Model Comparison of Bayesian Semiparametric and Parametric Structural Equation Models
Xin-Yuan Song, Ye‐Mao Xia, Junhao Pan, Sik‐Yum Lee · Structural Equation Modeling A Multidisciplinary Journal · 2011
Structural equation models have wide applications. One of the most important issues in analyzing structural equation models is model comparison. This article proposes a Bayesian model comparison statistic, namely the L ν-measure for both semiparametric and parametric structural equation models. For illustration purposes, we consider a Bayesian semiparametric approach for estimation and model comparison in the context of structural equation models with fixed covariates. A finite dimensional Dirichlet process is used to model the crucial latent variables, and a blocked Gibbs sampler is implemented for estimation. Empirical performance of the L ν-measure is evaluated through a simulation study. Results obtained indicate that the L ν-measure, which additionally requires very minor computational effort, gives satisfactory performance. Moreover, the methodologies are demonstrated through an example with a real data set on kidney disease. Finally, the application of the L ν-measure to Bayesian semiparametric nonlinear structural equation models is outlined.