Latent transition analysis with random intercepts (RI-LTA)

Psychol Methods. 2022 Feb;27(1):1-16. doi: 10.1037/met0000370. Epub 2020 Nov 23.

Abstract

This article demonstrates that the regular LTA model is unnecessarily restrictive and that an alternative model is readily available that typically fits the data much better, leads to better estimates of the transition probabilities, and extracts new information from the data. By allowing random intercept variation in the model, between-subject variation is separated from the within-subject latent class transitions over time allowing a clearer interpretation of the data. Analysis of two examples from the literature demonstrates the advantages of random intercept LTA. Model variations include Mover-Stayer analysis, measurement invariance analysis, and analysis with covariates. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Probability*
  • Time