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LIFESPAN: A tool for the computer-aided design of longitudinal studies

Publié dansFrontiers in psychology, vol. 6, no. 272
Date de publication2015
Résumé

Researchers planning a longitudinal study typically search, more or lessi nformally, a multivariate space of possible study designs that include dimensions such as the hypothesized true variance in change, indicator reliability, the number and spacing of measurement occasions, total study time, and sample size. The main search goal is to select a research design that best addresses the guiding questions and hypotheses of the planned study while heeding applicable external conditions and constraints, including time, money, feasibility, and ethical considerations. Because longitudinal study selection ultimately requires optimization under constraints, it is amenable to the general operating principles of optimization in computer-aided design. Based on power equivalence theory (MacCallumetal., 2010; vonOertzen, 2010), we propose a computational framework to promote more systematic searches within the study design space. Starting with an initial design, the proposed framework generates a set of alternative models with equal statistical power to detect hypothesized effects, and delineates trade-off relations among relevant parameters, such as total study time and the number of measurement occasions. We present LIFESPAN (Longitudinal Interactive Front End Study Planner), which implements this framework. LIFESPAN boosts the efficiency, breadth, and precision of the search for optimal longitudinal designs. Its initial version, which is freely available at http://www.brandmaier.de/lifespan, is geared toward the power to detect variance in change as specified in a linear latent growth curve model.

Mots-clés
  • Statistical power
  • Structural equation modeling
  • Latent growth curve modeling
  • Optimal design
  • Power equivalence theory
  • Effective error
Citation (format ISO)
BRANDMAIER, Andreas M. et al. LIFESPAN: A tool for the computer-aided design of longitudinal studies. In: Frontiers in psychology, 2015, vol. 6, n° 272. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00272
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Article (Published version)
Identifiants
ISSN du journal1664-1078
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Informations techniques

Création08/08/2016 14:25:00
Première validation08/08/2016 14:25:00
Heure de mise à jour15/03/2023 00:37:58
Changement de statut15/03/2023 00:37:57
Dernière indexation12/02/2024 11:25:27
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