The classical statistical problem typically involves a probability distribution which depends on a number of unknown parameters. The form of the distribution may be known, partially or completely, and inferences have to be made on the basis of a sample of observations drawn from the distribution; often, but not necessarily, a random sample. This brief deals with problems where some of the sample members are either unobserved or hypothetical, the latter category being introduced as a means of better explaining the data. Sometimes we are interested in these kinds of variable themselves and sometimes in the parameters of the distribution. Many problems that can be cast into this form are treated. These include: missing data, mixtures, latent variables, time series and social measurement problems. Although all can be accommodated within a Bayesian framework, most are best treated from first principles.
This Handbook covers latent variable models, which are a flexible class of models for modeling multivariate data to explore relationships among observed and latent variables. - Covers a wide class of important models - Models and statistical methods described provide tools for analyzing a wide spectrum of complicated data - Includes illustrative examples with real data sets from business, education, medicine, public health and sociology. - Demonstrates the use of a wide variety of statistical, computational, and mathematical techniques.
Latent variable models are used in many areas of the social and behavioural sciences, and the increasing availability of computer packages for fitting such models is likely to increase their popularity. This book attempts to introduce such models to applied statisticians and research workers interested in exploring the structure of covari ance and correlation matrices in terms of a small number of unob servable constructs. The emphasis is on the practical application of the procedures rather than on detailed discussion of their mathe matical and statistical properties. It is assumed that the reader is familiar with the most commonly used statistical concepts and methods, particularly regression, and also has a fair knowledge of matrix algebra. My thanks are due to my colleagues Dr David Hand and Dr Graham Dunn for helpful comments on the book, to Mrs Bertha Lakey for her careful typing of a difficult manuscript and to Peter Cuttance for assistance with the LlSREL package. In addition the text clearly owes a great deal to the work on structural equation models published by Karl Joreskog, Dag Sorbom, Peter Bentler, Michael Browne and others.
This volume presents original and up-to-date studies in unobserved components (UC) time series models from both theoretical and methodological perspectives. It also presents empirical studies where the UC time series methodology is adopted. Drawing on the intellectual influence of Andrew Harvey, the work covers three main topics: the theory and methodology for unobserved components time series models; applications of unobserved components time series models; and time series econometrics and estimation and testing. These types of time series models have seen wide application in economics, statistics, finance, climate change, engineering, biostatistics, and sports statistics. The volume effectively provides a key review into relevant research directions for UC time series econometrics and will be of interest to econometricians, time series statisticians, and practitioners (government, central banks, business) in time series analysis and forecasting, as well to researchers and graduate students in statistics, econometrics, and engineering.
This book presents the econometric analysis of single-equation and simultaneous-equation models in which the jointly dependent variables can be continuous, categorical, or truncated. Despite the traditional emphasis on continuous variables in econometrics, many of the economic variables encountered in practice are categorical (those for which a suitable category can be found but where no actual measurement exists) or truncated (those that can be observed only in certain ranges). Such variables are involved, for example, in models of occupational choice, choice of tenure in housing, and choice of type of schooling. Models with regulated prices and rationing, and models for program evaluation, also represent areas of application for the techniques presented by the author.
This graduate level nursing research textbook continues the expansion of coverage on qualitative research, including important issues for specific qualitative traditions such as grounded theory, phenomenology and ethnography. Developing solid evidence for practice will be emphasized throughout the text, and important evaluative concepts like reliability, validity, and trustworthiness will be introduced. Other new features include stronger international content (with an emphasis on Canadian and Australian research), inclusion of “tips” in boxes located in appropriate places throughout the chapters, and the use of summary bullet points. This edition will now offer a free Connection Website, connection.LWW.com/go/polit.
"Social networks fundamentally shape our lives. Networks channel the ways that information, emotions, and diseases flow through populations. Networks reflect differences in power and status in settings ranging from small peer groups to international relations across the globe. Network tools even provide insights into the ways that concepts, ideas and other socially generated contents shape culture and meaning. As such, the rich and diverse field of social network analysis has emerged as a central tool across the social sciences. This Handbook provides an overview of the theory, methods, and substantive contributions of this field. The thirty-three chapters move through the basics of social network analysis aimed at those seeking an introduction to advanced and novel approaches to modeling social networks statistically. The Handbook includes chapters on data collection and visualization, theoretical innovations, links between networks and computational social science, and how social network analysis has contributed substantively across numerous fields. As networks are everywhere in social life, the field is inherently interdisciplinary and this Handbook includes contributions from leading scholars in sociology, archaeology, economics, statistics, and information science among others"--
Communication research is evolving and changing in a world of online journals, open-access, and new ways of obtaining data and conducting experiments via the Internet. Although there are generic encyclopedias describing basic social science research methodologies in general, until now there has been no comprehensive A-to-Z reference work exploring methods specific to communication and media studies. Our entries, authored by key figures in the field, focus on special considerations when applied specifically to communication research, accompanied by engaging examples from the literature of communication, journalism, and media studies. Entries cover every step of the research process, from the creative development of research topics and questions to literature reviews, selection of best methods (whether quantitative, qualitative, or mixed) for analyzing research results and publishing research findings, whether in traditional media or via new media outlets. In addition to expected entries covering the basics of theories and methods traditionally used in communication research, other entries discuss important trends influencing the future of that research, including contemporary practical issues students will face in communication professions, the influences of globalization on research, use of new recording technologies in fieldwork, and the challenges and opportunities related to studying online multi-media environments. Email, texting, cellphone video, and blogging are shown not only as topics of research but also as means of collecting and analyzing data. Still other entries delve into considerations of accountability, copyright, confidentiality, data ownership and security, privacy, and other aspects of conducting an ethical research program. Features: 652 signed entries are contained in an authoritative work spanning four volumes available in choice of electronic or print formats. Although organized A-to-Z, front matter includes a Reader’s Guide grouping entries thematically to help students interested in a specific aspect of communication research to more easily locate directly related entries. Back matter includes a Chronology of the development of the field of communication research; a Resource Guide to classic books, journals, and associations; a Glossary introducing the terminology of the field; and a detailed Index. Entries conclude with References/Further Readings and Cross-References to related entries to guide students further in their research journeys. The Index, Reader’s Guide themes, and Cross-References combine to provide robust search-and-browse in the e-version.
Applied Latent Class Analysis introduces several innovations in latent class analysis to a wider audience of researchers. Many of the world's leading innovators in the field of latent class analysis contributed essays to this volume, each presenting a key innovation to the basic latent class model and illustrating how it can prove useful in situations typically encountered in actual research.
Understanding developmental processes in the individual as well as in aggregates of individuals is an important aim of many of the social and behavioral sciences. This book presents a theoretical framework for this endeavor - an architecture for the study of human development across different disciplines. This architecture describes two major sources of human development (biology and culture) and posits three central developmental mechanisms (selection, optimization, and compensation).
