Summary

The lavaan package is user friendly, pretty powerful, and constantly adding new features. Alternatively, OpenMx has a steeper learning curve but tremendous flexibility in what it can do. Thus, lavaan is a bit like a large freezer full of prepackaged microwavable dinners, whereas OpenMx is like a well-stocked pantry with no prepared foods but a full kitchen that will let you prepare it if you have the time and the know-how. To run a quick analysis, it is tough to beat the simplicity of lavaan, especially given its wide range of capabilities. For large complex models, OpenMx may be a better choice. The methods covered here are useful to analyze statistical relationships when one has all of the data from events that have already occurred. In the next chapter, we will cover an entirely different set of approaches that are focused on modeling what can occur.