Mplus is a statistical software package that can implement a wide array of statistical models, but it is primarily known for its latent variable modeling capabilities. Latent variables are unobserved variables that are measured by multiple observed variables, also called items, indicators, or manifest variables, using a statistical model. Latent variables are typically used to summarize different measurements of the same unobserved characteristic that cannot be measured directly (e.g., student’s socioeconomic status) and represent the “true” outcomes as opposed to the observed variables, which are measured with an error.

Mplus is typically used by students, applied researchers, and practitioners interested in latent variables modeling, which is commonly used in the areas of education, psychology, and other social science disciplines. This entry first reviews improvements and add-on ...