Workshop – Path Analysis & Structural Equation Models
March 4 @ 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
$15.00 – $35.00Path Analysis/Structural Equation Models
Thomas Riecke
Tuesday, March 4th 9am – 3pm (lunch provided)
Cost: $35 regular/ $15 student & retiree; Max capacity: 50
Ecological systems are complex and interconnected. This often creates collinearity among covariates, leading to challenges in conservation decision making. As a specific example, peaks in abundance of a harvested species might result in density-dependent effects as well as liberalized harvest regulations, creating confounding between the effects of harvest and density-dependence. Structural equation models are exceptionally useful for resolving this type of uncertainty. SEMs allow researchers to construct models with multiple ‘response’ variables, and estimate direct and indirect effects of covariates on parameters of interest. This workshop will give a broad overview of the foundations of structural equation modelling. In the morning, we’ll outline the theory underlying path analysis (Layton-Matthews et al. [2024] Journal of Animal Ecology), latent variables (Grace et al. [2010] Ecological Monographs), and cross-lags (Van de Pol & Brouwer [2021] Journal of Animal Ecology). We’ll then devote the afternoon to application using packages such as ‘piecewiseSEM’ and ‘lavaan,’ and also provide a brief tutorial on the construction of SEMs using Bayesian software.
**Some experience with R and/or regression will be highly beneficial (necessary) for the afternoon component.
Thomas Riecke is an assistant professor in the Wildlife Biology Program at the University of Montana. His work is focused on quantitative ecology and applied waterfowl conservation.