Fall 2007

SOC 395J • Structural Equation Models of Health and the Life Course

Course Description

This class is a practicum on structural equation modeling (SEM) of health and the life course. A structural equation model integrates two or more regression equations, showing the implications of the relationships among them. SEM developed from two older methods called path analysis and factor analysis. A path analysis shows the mediating links between variables. The classic path analyses in sociology showed how parental social status influenced a worker's educational attainment, which in turn influenced the workers occupational status, which in turn influenced income. A factor analysis infers the unseen common causes implied by the correlations among variables. When combined in SEM, these methods allow researchers to model complex sets of causal relationships.

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