Can cross-lagged panel modeling be relied on to establish cross-lagged effects? The case of contemporaneous and reciprocal effects.

This article considers identification, estimation, and model fit issues for models with contemporaneous and reciprocal effects. It explores how well the models work in practice using Monte Carlo studies as well as real-data examples. Furthermore, by using models that allow contemporaneous and reciprocal effects, the paper raises a fundamental question about current practice for cross-lagged panel modeling using models such as cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) or random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM): Can cross-lagged panel modeling be relied on to establish cross-lagged effects? The article concludes that the answer is no, a finding that has important ramifications for current practice. It is suggested that analysts should use additional models to probe the temporalities of the CLPM and RI-CLPM effects to see if these could be considered contemporaneous rather than lagged. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).