Hi, I'm a master student and recent doing a project using SEM in AMOS. And when testing some hypotheses, I found myself lacking of understanding some basic knowledge such as the difference between the latent casual model and path model. I only knew the very basic difference is that path analysis assumes that all variables are measured without error. SEM uses latent variables to account for measurement error.
The problem was when I was doing mediation analysis in AMOS, I wanted to test different types of mediation, such as full mediation and partial mediation, after I only drew the observed variables(which in square), the model fit became really strange that the CMIN and DF were 0. But it was fine if I did CFA test drawing both unobserved and observed variables.
Could anyone kindly explain the difference to me and might provide some references or nice books for beginners to study step by step by konwing the development of path analysis and latent variables, SEM etc.
Thanks a lot in advance!
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01984/full
Path models use ordinary least squares regression without any measurement model.
Confirmatory Factor Analysis creates a measurement model without any causal paths.
Structural Equation Modeling combines both a measurement model and a set of paths linking the conceptual ("unmeasured") variables.
As for books, Byrne has a good introduction: Structural Equation Modeling With AMOS.
Having a Chi-square and DF of zero is perfectly normal if the model is just identified. [I am guessing this was the partial mediation model.]
The latent variable model estimates relatively fewer parameter (in relation to the information provided by the observed variables), so you have a non-zero Chi-square and DF.
By the way, "causal" is a misnomer, as the difference between these two types of model has nothing to do with causality.
In addition to the Byrne book, I would highly recommend the one by Rex Kline.
Hi, I have a new course on Udemy about that (Path Analysis, and CFA). https://www.udemy.com/course/confirmatory-factor-analysis-with-amos/?couponCode=9FE45F1E896A4522869C
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