ABSTRACT
The previous chapter provided an introduction to confirmatory factor analysis or CFA. Confirmatory factor analysis is only one of a number of multivariate statistical methods that fall under the broad category of structural equation models, which includes methods variously referred to as multiple regression, path analysis, causal modeling, latent structure analysis, and covariance structure analysis. As was the case with CFA, the computation required to estimate the parameters for these models is extensive. The work of setting up the models and carrying out the computations to estimate the model parameters for many of these methods, however, has been greatly simplified by the availability of the LISREL (Joreskog & Sorbom, 1988) and EQS (Bentler, 1989) computer programs. Although many authors have contributed to the development of various kinds of structural equation models and methods for estimating their parameters, the LISREL and EQS programs have become the currently most popular means of implementing this methodology. In this chapter, the reader is introduced to some of the theory and procedures for utilizing these programs. This chapter is designed to provide a general idea of what these programs can do rather than to serve as a self-contained operations manual. The reader interested in applying these methods should consult the LISREL and EQS program manuals for essential additional details as well as more advanced treatises on the topic (e.g., Hayduk, 1987).
