2022 Robert Wherry Lecture: Dr. Kenneth A. Bollen, Ph.D

“What longitudinal model should I choose?”

Thursday, March 31, 2022 @ 3:00-4:00pm
209 W 18th Ave. Room EA 170

(Presented by the Quantitative Psychology Area & Department of Statistics)

Join Virtually: https://osu.zoom.us/j/94866740780?pwd=eFp2TzA0cXBzRkhHb2F5Tlo2UVdudz09

Dr. Kenneth A. Bollen, Ph.D

The Department of Psychology and Department of Statistics is welcoming Dr. Kenneth A. Bollen, Ph.D, the Henry Rudolph Immerwahr Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology

and Neuroscience and Department of Sociology at UNC at Chapel Hill, to give the 2022 Robert Wherry Lecture on Thursday, March 31 2022 from 3:00-4:00pm. The lecture can be viewed in-person or virtually using the Zoom link above. Quantitative researchers of all backgrounds will benefit from hearing Dr. Bollen answer the question, “What longitudinal model should I choose?”

Event Description:

With the growing availability of longitudinal data comes the question of what model to use? In an ideal world, theory and substantive arguments would be sufficiently clear to dictate one. But in practice, there is little guidance and academic fads or the practice in researchers’ fields typically affect model choice. We illustrate how a general longitudinal model (LV-ALT) can help researchers in their selection. The LVALT model can specialize to other popular models such as the classic random or fixed effects, growth curve models, autoregressive, latent
difference scores, and a variety of other hybrid structures. The LV-ALT model can help to defend the choice of one of these traditional models or it can suggest new hybrid models to consider. We illustrate our results with NLYS79 and Add Health data on self-reported health and an analysis from a paper recently published in Demography.

Ken Bollen is the Henry Rudolph Immerwahr Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and Department of Sociology at UNC at Chapel Hill. He is a faculty member in the Quantitative Psychology Program in the Thurstone Psychometric Laboratory. He also is part of the Methods Unit and a Fellow of the Carolina Population Center. Since 1980 he has been an instructor in the ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research. Bollen’s primary areas of statistical research are in structural equation models, longitudinal methods, and latent growth curve models.