TECH DEMO: Online Methodological Resources and Software from the Penn State Methodology Center

This technology demonstration will showcase online resources for innovative experimental-design and data-analysis methods developed by The Methodology Center at Penn State for use in research on the prevention of drug abuse, HIV, obesity and other health problems. Resources include the following: statistical software for the implementation of cutting-edge quantitative methods; video overviews of research design and analysis methods; Teachers’ Corner downloads that include materials for presenting a new method in a graduate-level methods class; podcasts that introduce a new method or a researcher; and webpages that lay out the structure of novel experimental designs like sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trials (SMARTs) and microrandomized trials (MRTs). Resources will be presented in the context of empirical data on the etiology and/or prevention of substance use.

Software for SAS and R will be demonstrated and distributed, including the following: (1) our SAS procedure for latent class analysis (LCA); (2) a new SAS macro for predicting latent class membership from multiple covariates using the BCH approach; (3) our SAS macros for time-varying effect modeling (TVEM); and (4) our new R-package toolkit for the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST).

Brief YouTube videos providing overviews of LCA, TVEM, just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs), and MOST will be displayed on a laptop. In each video—which range in length from 5-11 minutes—a Methodology Center investigator introduces and presents examples of a cutting-edge research method.

Teachers’ Corner materials for instructors of research methods courses will able available for review, discussion, and distribution. These materials include PowerPoint presentations, introductory articles for instructors, SAS exercises, reading lists for students, and other items designed to make comprehending and incorporating a method into instruction as easy as possible. Teachers’ Corners on LCA and TVEM will be available.

Podcasts about innovative research methods will be available for listening and distribution. Topics of available podcasts will include LCA, secondary data analysis, TVEM, and more.

Webpages that demonstrate the designs of different trials employing SMARTs or MRTs will be displayed and discussed. Trials will be displayed that address drug abuse, treatment engagement, obesity, depression, smoking, and more.

All resources will be available free-of-charge during and after the conference on the Methodology Center’s website at methodology.psu.edu and selected resources will be distributed on USB drives during the technology demonstration. In addition, attendees of the annual meeting will be able to provide suggestions for future online resource development.