This practical introduction to second-order and growth mixture models using the statistical program Mplus introduces simple and complex techniques through incremental steps. The authors, including UGA’s Kandauda “K.A.S.” Wickrama, the UGA Athletic Association Professor in Family and Consumer Sciences, and Catherine Walker O’Neal, an assistant research scientist in UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences’ human development and family science department, extend latent growth curves to second-order growth curve and mixture models and then combine the two.
To maximize understanding, each model is presented with basic structural equations, figures with associated syntax that highlight what the statistics mean, Mplus applications and an interpretation of results. Examples from a variety of disciplines demonstrate the use of the models and exercises allow readers to test their understanding of the techniques.
