Create path diagrams to visualise model specifications

library(lcsm)

Plot simplified path diagrams of LCSMs

This function is work in progress and can only plot univariate and bivariate LCSMs that were specified with fit_uni_lcsm() or fit_bi_lcsm(). Modified LCSMs will probably return errors as the layout matrix that gets created by this plot function only supports the specifications that can be modelled with this package. The input arguments for plotting a simplified path dioagram are:

Optional arguments can be used to change the look of the plot, for example:

Further arguments can be passed on to semPlot::semPaths(), for example:

Univariate LCSM

# Fit bivariate lcsm and save the results 
uni_lavaan_results <- fit_uni_lcsm(data = data_uni_lcsm, 
                                   var = c("x1", "x2", "x3", "x4", "x5"),
                                   model = list(alpha_constant = TRUE, 
                                                beta = FALSE, 
                                                phi = TRUE)
                                  )
#> Warning in lav_data_full(data = data, group = group, cluster = cluster, : lavaan WARNING: some cases are empty and will be ignored:
#>   239

# Save the lavaan syntax that is used to create the layout matrix for semPlot
uni_lavaan_syntax <- fit_uni_lcsm(data = data_uni_lcsm, 
                                  var = c("x1", "x2", "x3", "x4", "x5"),
                                  model = list(alpha_constant = TRUE, 
                                               beta = FALSE, 
                                               phi = TRUE),
                                  return_lavaan_syntax = TRUE)

# Plot the results
plot_lcsm(lavaan_object = uni_lavaan_results,
          lavaan_syntax = uni_lavaan_syntax,
          edge.label.cex = .9,  
          lcsm_colours = TRUE,
          lcsm = "univariate")

Bivariate LCSM

# Fit bivariate lcsm and save the results 
bi_lavaan_results <- fit_bi_lcsm(data = data_bi_lcsm, 
                                 var_x = c("x1", "x2", "x3", "x4", "x5"),
                                 var_y = c("y1", "y2", "y3", "y4", "y5"),
                                 model_x = list(alpha_constant = TRUE, 
                                                beta = TRUE, 
                                                phi = FALSE),
                                 model_y = list(alpha_constant = TRUE, 
                                                beta = TRUE, 
                                                phi = TRUE),
                                 coupling = list(delta_lag_xy = TRUE, 
                                                 xi_lag_yx = TRUE))

# Save the lavaan syntax that is used to create the layout matrix for semPlot
bi_lavaan_syntax <- fit_bi_lcsm(data = data_bi_lcsm, 
                                var_x = c("x1", "x2", "x3", "x4", "x5"),
                                var_y = c("y1", "y2", "y3", "y4", "y5"),
                                model_x = list(alpha_constant = TRUE, 
                                               beta = TRUE, 
                                               phi = FALSE),
                                model_y = list(alpha_constant = TRUE, 
                                               beta = TRUE, 
                                               phi = TRUE),
                                coupling = list(delta_lag_xy = TRUE, 
                                                xi_lag_yx = TRUE),
                                return_lavaan_syntax = TRUE)

# Plot the results
plot_lcsm(lavaan_object = bi_lavaan_results, 
          lavaan_syntax = bi_lavaan_syntax,
          lcsm_colours = TRUE,
          whatLabels = "hide",
          lcsm = "bivariate")