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What are the defaults for the Mplus program?
According to the Mplus User's Guide, page 23:
If a parameter is not free by default, once a parameter is mentioned using the MODEL command, it is freed at the default starting value unless another starting value is specified using the * option or the parameter is fixed using the @ option. The exception to this is that the variances and residual variances for latent response variables corresponding to categorical dependent variables may not be free.Following are the default starting values of other parameters:
Loadings for indicators of latent variables 1.00 Variances of latent variables .05 Continuous observed variable variances and residual variances .5 of observed variable variance Categorical latent response variable variances and residual variances fixed at 1.00 Scale factors 1.00 All other parameters 0
Default settings are used to simplify the model specification. In order to minimize the information provided by the user, certain assumptions are made about the means/intercepts/thresholds, the variances/residual variances, and the covariances in the model. These assumptions are based on what is most commonly seen in practice. The user can override all defaults. It is important to understand the default settings so that the estimated model is the model that the user expects.
Following are the default settings for means/intercepts/thresholds in the model when they are included:
Following are the default settings for variances/residual variances:Means of observed independent variables are estimated as the sample values. Intercepts and thresholds of observed dependent variables are free. In single group analysis, means and intercepts of continuous latent variables are fixed to zero. In multiple group analysis, means and intercepts of continuous latent variables are fixed to zero in the first group and are free to be estimated in other groups. Means and intercepts (probabilities) of the categorical latent variable are free. Following are the default settings for covariances in Mplus:Variances of continuous observed independent variables are estimated as the sample values. Variances of continuous latent independent variables are free. Residual variances of continuous observed dependent variables and continuous latent dependent variables are free. Variances and residual variances of latent response variables for categorical variables are fixed to one. Covariances among observed independent variables are estimated as the sample values. Covariances among continuous latent independent variables are free. Residual covariances among observed dependent variables and of continuous latent variables are fixed to zero with the following exceptions: Residual covariances of observed dependent variables are free when neither variable influences any other variable. Residual covariances of continuous latent dependent variables that are not indicators of a second-order factor are free when neither variable influences any other variable except its own indicators.
Reference
Muthen, L.K. and Muthen, B.O. (1998). Mplus User's Guide. Los Angeles: Muthen & Muthen.
If you have further questions, send E-mail to stats@ssc.utexas.edu.