Troubleshooting
Problem
I received an error message when I try to calculate path estimates for my structural equation model, and the message states: "The observed variable "variable name" is represented by an ellipse in the path program." I am uncertain what is wrong here. The variable was drawn as a circle, not an ellipse. Any suggestions on what should I do?
Resolving The Problem
Variables that are placed on the model diagram are either observed variables or latent variables. Observed variables exist in your data file and are represented in the model diagram by rectangular boxes (the tool in the first row and first column of the tool palette). Latent variables do not exist in the data, but are unobserved variables that are thought to underlie some subset of the observed variables. Latent variables are represented by the circular or elliptical shapes that are drawn by the tool in the first row and second column of the tool palette. If you rest your cursor on that icon in the tool palette, the text "Draw unobserved variables (F4)" should appear just beneath the icon. The figures drawn from this tool may be circular or stretched into an oval shape. The error message indicates that you have represented an observed variable with a shape drawn by this latter tool, rather than the rectangular shape.
Any variables in the data file that are represented by ellipses will trigger the warning when you try to run the model, but AMOS only presents the warning about one such variable at a time. You may as well correct them all at once so check the names of latent variables in your model against the list of variables in the file. If the data source is an SPSS data file, you can open this file in SPSS Statistics and then run the following command to get a variable list in the output viewer. (Capitalization is not required.)
DISPLAY DICTIONARY /VARIABLES = ALL.
Once you have identified the latent variables that have names matching observed variables, rename all of these latent variables in the AMOS diagram to have names that do not exist in the data file.
If you did intend the variables in question to act as observed variables in the model, then place each of them in a rectangle, rather than an ellipse. It is not necessary to include latent variables in your model. Examples 7, 11, and 14 in the AMOS User's Guide, for example, do not include latent variables in the model.
Related Information
Historical Number
54047
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Document Information
Modified date:
16 June 2018
UID
swg21480858