New Online Resources and Software Tools for Analysis and Design from the Penn State Methodology Center

This technology demonstration presents new online resources and recent advances in SAS, R, and web-based software developed at The Methodology Center at Penn State. New and updated tutorial videos, SAS procedures and macros, R functions, and free-standing web-based applications for intensive longitudinal data, latent class analysis (LCA), and factorial designs will be showcased. All online resources will be available on the Center’s website at methodology.psu.edu; all software and corresponding users’ guides will be available free-of-charge on the website and will be distributed on USB drives at the annual meeting. 

Attendees will be able to view brief tutorial videos highlighting features of Center software. Specifically, the following videos will be available: (1) Help! How do I run a SAS macro?; (2) Analyze your smartphone data with only 8 lines of SAS code; (3) Download and install a SAS PROC in 2 minutes or less. In addition, the following software will be demonstrated: (1) a new SAS macro and R function for fitting latent class mixtures of time-varying effect models (TVEMs) to study heterogeneity in dynamic associations between variables; (2) a new R package for predicting a distal outcome from intensive longitudinal data; (3) an updated SAS macro for use with PROC LCA to estimate the association between latent class membership and a distal outcome that now includes standard errors; (4) a new web-based application to conveniently generate random assignments of participants to conditions in factorial experiments; (5) an updated version of PROC SCADLS for 64-bit SAS to conduct variable selection among many potential predictor variables. 

Information will be available about other online resources and software created and maintained by The Methodology Center at Penn State. For example, this includes a STATA plug-in to conduct LCA; a SAS PROC and R package to analyze data from sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trials to inform development of adaptive interventions. Demonstrations and information will be presented in the context of empirical data on the etiology or prevention of substance use and related behaviors. Attention will be given to practical implementation of the statistical methods using the demonstrated software, as well as recent features that have been incorporated into the software. Attendees of the annual meeting will be able to provide suggestions for future online resource development.