nonlinear growth curve model

summary

https://curranbauer.org/nonlinear-growth-2/

 

1. polynomial regression

in previous blogs, 2 sections

Polynomials pre-define specific functional forms through the choice of time coding.

One alternative that is available within the SEM growth model is to freely estimate a subset of loadings on the slope factor (sometimes called a basis function). Thus, whereas a line would be defined by fixing factor loadings (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3, 4), alternatively the first two might be fixed to 0 and 1 and the rest freely estimated (e.g., 0, 1, 2.5, 4.2, 6.1), reflecting differential change over time (in this case, accelerating).

The advantage of this method is that it provides a very flexible way to obtain data-informed nonlinear trajectories, but the disadvantage is that it no longer corresponds to a pre-defined growth function (e.g., a quadratic trajectory). This in turn can often make substantive interpretation difficult.

 

2. piecewise regression

Instead of defining a single trajectory to span the entire window of time under study, a series of linear trajectories are estimated that approximate different parts of a nonlinear trajectory but are connected using “knots” at specific inflection points.

So if there is a complex nonlinear trajectory that increases, slows, peaks, decreases, and plateaus, three linear trajectories can be simultaneously estimated to approximate the initial increase, the subsequent decrease, and the final asymptote with each line tied to the next at the inflection point (where the curve turns).

Although only an approximation, each linear piece can be unambiguously interpreted in the usual way (e.g., linear change in the outcome per unit change in time).

- youtube courses by Brandon Foltz, playlist nonlinear regression model- piecewise model

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SYM0FEUiws&list=PLIeGtxpvyG-KE0M1r5cjbC_7Q_dVlKVq4&index=4

- run piecewise regression in R

http://dpmartin42.github.io/posts/Piecewise-growth

- references

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00273171.2013.778191

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fams.2017.00019/full

https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085520?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3Dpubmed

 

3. exponential growth and decay function

- some examples

https://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/exponential-growth.html

- advantages

not just nonlinear with respect to time (as the prior approaches all are) but are nonlinear in the parameters

- exponetial growth and decay

https://mathbitsnotebook.com/Algebra2/Exponential/EXGrowthDecay.html

 

 

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