Kevin M. King @kevinmking.bsky.social · 20/06/2025there's not really something INHERENTLY wrong with latent classes or mixtures. They do what they do (describe variation in data assuming they come from different pops). But b/c researchers often don't care to understand them well enough, they misuse, misapply, and misunderstand them over & over. 2161
Kevin M. King @kevinmking.bsky.social · 20/06/2025it's so bad that I can probably count on one hand papers I've read using LCGA or LCGM models that actually use them in a reasonable way (e.g. "we think they're a handy way to describe variation in change over time"). Almost every paper ever mistakes the classes for "carving nature at its joints" 3140
Nate Phillips @nphillips36.bsky.social · 20/06/2025Would love to see one of these reasonable applications, if you have any examples in mind. Thanks! 020
Mohamed Abdulkadir @drmoab.bsky.social · 21/06/2025Very enlightening. Can you link to some of these papers? Do you have a favorite paper that describes the criticisms you listed? 100
Kevin M. King @kevinmking.bsky.social · 20/06/2025The ultimate take away is latent class growth models? Bruh, just, no.media.tenor.coma man singing into a microphone with the words nah bruh on the bottom rightALT: a man singing into a microphone with the words nah bruh on the bottom right 291