A Guide to the PROC TCALIS Documentation

The TCALIS procedure fits structural equation models using a variety of modeling languages. This chapter provides documentation for all of them. Additionally, some sections provide introductions to the model specification, the theory behind the software, and other technical details. While some introductory material and examples are provided, this chapter is not a textbook for structural equation modeling and related topics. For didactic treatment of structural equation models with latent variables, see the books by Bollen (1989b) and Loehlin (2004). Therefore, reading this chapter sequentially is not a good strategy for learning about PROC TCALIS. This section provides a guide or "road map" to the rest of the PROC TCALIS chapter starting with the basics and continuing through more advanced topics. Many sections assume that you already have a basic understanding of structural equation modeling.

The following table shows three different skills levels of using the TCALIS procedure (basic, intermediate, and advanced) and their milestones:

In the next three sections, each skills level is discussed, followed by an introductory section of the reference topics that are not covered in any of the skills levels.