ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the univariate and bivariate Latent Change Score Models (LCSM). It introduces the Monte Carlo based method for power analysis. The chapter explores how to conduct power analysis for LCSMs through several examples using their developed software. It proposes a Monte Carlo based method to determine the required sample size and/or the number of measurement occasions for both univariate and bivariate LCSMs. The Monte Carlo based method can be very computationally intensive because of the involvement of the Monte Carlo simulation. Growth curve models are probably the most widely used technique for analyzing longitudinal data, benefiting from the fact that a growth curve model can be fitted from a structural equation modeling framework. The importance of conducting statistical power analysis at the beginning of a study is universally accepted. Without adequate statistical power, the validity of statistical conclusions from all kinds of research is endangered.
