Since Charles Spearman published his seminal paper on factor analysis in 1904 and Karl Joresk ̈ og replaced the observed variables in an econometric structural equation model by latent factors in 1970, causal modelling by means of latent variables has become the standard in the social and behavioural sciences. Indeed, the central va- ables that social and behavioural theories deal with, can hardly ever be identi?ed as observed variables. Statistical modelling has to take account of measurement - rors and invalidities in the observed variables and so address the underlying latent variables. Moreover, during the past decades it has been widely agreed on that serious causal modelling should be based on longitudinal data. It is especially in the ?eld of longitudinal research and analysis, including panel research, that progress has been made in recent years. Many comprehensive panel data sets as, for example, on human development and voting behaviour have become available for analysis. The number of publications based on longitudinal data has increased immensely. Papers with causal claims based on cross-sectional data only experience rejection just for that reason.

This volume is the product of a course on longitudinal prospective re search arranged by the three editors in Arhus, Denmark, in 1978. The course was supported by the Nordisk Kulturfond for young researchers from the Nordic countries, who had planned or had simply involved themselves in longitudinal prospective research projects of various kinds. The twenty-six participants represented a wide range of professions: statisticians, psychologists, psychiatrists, nutritionists, and public health researchers. The teachers came from many countries and represented many disciplines. The course was very successful, especially from the point of view of the quality and investment of the teachers. We felt also that the course met a strong need in this relatively new field of research. Therefore, we asked the teachers to prepare written versions of their lectures so that they could have wider dissemination; they agreed to do so. The present book is composed of these contributions. The first chap ter, after outlining some of the problems with traditional strategies in mental health research, goes on to suggest some of the possible preven tive applications of longitudinal research methods. Included in Parts II and III are papers on design problems and on the tools of long-term research, such as genetics and classification, biological measurements, epidemiological guidelines, statistical models, disease registers, and de velopmental psychology.

One of the major changes in the social science research landscape in recent years has been the introduction of computerised panel surveys in Europe and the US which make longitudinal data widely available to graduate students for the first time. Elisabetta Ruspini here provides a concise yet comprehensive introduction to the issues involved in this kind of research. This book: * Defines the concept of longitudinal research * Gives guidance on sources of longitudinal data in Europe and the US and their strengths and weaknesses * Discusses the choices that need to be made in this kind of research - for instance the advantages and disadvantages of certain types of research data and of different types of analysis * Highlights some of the problems involved, e.g. the issue of comparability within longitudinal research

This overview of the central issues of data quality in longitudinal research focuses on data relevant for studying individual development. The topics covered include reliability, validity, sampling, aggregation, and the correspondence between theory and method. More specific, practical issues in longitudinal research, such as the drop-out problem and issues of confidentiality are also addressed. The volume is the result of an interdisciplinary endeavor by leading European scientists to discuss appropriate ways of handling various types of longitudinal data, including psychiatric data, alcohol data, and criminal data.

An analysis of data treatment methodology for longitudinal research studies.

Longitudinal research is a broad field in which substantial advances have been made over the past decade. Unlike many of the existing books that only address the analysis of information. The Handbook of Longitudinal Research covers design and measurement as well as the data analysis. Designed for use by a wide-ranging audience, this Handbook not only includes perspective on the methodological and data analysis problems in longitudinal research but it also includes contributors' data sets that enable readers who lack sophisticated statistics skills to move from theories about longitudinal data into practice. As the comprehensive reference, this Handbook has no direct competition as most books in this subject area are more narrowly specialized and are pitched at a high mathematical level. Contributors and subject areas are interdisciplinary to reach the broadest possible audience (i.e., psychology, epidemiology, and economics research fields) Summary material will be included for less sohisticated readers Extensive coverage is provided of traditional advanced topics

These edited volumes present new statistical methods in a way that bridges the gap between theoretical and applied statistics. The volumes cover general problems and issues and more specific topics concerning the structuring of change, the analysis of time series, and the analysis of categorical longitudinal data. The book targets students of development and change in a variety of fields - psychology, sociology, anthropology, education, medicine, psychiatry, economics, behavioural sciences, developmental psychology, ecology, plant physiology, and biometry - with basic training in statistics and computing.

This volume reviews the challenges and alternative approaches to modeling how individuals change across time and provides methodologies and data analytic strategies for behavioral and social science researchers. This accessible guide provides concrete, clear examples of how contextual factors can be included in most research studies. Each chapter can be understood independently, allowing readers to first focus on areas most relevant to their work. The opening chapter demonstrates the various ways contextual factors are represented—as covariates, predictors, outcomes, moderators, mediators, or mediated effects. Succeeding chapters review "best practice" techniques for treating missing data, making model comparisons, and scaling across developmental age ranges. Other chapters focus on specific statistical techniques such as multilevel modeling and multiple-group and multilevel SEM, and how to incorporate tests of mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation. Critical measurement and theoretical issues are discussed, particularly how age can be represented and the ways in which context can be conceptualized. The final chapter provides a compelling call to include contextual factors in theorizing and research. This book will appeal to researchers and advanced students conducting developmental, social, clinical, or educational research, as well as those in related areas such as psychology and linguistics.

Longitudinal data is essential for understanding how the world around us changes. Most theories in the social sciences and elsewhere have a focus on change, be it of individuals, of countries, of organizations, or of systems, and this is reflected in the myriad of longitudinal data that are being collected using large panel surveys. This type of data collection has been made easier in the age of Big Data and with the rise of social media. Yet our measurements of the world are often imperfect, and longitudinal data is vulnerable to measurement errors which can lead to flawed and misleading conclusions. Measurement Error in Longitudinal Data tackles the important issue of how to investigate change in the context of imperfect data. It compiles the latest advances in estimating change in the presence of measurement error from several fields and covers the entire process, from the best ways of collecting longitudinal data, to statistical models to estimate change under uncertainty, to examples of researchers applying these methods in the real world. This book introduces the essential issues of longitudinal data collection, such as memory effects, panel conditioning (or mere measurement effects), the use of administrative data, and the collection of multi-mode longitudinal data. It also presents some of the most important models used in this area, including quasi-simplex models, latent growth models, latent Markov chains, and equivalence/DIF testing. Finally, the use of vignettes in the context of longitudinal data and estimation methods for multilevel models of change in the presence of measurement error are also discussed.