Latent Transition Analysis with Covariates, Nonresponse, Summary Statistics and Diagnostics: Modelling Children's...

Latent transition analysis (LTA) is one approach for the testing of stage theories in developmental psychology. In this article we describe how the practicability of the approach can be enhanced by incorporating recent developments in latent class regression modelling. We describe LTA extended to incorporating partial nonresponse and allowing the values of parameters associated with latent class membership to be dependent on auxiliary variables. One reason why LTA is then of more practical use is that it can be used to construct summary measures of individual development. Such measures may be clinically useful. We describe how the approach can, in particular, be applied to the measurement of children's drawing development and demonstrate how, in this case, it is able to unite different research traditions.