Cited by 738Statistical Methods and Bayesian InferenceChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentMental Health Research Topics

On the practical interpretability of cross-lagged panel models: rethinking a developmental workhorse.

Berry, Daniel, Willoughby, Michael T·2017·Child Development

Abstract

Reciprocal feedback processes between experience and development are central to contemporary developmental theory. Autoregressive cross-lagged panel (ARCL) models represent a common analytic approach intended to test such dynamics. The authors demonstrate that-despite the ARCL model's intuitive appeal-it typically (a) fails to align with the theoretical processes that it is intended to test and (b) yields estimates that are difficult to interpret meaningfully. Specifically, using a Monte Carlo simulation and two empirical examples concerning the reciprocal relation between spanking and child aggression, it is shown that the cross-lagged estimates derived from the ARCL model reflect a weighted-and typically uninterpretable-amalgam of between- and within-person associations. The authors highlight one readily implemented respecification that better addresses these multiple levels of inference.

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Crossref · 10.1111/cdev.12660

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  • Simulation studies showed that combining between-person and within-person effects may generate biased estimates.

    “Simulation studies showed that combining between-and within-person effects may generate biased estimates [29], as 2 variables may correlate negatively across a population of individuals, but positively within each individual over time [30].”
  • Approximations of causality may be derived from longitudinal designs that address directionality and temporal precedence.

    “Conclusions about causality can only be made in the context of experimental studies, 58,91 -93 and approximations of causality may be derived from longitudinal designs that address directionality and temporal precedence. 94”

    From Parenting Behavior and Child Language: A Meta-analysis. (2019) · cites this paper as [94]

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Authors
Berry, D., & Willoughby, M. T.
Affiliations
  • University of Minnesota (US)
  • RTI International (US)
Corresponding author
Berry, Daniel
Venue
Child Development
Published
2017-07-01
Volume
88
Issue
4
Pages
1186-1206
ISSN
  • 0009-3920 (ISSN-L)
  • 1467-8624
OpenAlex
W2551337048
Cited by
737
References
50
Citations by year
2026: 62 · 2025: 84 · 2024: 77 · 2023: 79 · 2022: 83 · 2021: 104 · 2020: 122 · 2019: 63 · 2018: 44 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 2 · 2014: 1
FWCI
5.88
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Child Development (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (1PO1HD39667, 2PO1HD039667)
  • National Institute of Drug Abuse
  • NIH Office of Minority Health
  • NIH Office of the Director
  • National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities
  • Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse
  • National Institutes of Health
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods and Bayesian Inference
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
Keywords
reciprocal feedback, model specification, spanking, child aggression, developmental dynamics
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Child, Child Behavior, Child Development, Humans, Models, Psychological, Models, Statistical, Adolescent Development

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