MplusAutomation: An R Package for Facilitating Large-Scale Latent Variable Analyses in Mplus

Abstract

<p class="first" id="P1"> <i>MplusAutomation</i> is a package for <i>R</i> that facilitates complex latent variable analyses in <i>Mplus</i> involving comparisons among many models and parameters. More specifically, <i>MplusAutomation</i> provides tools to accomplish three objectives: to create and manage <i>Mplus</i> syntax for groups of related models; to automate the estimation of many models; and to extract, aggregate, and compare fit statistics, parameter estimates, and ancillary model outputs. We provide an introduction to the package using applied examples including a large-scale simulation study. By reducing the effort required for large-scale studies, a broad goal of <i>MplusAutomation</i> is to support methodological developments in structural equation modeling using <i>Mplus</i>. </p>