Re: SEM in AMOS - questions on error terms, covariance and negative chi square value

Posted by Nick on Jul 03, 2012; 6:45am
URL: http://spssx-discussion.165.s1.nabble.com/SEM-in-AMOS-questions-on-error-terms-covariance-and-negative-chi-square-value-tp5713770p5713970.html

Dear David and all,

thank you very much for your feedback.
Yes, it was the bug in AMOS 20 that caused the nonsensical chi square value. With the software update (and the same model), chi square is now about 130, RMSEA about 0.09.

Given the complexity of the model and my difficulty to know how it is best specified (error terms, covariances between predictor variables), I was wondering whether I should not better calculate two multiple linear regressions instead:
regression 1 with AV1 as dependent variable (DV) and P1 to P4 as independent variables (IVs)
and
regression 2 with AV2 as DV (average of standardized outcomes 1 to 3) and AV1 and CV1 to CV4 as IVs.

Two regressions may be a much more straightforward analytic approach than this complex SEM model.
Any thoughts?

Thanks a lot again for your help,
Nick