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7 - Latent Variable Models in Clinical Psychology

from Part II - Observational Approaches

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2020

By
Aidan G. C. Wright
Edited by
Aidan G. C. Wright  and
Michael N. Hallquist
Aidan G. C. Wright
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
Michael N. Hallquist
Affiliation:
Pennsylvania State University
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Summary

Most of what clinical psychology concerns itself with is directly unobservable. Concepts like neuroticism and depression, but also learning and development, represent dispositions, states, or processes that must be inferred and cannot (currently) be directly measured. Latent variable modeling, as a statistical framework, encompasses a range of techniques that involve estimating the presence and effect of unobserved variables from observed data. This chapter provides a nontechnical overview of latent variable modeling in clinical psychology. Dimensional latent variable models are emphasized, although categorical and hybrid models are touched on briefly. Challenges with specific models, such as the bifactor model are discussed. Examples draw from the psychopathology literature.

Keywords

latent variable modelsfactor analysisexploratory structural equation modelingbifactor modelsfactor mixture models
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods in Clinical Psychology , pp. 66 - 79
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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