MF9470 – Introduction to Structural Equation Models (SEM) with the LISREL program

Course description

• Course content
• Learning outcome
• Admission
• Prerequisites

• Teaching
• Examination
• Evaluation

Course content

The course is an introduction to models with latent (non observable) and observable variables (observed with measurement error) through structural equation modeling (SEM) with the LISREL program. These models have applications in a wide variety of fields from sociology, psychiatry, psychology, economics to name a few.

Learning outcome

You will learn basic use of the LISREL program by one of its founders. In doing so, various aspects of formulating, fitting and testing relations between observable and latent variables will be demonstrated to put the applications in a necessary theoretical framework. A special case of the general LISREL model is factor analysis (exploratory or confirmatory), which is a common way to analyze questionaires. The factor model will be formulated, and extensions demonstrated, where the latent variables can have correlated measurement error and the observable variables can be categorical or continuous.

Admission

Ph.D. candidates at the University of Oslo and students at the Medical Student Research Programm will get first priority to the course. Maximum number of particpants is 30.

Prerequisites

Recommended previous knowledge

Factor analysis

Teaching

The course is organized as full day teaching over 2 days including lectures and demonstrations of LISREL.

Examination

A take-home exam will be given at the end of the course. Grading: Pass/fail.

Explanations and appeals

• Explanation of grades and appeals

Evaluation

The course is subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students to participate in a more comprehensive evaluation.