Growth Curve Analysis

Growth curve analysis (GCA) is a statistical technique that assesses change and correlates of change. Although often hailed as a new technique, growth curve analysis actually has long historical roots in slopes-as-outcomes models, repeated measures analysis of variance, mixed and variance components models, time series analysis, random effects models, and empirical Bayes models. It has been only relatively recently, however, that advances in estimation methods and computer technology have made it possible to execute GCA with reasonable facility and considerably more flexibility than its predecessors.