Creating Path Diagrams That Impress: A New Graphical Capability of the CALIS Procedure

In structural equation modeling, researchers often use path diagrams to represent their models graphically. Path diagrams enable you to visualize the conceptual models behind the research and to depict statistical results in an intuitive way. In SAS/STAT® 13.1, the CALIS procedure produces high-quality graphical output of path diagrams from model specifications. You can simply use the PLOTS=PATHDIAGRAM option to request path diagrams for the unstandardized model. You can also customize path diagrams by using the options in the PATHDIAGRAM statement. This paper illustrates how you can create and use path diagrams to present your model and statistical results. Data examples demonstrate some important PATHDIAGRAM statement options that you can use to produce path diagrams that have different emphases, styles, or formats. The paper also demonstrates the use of the ODS Graphics Editor to edit path diagrams that are produced from the CALIS procedure. By taking advantage of these new functionalities, you can start to create your own path diagrams to show your research results in an even more impressive way!