Analysis of change: modeling individual growth.

Research on change is complicated by problems of measurement and analysis stemming from a conceptualization of change as a series of accumulating increments and decrements. In contrast, individual growth curves depict change as a continuous process underlying individual performance. These two perspectives are reviewed, and some problems with the use of difference scores in the study of change are clarified. Traditional methods are contrasted with growth curve analysis for the purposes of measuring change and studying its correlates. An illustrative example of the use of growth curves is provided from research on recovery of cognitive function following pediatric closed head injury.

[1]  Karl G. Jöreskog,et al.  Statistical estimation of structural models in longitudinal-developmental investigations , 1979 .

[2]  Samuel Messick,et al.  A base-free measure of change , 1966 .

[3]  D. Routh.  Handbook of pediatric psychology , 1988 .

[4]  B. Jennett,et al.  Assessment of coma and impaired consciousness. A practical scale. , 1974, Lancet.

[5]  R. Mccall.  Challenges to a science of developmental psychology. , 1977 .

[6]  D. A. Kenny,et al.  A quasi-experimental approach to assessing treatment effects in the nonequivalent control group design. , 1975 .

[7]  D. W. Zimmerman,et al.  GAIN SCORES IN RESEARCH CAN BE HIGHLY RELIABLE , 1982 .

[8]  Harvey Goldstein,et al.  Multilevel Models in Education and Social Research , 1987 .

[9]  S E Shaywitz,et al.  Comparisons of Cutoff and Regression-Based Definitions of Reading Disabilities , 1989, Journal of learning disabilities.

[10]  J. Fletcher,et al.  Behavioral changes after closed head injury in children. , 1990, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[11]  Linda M. Collins,et al.  The Longitudinal Guttman Simplex: A New Methodology for Measurement of Dynamic Constructs in Longitudinal Panel Studies , 1988 .

[12]  John R. Nesselroade,et al.  Longitudinal Research in the Study of Behavior and Development , 1979 .

[13]  Frederic M. Lord.  The Measurement of Growth , 1956 .

[14]  D. W. Zimmerman,et al.  The relative error magnitude in three measures of change , 1982 .

[15]  David Rogosa,et al.  A growth curve approach to the measurement of change. , 1982 .

[16]  E. Labouvie.  The Study Of Multivariate Change Structures: A Conceptual Perspective. , 1981, Multivariate behavioral research.

[17]  C. Harris.  Problems in measuring change , 1965 .

[18]  John B. Willett,et al.  Questions and Answers in the Measurement of Change , 1988 .

[19]  John B. Willett,et al.  Understanding correlates of change by modeling individual differences in growth , 1985 .

[20]  David Rogosa,et al.  Myths about longitudinal research. , 1988 .

[21]  M K Kaiser,et al.  MANOVA method for analyzing repeated measures designs: an extensive primer. , 1985, Psychological bulletin.

[22]  Robert L. Linn,et al.  The Determination of the Significance of Change Between Pre- and Posttesting Periods , 1977 .

[23]  Anthony S. Bryk,et al.  Application of Hierarchical Linear Models to Assessing Change , 1987 .

[24]  J. Fletcher,et al.  Neurobehavioral effects of brain injury in children. , 1988 .

[25]  K. Schaie,et al.  Methodological issues in aging research , 1990 .

[26]  D. Rubin,et al.  On Jointly Estimating Parameters and Missing Data by Maximizing the Complete-Data Likelihood , 1983 .

[27]  J. Willett,et al.  DEMONSTRATING THE RELIABILITY THE DIFFERENCE SCORE IN THE MEASUREMENT OF CHANGE , 1983 .

[28]  Quinn McNemar,et al.  On Growth Measurement , 1958 .