This book is a practical guide for the analysis of longitudinal behavioural data. Longitudinal data consist of repeated measures collected on the same subjects over time.

Longitudinal data analysis for biomedical and behavioral sciences This innovative book sets forth and describes methods for the analysis of longitudinaldata, emphasizing applications to problems in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. Reflecting the growing importance and use of longitudinal data across many areas of research, the text is designed to help users of statistics better analyze and understand this type of data. Much of the material from the book grew out of a course taught by Dr. Hedeker on longitudinal data analysis. The material is, therefore, thoroughly classroom tested and includes a number of features designed to help readers better understand and apply the material. Statistical procedures featured within the text include: * Repeated measures analysis of variance * Multivariate analysis of variance for repeated measures * Random-effects regression models (RRM) * Covariance-pattern models * Generalized-estimating equations (GEE) models * Generalizations of RRM and GEE for categorical outcomes Practical in their approach, the authors emphasize the applications of the methods, using real-world examples for illustration. Some syntax examples are provided, although the authors do not generally focus on software in this book. Several datasets and computer syntax examples are posted on this title's companion Web site. The authors intend to keep the syntax examples current as new versions of the software programs emerge. This text is designed for both undergraduate and graduate courses in longitudinal data analysis. Instructors can take advantage of overheads and additional course materials available online for adopters. Applied statisticians in biomedicine and the social sciences can also use the book as a convenient reference.

This book is written for behavioral scientists who want to consider adding R to their existing set of statistical tools, or want to switch to R as their main computation tool. The authors aim primarily to help practitioners of behavioral research make the transition to R. The focus is to provide practical advice on some of the widely-used statistical methods in behavioral research, using a set of notes and annotated examples. The book will also help beginners learn more about statistics and behavioral research. These are statistical techniques used by psychologists who do research on human subjects, but of course they are also relevant to researchers in others fields that do similar kinds of research. The authors emphasize practical data analytic skills so that they can be quickly incorporated into readers’ own research.

This book provides accessible treatment to state-of-the-art approaches to analyzing longitudinal studies. Comprehensive coverage of the most popular analysis tools allows readers to pick and choose the techniques that best fit their research. The analyses are illustrated with examples from major longitudinal data sets including practical information about their content and design. Illustrations from popular software packages offer tips on how to interpret the results. Each chapter features suggested readings for additional study and a list of articles that further illustrate how to implement the analysis and report the results. Syntax examples for several software packages for each of the chapter examples are provided at www.psypress.com/longitudinal-data-analysis. Although many of the examples address health or social science questions related to aging, readers from other disciplines will find the analyses relevant to their work. In addition to demonstrating statistical analysis of longitudinal data, the book shows how to interpret and analyze the results within the context of the research design. The methods covered in this book are applicable to a range of applied problems including short- to long-term longitudinal studies using a range of sample sizes. The book provides non-technical, practical introductions to the concepts and issues relevant to longitudinal analysis. Topics include use of publicly available data sets, weighting and adjusting for complex sampling designs with longitudinal studies, missing data and attrition, measurement issues related to longitudinal research, the use of ANOVA and regression for average change over time, mediation analysis, growth curve models, basic and advanced structural equation models, and survival analysis. An ideal supplement for graduate level courses on data analysis and/or longitudinal modeling taught in psychology, gerontology, public health, human development, family studies, medicine, sociology, social work, and other behavioral, social, and health sciences, this multidisciplinary book will also appeal to researchers in these fields.

Publisher Description

The importance that practitioners are placing on longitudinal designs and analyses signals a critical shift toward methods that enable a better understanding of developmental processes thought to underlie many human attributes and behaviors. A simple scan of one’s own applied literature reveals evidence of this trend through the increasing number of articles adopting longitudinal methods as their primary analytic tools. Advances in Longitudinal Methods in the Social and Behavioral Sciences is a resource intended for advanced graduate students, faculty, and applied researchers interested in longitudinal data analysis, especially in the social and behavioral sciences. The chapters are written by established methodological researchers from diverse research domains such as psychology, biostatistics, educational statistics, psychometrics, and family sciences. Each chapter exposes the reader to some of the latest methodological developments and perspectives in the analysis of longitudinal data, and is written in a didactic tone that makes the content accessible to the broader research community. This volume will be particularly appealing to researchers in domains including, but not limited to: human development, clinical psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, special education, epidemiology, family science, kinesiology, communication disorders, and education policy and administration. The book will also be attractive to members of several professional organizations such as the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the American Psychological Association (APA), the American Psychological Society (APS), the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA), the Society of Research in Child Development (SRCD), Society for Research in Adult Development (SRAD), British Psychological Society (BPS), Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), and other related organizations.

Although many books currently available describe statistical models and methods for analyzing longitudinal data, they do not highlight connections between various research threads in the statistical literature. Responding to this void, Longitudinal Data Analysis provides a clear, comprehensive, and unified overview of state-of-the-art theory