TECH DEMO: Software, Instructional Materials, Videos, and Other Resources from the Methodology Center at Penn State

This technology demonstration will present online resources developed by The Methodology Center at Penn State for use in research on the prevention of drug abuse, HIV, obesity, and other health problems. We will present statistical software for the implementation of cutting-edge quantitative methods; video overviews of research design and data analysis methods; Learning Path web pages that allow researchers to learn a new method in a step-by-step manner; Teachers’ Corner downloads that include materials for presenting a method in a graduate-level methods course; and a SAS code repository. Resources will be presented in the context of empirical data on the etiology and/or prevention of substance use.

Methodological software will be demonstrated and distributed, including the following: (1) our SAS procedure for latent class analysis (LCA); (2) our SAS macros for time-varying effect modeling (TVEM); (3) a new SAS macro for performing TVEM with latent classes; and (4) our web applet that calculates the needed sample-size for a micro-randomized trial.

The TVEM Learning Path provides a structured way for researchers to learn about TVEM, from conceptualizing an analysis through plotting results. The learning path will feature a variety of types of content including videos, SAS code, text explanations, MS PowerPoint slides, and podcasts. The learning path will be displayed on a laptop.

Introductory and in-depth methods videos give users options about the level of detail they need. Our brief introductory videos provide overviews of LCA, TVEM, just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs), and the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST). We also have webinar videos that consist of a one-hour introduction to a method followed by a question-and-answer session. These videos will be displayed on a laptop.

Teachers’ Corner materials for instructors of research methods courses will able available for review, discussion, and distribution. These materials include MS PowerPoint slides, 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, MOST, and TVEM will be distributed.

The intensive longitudinal data (ILD) SAS code repository consists of blocks of SAS code that facilitate the handling and pre-processing of ILD and multilevel data. This code will be distributed.

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.