R: Class for Representing a Measurement-Equivalence Model

measEq.syntax-class {semTools} | R Documentation

## Class for Representing a Measurement-Equivalence Model

### Description

This class of object stores information used to automatically generate lavaan model syntax to represent user-specified levels of measurement equivalence/invariance across groups and/or repeated measures. See `measEq.syntax` for details.

### Usage

    ## S4 method for signature 'measEq.syntax'
    as.character(x, package = "lavaan")

    ## S4 method for signature 'measEq.syntax'
    show(object)

    ## S4 method for signature 'measEq.syntax'
    summary(object, verbose = TRUE)

    ## S4 method for signature 'measEq.syntax'
    update(object, ..., evaluate = TRUE)

### Arguments

`x, object` | an object of class `measEq.syntax`
`package` | `character` indicating the package for which the syntax should be generated. Currently, only `"lavaan"`.
`verbose` | `logical` indicating whether to print a summary to the screen (default). If `FALSE`, only a pattern matrix is returned.
`...` | Additional arguments to the `call`, or arguments with changed values.
`evaluate` | If `TRUE`, evaluate the new `call`; otherwise, return the new `call`.

### Value

`summary` | `signature(object = "measEq.syntax", verbose = TRUE)`: A `character` matrix indicating the pattern of `numeric`, `ordered`, or latent indicators loading on common factors. By default (`verbose = TRUE`), `summary` also prints descriptive details about the model, including the numbers of indicators and factors, and which parameters are constrained to equality.
`show` | `signature(object = "measEq.syntax")`: Prints a message about how to use the object for model fitting. Invisibly returns the object.
`update` | `signature(object = "measEq.syntax"), ..., evaluate = TRUE`: Creates a new object with updated arguments.
`as.character` | `signature(x = "measEq.syntax", package = "lavaan")`: Converts the `measEq.syntax` object to model syntax that can be copy/pasted into a syntax file to be edited before analysis, or simply passed to `lavaan` to fit the model to data.

### Slots

`package`

  `character` indicating the software package used to represent the model. Currently, only `"lavaan"` is available, which uses the LISREL representation (see `lavOptions`). In the future, `"OpenMx"` may become available, using RAM representation.

`model.type`

  `character`. Currently, only "cfa" is available. Future versions may allow for MIMIC / RFA models, where invariance can be tested across levels of exogenous variables explicitly included as predictors of indicators, controlling for their effects on (or correlation with) the common factors.

`call`

  The function call as returned by `match.call()`, with some arguments updated if necessary for logical consistency.

`meanstructure`

  `logical` indicating whether a mean structure is included in the model.

`numeric`

  `character` vector naming `numeric` manifest indicators.

`ordered`

  `character` vector naming `ordered` indicators.

`parameterization`

  `character`. See `lavOptions`.

`specify`

  `list` of parameter matrices, similar in form to the output of `lavInspect(fit, "free")`. These matrices are `logical`, indicating whether each parameter should be specified in the model syntax.

`values`

  `list` of parameter matrices, similar in form to the output of `lavInspect(fit, "free")`. These matrices are `numeric`, indicating whether each parameter should be freely estimated (indicated by `NA`) or fixed to a particular value.

`labels`

  `list` of parameter matrices, similar in form to the output of `lavInspect(fit, "free")`. These matrices contain `character` labels used to constrain parameters to equality.

`constraints`

  `character` vector containing additional equality constraints used to identify the model when `ID.fac = "fx"`.

`ngroups`

  `integer` indicating the number of groups.

### Author(s)

Terrence D. Jorgensen (University of Amsterdam; TJorgensen314@gmail.com)

### Examples

    ## See ?measEq.syntax help page

[Package semTools version 0.5-1 Index]