same research
participants across time, it makes sense that they share variance due to causes
not accounted for by the alienation latent factors. The correlations between the
residuals accounts for that additional shared variance.

Significance Tests of Individual Parameters

The AMOS output also displays the unstandardized and standardized regression
coefficients. The unstandardized coefficients and associated test statistics
appear below. Each unstandardized regression coefficient represents the amount
of change in the dependent or mediating variable for each one unit change in the
variable predicting it. For example, in the figure shown below Alienation in 1967
decreases -.726 for each 1.00 increase in SES.

The table displays the unstandardizedestimate, its standard error (abbreviated

S.E.), and the estimate divided by the standard error (abbreviated C.R. for Critical
Ratio). The probability value associated with the null hypothesis that the test is
zero is displayed under the P column. All of the regression coefficients in this
model are significantly different from zero beyond the .01 level.
Standardized estimates allow you to evaluate the relative contributions of each
predictor variable to each outcome variable. The standardized estimates for the
fitted model appear below.

There is not much difference between the standardized and unstandardized

coefficients in this example, probably because the units are derived from survey
measurement items. By contrast, variables with very different measurement
scales entered into the same model can result in sharp discrepancies between
the standardized and unstandardizedregression coefficient output.

Section 6: Putting it all together: A substantive interpretation of

the findings

Once you have obtained a model that fits well and that is theoretically consistent
and it provides statistically significant parameter estimates, you must interpret it
in the light of your research questions and then distillyour results in written form
for publication.

Noteworthy features of this model include the negative relationship between SES
and Alienation, both in 1967 and in 1971, as illustrated by the statistically
significant unstandardized regression coefficients. The standardized coefficients
reveal a stronger relationship between SES and Alienation in 1967 versus 1971.
As one would expect, the relationship between Alienation in 1967 and Alienation
in 1971 is strong as well. The measurement portion of the model is also quite
good – the lowest R2 value is .46 (SEI), which is a reasonable value to obtain in
behavioralsciences research, and the other R2 values are higher, indicating that
the model is accounting for a large proportion of the variance in the measured
items.

It is important to note that even though this model fits the data well and provides
a theoretically consistent set of findings, there may be other equivalent models
that fit the data equally well. There may also be non-equivalent alternative
models that fit the data better than this model. Researchers should strive to test
and rule out likely alternative models whenever possible.

Hoyle and Panter (in Hoyle, 1995) and Hatcher (1994) provide excellent
discussions of how to write the results of structural equation models for
publication in journals and textbooks. Hoyle and Panterprovide guidelines for
writing about structural equation models whereas Hatcher provides sample text
from a mock write-up of the results of a SEM analysis ostensibly performed for a
manuscript to be submitted for publication in a scholarly journal. Both texts’ full
citations appear in the References section, shown below, and are available
through the UT library system.

In this course you learned

what SEM is and where to locate SEM resources in print and on line.

SEM nomenclature.

the mathematical basis of SEM and its assumptions.

how to draw a model using AMOS.

how to run the AMOS model and evaluate several key components of the AMOS
graphics and text output, including overall model fit and test statistics for
individual path coefficients.

how to modify and respecify a non-fitting model.

References
Benter, P. M. & Chou, C. P. (1987). Practical issues in structural modeling.
Sociological Methods and Research, 16(1), 78-117.

Bollen, K. A. (1989). Structural equations with latent variables. New York, NY: John
Wiley & Sons.

Hatcher, L. (1994). A step-by-step approach to using the SAS system for factor
analysis and structural equation modeling.Cary, NC: SAS Institute.
Hoyle, R. (1995). Structural equation modeling :concepts, issues and
applications. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Hu, L. & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance
structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural
Equation Modeling, 6(1), 1-55.

Little, R. J. A. & Rubin, D. A. (1987). Statistical analysis with missing data. New
York NY: John Wiley & Sons.

Loehlin, J. C. (1992). Latent variable models. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum

Publishers.

Rigdon, E. (1997). Approaches to testing identification.

http://www.gsu.edu/~mkteer/identifi.html

Roth, P. (1994). Missing data: A conceptual review for applied psychologists.

Personnel Psychology, 47, 537-560.

Stevens, J. (1996). Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences. Mahwah,
NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers.

Wheaton, B., Muthén, B., Alwin, D., & Summers, G. (1977). Assessing reliability
and stability in panel models. In D.R. Heise (Eds.): Sociological Methodology. San
Fransisco: Jossey-Bass.