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Using AMOS for Confirmatory Factor Analysis - problem comparing models
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Hello all. I hope someone can help with this, it's been driving me a little crazy this afternoon! (But maybe nobody else on this Forum is using AMOS - I hope someone is!!)

I'm using AMOS software to run Confirmatory Factor Analysis as the first step in Structural Equation Modeling. I've created my default model and a constrained model for comparison, and that's fine, but when I go on to do post-hoc model changes I'm hitting problems. I've named a new model and made the first change suggested by the Model Fit Indices, but when I run the analysis AMOS is changing the details on the default model to match the new model, so I can't compare the default model to the new one. I assume there must be a way of showing both sets of data but I can't work out how - has anyone got any ideas?

Thanks!

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Oh dear Skig, I feel your pain, the discussion and conclusions on my paper took me ages to get right! Hope the supervisors reassure you it's all fine - or failing that, have some useful suggestions!

I'm ready to scream at my stats this afternoon too. I've been struggling for days to work out what effect constraints are having on a Confirmatory Factor Analysis model and have only just realised that every time I change a constraint the Amos software is changing all of my results, so when I look at comparisons it looks like nothing has changed because all the results are the same. Aarrgghhh! And I can't work out what I need to do to make it stop.

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Good luck all of you with the work, especially the journal articles! It is satisfying to be finishing off the formatting now - I've had to come onto campus to use the printer but at least I'll go home again with the stuff ready to mail off!

Benyaya, I'd have been so annoyed if I'd travelled that long and my supervisor hadn't turned up! How frustrating!

My tasks for today:
1.) Print out journal article and prepare to mail off
2.) Finish revisions to other journal article and email back to co-authors
3.) Do some more data analysis

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Hello Button, and everyone else!

Potatoes, hope the viva has gone well!

Good luck everyone with the journal papers and all the other work. I was getting a bit stressed about my slow progress until I spoke to my supervisors yesterday and now I feel much happier about it all, they basically said it'll take as long as it takes so don't worry about missing a self-imposed deadline. Which cheered me up. I think it's easy for us to let the stress creep up without us really noticing - that's certainly when I start getting reluctant to do anything, because I feel like nothing will be good or quick enough anyway so I'd rather faff around on the internet instead!

Anyway, formatting my journal paper ready to send off tomorrow (this journal actually asks you to mail four paper copies, can you imagine?! seems so old-fashioned now!) is taking way longer than I expected. But I'm not worried. If I don't get on to my analysis today it'll still be there tomorrow! I've done some useful other jobs so I'm not wasting any time.

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Morning everyone!

I've been swimming this morning so now feel alert and a little bit tired. Oh well. Today I have three main tasks, plus some little bits of admin stuff I need to sort out:
1.) Finish writing up notes from yesterday's supervision meeting
2.) Format and prepare journal paper ready for submission
3.) Carry out some more tests with my new data analysis method

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Skig, I've had times like that where things feel very bitty and unfinished, but they've tended to come shortly before I've found things clicking into place or coming together. Obviously things are more complicated for you with impending maternity leave, but don't be too disheartened by the disjointedness, that can pass quickly.

I had a useful meeting with my supervisors today. They want me to send my journal paper off this week - yay! - and also gave me lots of useful things to think about regarding my job interview. They're such nice guys. Now I'm going to write some notes of the meeting and go home.

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Button, hope your headache goes quickly!

And good luck with the work, Skig. I've had a few days like that recently, where things just seem to be going nowhere no matter how much I do. But fingers crossed I'm coming out of that now. Still finding it hard to make myself work though!

I've come onto campus for a meeting with my supervisors so also have been running around sorting out admin things and printing stuff off while I'm here. But I just spent an hour looking at me data analysis and I think I may have cracked the bit I was stuck on for the last few days. Yesterday's reading really helped. Of course, the big insight is that my model doesn't work, but hey ho, them's the breaks...

Today, I will keep plugging away at the data analysis, and I'll go to my supervision meeting and write up notes afterwards. That should keep me busy.

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======= Date Modified 20 Aug 2012 16:14:36 =======
Afternoon all!

I've been reading journal articles to try to get my head around the bits of my stats method that I don't really get. It makes more sense now but it'll probably go back to being as clear as mud when I go back to my data. Oh well. I'm quite tired now so will probably save looking at the data until tomorrow and move onto gaps in my background chapter for the rest of the day.

Skig, October isn't long at all!

Benyaya, hopefully your supervisor's questions will mean your methods stand up to scrutiny from your examiners and you'll sail through that part of the viva with no problems!

Cheese
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Bleu d'Auvergne

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Morning!

I've been swimming again this morning so am feeling alert and tired at the same time.

My plan for today is to start the day working on my data analysis - I really need to get past the block I have about this method - and then this afternoon start filling in some gaps in my background chapter.

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Morning everyone (well, it's still just about morning!)

Ended up having a late night with my friends last night, so I'm only just sitting down to work now. Oh well, I needed the break!

Today I will finish rewriting my journal article, and will also research some stuff to fill a gap in my background chapter.

Do scholarship students get EXTRA research money?
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Yes, it's going to depend on who funds you and your university policies. I'm funded by my department and I don't have any extra funding for things like research costs or conferences, while people in my department who are part of an EPSRC project have a small fund built into their project for extra research expenses. But I think computers are a bit different - my department gave me a brand new laptop when I started, and I think that was the case for everyone, however they were funded. I'd be extremely surprised if a university didn't have a system in place for providing computer equipment, it's not like you'd be able to do a PhD without one.

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Heh, I'd be tempted to start the maternity leave tomorrow, but that just shows how lazy I am underneath it all!

Didn't get to my data analysis today but I did make good (but slow) progress on my journal article so not going to beat myself up about that. I'm going to do another half an hour of work and then meet some friends down the pub. I feel like I need the break!

Have a good weekend everyone! (And maybe see some of you here tomorrow...)

Cheese
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Lincolnshire Poacher

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Ooh, well done Button, that's a great milestone to reach!

And thanks Skig and Benyaya, finegrs crossed the interview goes well.

I've been swimming again this morning (third time this week ) - it really does make me feel much more alert, so I think I'm going to try to keep to the three sessions a week (I used to only do two).

I made good progress on my journal article yesterday, so I'm going to continue with that this morning, and then this afternoon I'll go back to the data analysis and try to solve the thing that I got stuck on yesterday. I'm working through the weekend (MrBatfink has gone camping with friends) so I just want to keep going steadily like this for the next few days.