Describe the specification of a structural model

What will be an ideal response?

In moving from the measurement model to the structural model, the emphasis shifts from the relationships between latent constructs and the observed variables to the nature and magnitude of the relationships between constructs. Thus, the measurement model is altered based on the relationships among the latent constructs. Because the measurement model is changed, the estimated covariance matrix based on the set of relationships examined will also change. However, the observed covariance matrix, based on the sample data, does not change as the same data are used to estimate the structural model. Thus, in general, the fits statistics will also change, indicating that the fit of the structural model is different than the fit of the measurement model.
If the measurement model is identified, then the structural model is too, provided that it is recursive in that there are no feedback loops or dual dependencies and, in addition, there are no interaction terms. In such cases, generally the structural model is nested within the measurement model and contains fewer estimated parameters. A model is nested within another model if has the same number of constructs and variables and can be derived from the other model by altering relationships, as by adding or deleting relationships. Dual dependencies exist when C1 and C2 are mutually dependent on each other, and models containing such relationships are referred to as nonrecursive.