Given That Path Analyses and Structural Equation Models Are Fundamentally

Essay

Given that path analyses and structural equation models are fundamentally correlational designs, do they mislead readers by suggesting a particular series of events occurs, usually from left to right, to explain the relationships between exogenous predictors, endogenous predictors, and criterion? Should these models instead be visualized in such a way that readers are less likely to interpret the model as "A leads to B, which leads to C, which leads to D?"