Latent Curve Models
A Structural Equation Perspective
Chapter One
Introduction
Every discipline in the social sciences seeks to understand the sources of stability
and change in variables. A psychologist, for instance, maps the development of
cognitive abilities in children. An economist traces the economic growth of nations
or the sales of companies. A sociologist tracks crime rates across communities. The
time interval for change might be daily, weekly, monthly, or annually. The unit
of analysis might be children, businesses, or countries. Regardless of the subject
area or the time interval, social and behavioral scientists have a keen interest in
describing and explaining the time trajectories of their variables.
Although the analysis of longitudinal data has a long and rich history in the
social sciences, the past several decades have witnessed a sharp increase in interest
in this topic. This resurgence of concern has a variety of sources. First, there is a
growing appreciation of the limits of relying solely on cross-sectional data. Many
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