semPower

semPower is an R-package that provides several functions to perform a-priori, post-hoc, and compromise power analyses for structural equation models (SEM).

Basic functionality is also provided as a shiny app, which you can use online at https://sempower.shinyapps.io/sempower.

Installation

Install semPower via CRAN or as follows:

install.packages("devtools")
devtools::install_github("moshagen/semPower")

Manual

Read the manual by typing

vignette("semPower")

or view the manual online. I also warmly recommend this in-depth tutorial on power analyses in SEM using semPower:

Jobst, L., Bader, M., & Moshagen, M. (in press). A Tutorial on Assessing Statistical Power and Determining Sample Size for Structural Equation Models. Psychological Methods. https://doi.org/10.1037/met0000423 preprint

Quick Examples

Determine the required sample size to detect misspecifications of a model (involving df = 100 degrees of freedom) corresponding to RMSEA = .05 with a power of 80% on an alpha error of .05:

ap <- semPower.aPriori(effect = .05, effect.measure = 'RMSEA', 
                       alpha = .05, power = .80, df = 100)
summary(ap)

Determine the achieved power with a sample size of N = 1000 to detect misspecifications of a model (involving df = 100 degrees of freedom) corresponding to RMSEA = .05 on an alpha error of .05:

ph <- semPower.postHoc(effect = .05, effect.measure = 'RMSEA', 
                       alpha = .05, N = 1000, df = 100)
summary(ph)

Determine the critical chi-square such that the associated alpha and beta errors are equal, assuming sample size of N = 1000, a model involving df = 100 degrees of freedom, and misspecifications corresponding to RMSEA = .05:

cp <- semPower.compromise(effect = .05, effect.measure = 'RMSEA', 
                          abratio = 1, N = 1000, df = 100)
summary(cp)

Plot power as function of the sample size to detect misspecifications corresponding to RMSEA = .05 (assuming df = 100) on alpha = .05:

semPower.powerPlot.byN(effect = .05, effect.measure = 'RMSEA', 
                       alpha = .05, df = 100, power.min = .05, power.max = .99)

Plot power as function of the magnitude of effect (measured through the RMSEA assuming df = 100) at N = 500 on alpha = .05:

semPower.powerPlot.byEffect(effect.measure = 'RMSEA', alpha = .05, N = 500, 
                            df = 100, effect.min = .001, effect.max = .10)

Obtain the df of a model provided as lavaan model string (this requires the lavaan package):

lavModel <- '
f1 =~ x1 + x2 + x3
f2 =~ x4 + x5 + x6
'
semPower.getDf(lavModel)

Determine the required sample size on alpha = .05 to detect (with a power of 80%) a correlation of a least .20 between two factors in a standard CFA model involving three factors with 10, 5, and 7 indicators, respectively, and loadings sampled from a normal distribution with given mean and sd for each factor (this requires the lavaan package):

phi <- matrix(c(
                 c(1.0, 0.2, 0.5),
                 c(0.2, 1.0, 0.3),
                 c(0.5, 0.3, 1.0)
                ), byrow = TRUE, ncol = 3)
cfapower <- semPower.powerCFA(type = 'a-priori', 
                              phi = phi, nullCor = c(1, 2), 
                              nIndicator = c(10, 5, 7),
                              loadM = c(.5, .7, .6), 
                              loadSD = c(.15, .01, .05),
                              alpha = .05, power = .80)
summary(cfapower$power)				

For more details and for a description how to express the magnitude of effect in terms of model parameters, see the manual.

Citation

If you use semPower in publications, please cite the package as follows:

Moshagen, M., & Erdfelder, E. (2016). A new strategy for testing structural equation models. Structural Equation Modeling, 23, 54-60. doi: 10.1080/10705511.2014.950896