Using TETRAD II as an Automated Exploratory Tool

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Abstract
An automated process for forming measurement models and structural equation models was developed using an experimental version of TETRAD II. An evaluation function was developed to select the measurement models and the structural models for further consideration. Comparisons were made between developing the models in this way and using factor analysis to develop measurement models. We found TETRAD II useful in building sets of measurement models and in suggesting sets of possible structural models. A previously unstudied data set with a sample size of 7,625 was used for testing the process. We developed measurement models and structural equation models that satisfied our intuitive understanding and had a chi-square goodness-of-fit p value of .77. Keywords: EQS, structural models, measurement models, model specification, TETRAD.