Confirmatory composite analysis

In statistics, confirmatory composite analysis (CCA) is a sub-type of structural equation modeling (SEM). Although, historically, CCA emerged from a re-orientation and re-start of partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM), it has become an independent approach and the two should not be confused. In many ways it is similar to, but also quite distinct from confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). It shares with CFA the process of model specification, model identification, model estimation, and model assessment. However, in contrast to CFA which always assumes the existence of latent variables, in CCA all variables can be observable, with their interrelationships expressed in terms of composites, i.e., linear compounds of subsets of the variables. The composites are treated as the fundamental objects and path diagrams can be used to illustrate their relationships. This makes CCA particularly useful for disciplines examining theoretical concepts that are designed to attain certain goals, so-called artifacts, and their interplay with theoretical concepts of behavioral sciences.