modsem

This is a package which allows you to perform interactions between latent variables (i.e., moderation) in CB-SEM. See https://kss2k.github.io/intro_modsem/ for a tutorial.

To Install

# From CRAN 
install.packages("modsem")

# Latest version from Github
install.packages("devtools")
devtools::install_github("kss2k/modsem", build_vignettes = TRUE)

Methods/Approaches

There are a number of approaches for estimating interaction effects in SEM. In modsem(), the method = "method" argument allows you to choose which to use.

• "ca" = constrained approach (Algina & Moulder, 2001)
  • Note that constraints can become quite complicated for complex models, particularly when there is an interaction including enodgenous variables. The method can therefore be quite slow.
• "uca" = unconstrained approach (Marsh, 2004)
• "rca" = residual centering approach (Little et al., 2006)
• "dblcent" = double centering approach (Marsh., 2013)
  • default
• "pind" = basic product indicator approach (not recommended)
• "lms" = The Latent Moderated Structural equations (LMS) approach, see the vignette
• "qml" = The Quasi Maximum Likelihood (QML) approach, see the vignette
• "mplus"
  • estimates model through Mplus, if it is installed

New Features (01.06.2024-05-06-2024)

• New function for plotting interaction effects (plot_interaction()), see the vignette
• Interaction effects between endogenous and exogenous variables are now possible by default with QML-approach.
• Interaction effects between two endogenous variables are now possible with the LMS and QML approach, using the ‘cov.syntax’ argument, see the vignette for more information. (only available on GitHub, not on CRAN)

Examples

One interaction

library(modsem)
m1 <- '
  # Outer Model
  X =~ x1 + x2 +x3
  Y =~ y1 + y2 + y3
  Z =~ z1 + z2 + z3
  
  # Inner model
  Y ~ X + Z + X:Z 
'

# Double centering approach
est1_dca <- modsem(m1, oneInt)
summary(est1_dca)

# Constrained approach
est1_ca <- modsem(m1, oneInt, method = "ca")
summary(est1_ca)

# QML approach 
est1_qml <- modsem(m1, oneInt, method = "qml")
summary(est1_qml, standardized = TRUE) 

# LMS approach 
est1_lms <- modsem(m1, oneInt, method = "lms") 
summary(est1_lms)

Theory Of Planned Behavior

tpb <- "
# Outer Model (Based on Hagger et al., 2007)
  ATT =~ att1 + att2 + att3 + att4 + att5
  SN =~ sn1 + sn2
  PBC =~ pbc1 + pbc2 + pbc3
  INT =~ int1 + int2 + int3
  BEH =~ b1 + b2

# Inner Model (Based on Steinmetz et al., 2011)
  # Causal Relationsships
  INT ~ ATT + SN + PBC
  BEH ~ INT + PBC
  BEH ~ PBC:INT
"

# double centering approach
est_tpb_dca <- modsem(tpb, data = TPB, method = "dblcent")
summary(est_tpb_dca)

# Constrained approach using Wrigths path tracing rules for generating
# the appropriate constraints
est_tpb_ca <- modsem(tpb, data = TPB, method = "ca") 
summary(est_tpb_ca)

# LMS approach 
est_tpb_lms <- modsem(tpb, data = TPB, method = "lms")
summary(est_tpb_lms, standardized = TRUE) 

# QML approach 
est_tpb_qml <- modsem(tpb, data = TPB, method = "qml") 
summary(est_tpb_qml, standardized = TRUE)

Interactions between two observed variables

est2 <- modsem('y1 ~ x1 + z1 + x1:z1', data = oneInt, method = "pind")
summary(est2)

## Interaction between an obsereved and a latent variable 
m3 <- '
  # Outer Model
  X =~ x1 + x2 +x3
  Y =~ y1 + y2 + y3
  
  # Inner model
  Y ~ X + z1 + X:z1 
'

est3 <- modsem(m3, oneInt, method = "pind")
summary(est3)