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Introduction To Linear Regression

This document provides an introduction to linear regression. It defines linear regression as predicting scores on one variable (the criterion variable Y) from scores on another variable (the predictor variable X) using a straight line. This straight line is called the regression line and is the best fitting line for the data that minimizes the sum of the squared errors of prediction. The regression line equation takes the form of Y' = bX + A, where b is the slope and A is the Y-intercept. An example using fictional data is provided to demonstrate how to calculate the regression line and errors of prediction.

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173 views

Introduction To Linear Regression

This document provides an introduction to linear regression. It defines linear regression as predicting scores on one variable (the criterion variable Y) from scores on another variable (the predictor variable X) using a straight line. This straight line is called the regression line and is the best fitting line for the data that minimizes the sum of the squared errors of prediction. The regression line equation takes the form of Y' = bX + A, where b is the slope and A is the Y-intercept. An example using fictional data is provided to demonstrate how to calculate the regression line and errors of prediction.

Uploaded by

reebenthomas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to Linear Regression

Chapter:

Home
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.

Introduction
Graphing Distributions
Summarizing Distributions
Describing Bivariate Data
Probability
Research Design
Normal Distribution
Advanced Graphs
Sampling Distributions
Estimation
Logic of Hypothesis Testing
Tests of Means
Power

XIV. Regression
1. Contents
Standard
2. Introduction to Linear
Regression
Standard
3. Linear Fit Demo
Standard
4. Partitioning Sums of
Squares
Standard Video
5. Standard Error of the
Estimate
Standard Video
6. Inferential Statistics for b
and r
Standard Video

Section:

14. Regression
14.
Regression

Home | Previous Section | Next Section


Video
Introduction to Linear Regression
Author(s)

David M. Lane
Prerequisites
Measures
of Variability,
Describing Bivariate Data
Learning Objectives
1. Define linear regression
2. Identify errors of prediction in a scatter plot with a regression line
In simple linear regression, we predict
scores on one variable from the scores on
a second variable.
The variable we are predicting is called the criterion
variable
and is referred to as Y. The variable we are basing our predictions on is called
the
predictor variable and is referred to as X. When there is only one predictor
variable,
the prediction method is called simple regression.
In simple linear
regression, the topic of this section, the predictions
of Y when plotted as a
function of X form a straight line.
The
example data in Table 1 are plotted in Figure 1. You can see
that there is
a positive relationship between X and Y. If you
were going to predict Y from X,
the higher the value of X,
the higher your prediction of Y.
Table 1. Example data.

1.00

1.00

7. Influential Observations
Standard Video

2.00

2.00

8. Regression Toward the


Mean
Standard Video

3.00

1.30

4.00

3.75

5.00

2.25

9. Introduction to Multiple
Regression
Standard Video
10. Statistical Literacy
Standard
11. Exercises
Standard
XV. Analysis of Variance
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Introduction to Linear
Regression
Introduction
to Linear
Regression

Introduction to Linear Regression

XVI.
XVII.
XVIII.
XIX.
XX.
XXI.
XXII.

Transformations
Chi Square
Distribution Free Tests
Effect Size
Case Studies
Calculators
Glossary

Figure 1. A scatter plot of the example


data.
Linear regression consists of finding the best-fitting
straight line through the
points. The best-fitting line is called
a regression line. The black diagonal
line in
Figure 2 is the regression line and consists of the predicted
score on Y for each
possible value of X. The vertical lines from
the points to the regression line
represent the errors of prediction.
As you can see, the red point is very near the
regression line;
its error of prediction is small. By contrast, the yellow point
is
much higher than the regression line and therefore its error
of prediction is large.

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Introduction to Linear Regression

Figure 2. A scatter plot of the example


data.
The black line consists of the predictions,
the points
are the actual data, and the
vertical lines between the
points and the
black line represent errors of prediction.
The error of prediction for a point is the value of the point
minus the predicted
value (the value on the line). Table 2 shows
the predicted values (Y') and the
errors of prediction (Y-Y').
For example, the first point has a Y of 1.00 and
a
predicted Y (called Y') of 1.21. Therefore, its error of prediction is -0.21.
Table 2. Example data.

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Y'

Y-Y'

(Y-Y')2

1.00 1.00 1.210 -0.210

0.044

2.00 2.00 1.635


0.365

0.133

3.00 1.30 2.060 -0.760

0.578

4.00 3.75 2.485


1.265

1.600

5.00 2.25 2.910 -0.660

0.436

You may have noticed that we did not specify what


is meant by
"best-fitting line."
By far, the most commonly-used criterion
for the best-fitting line is the line that
minimizes the sum of
the squared errors of prediction. That is the criterion that
was
used to find the line in Figure 2. The last column in Table 2
shows the
squared errors of prediction. The sum of the squared
errors of prediction shown

Introduction to Linear Regression

in Table 2 is lower than it would be


for any other regression line.
The formula for a regression line is
Y' = bX + A
where Y' is the predicted score, b is the slope
of the line, and A is the Y intercept.
The equation for the line
in Figure 2 is
Y' = 0.425X + 0.785
For X = 1,
Y' = (0.425)(1) + 0.785 = 1.21.
For
X = 2,
Y' = (0.425)(2) + 0.785 = 1.64.
COMPUTiNG THE REGrESSiON
LiNE
In the age of computers, the regression line
is typically computed with statistical
software. However, the
calculations are relatively easy, and are given here for
anyone who
is interested. The calculations are based on the statistics shown
in
Table 3. MX is the mean of X, MY is the mean of Y, sX is
the standard deviation of
X, sY is the
standard deviation of Y, and r is the correlation between
X and Y.
Formula for standard deviation
Formula for correlation
Table 3. Statistics for computing the
regression line.

MX

MY

sX

sY

2.06

1.581

1.072

0.627

The slope (b) can be calculated as follows:


b = r sY/sX
and the intercept (A) can be calculated as
A = MY - bMX.
For these data,
b = (0.627)(1.072)/1.581 = 0.425
A = 2.06 - (0.425)(3) = 0.785
Note that the calculations have all been shown
in terms of sample statistics rather
than population parameters.
The formulas are the same; simply use the
parameter values
for means, standard deviations, and the correlation.
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Introduction to Linear Regression

STANDArDiZED VAriABlES
The regression equation is simpler if variables are standardized so that their
means are equal to 0 and standard deviations are equal to 1, for then b = r and
A = 0. This makes the regression line:
ZY' = (r)(ZX)
where ZY' is the predicted standard score for Y, r is the correlation, and ZX is the
standardized score for X. Note that the slope of the regression equation for
standardized variables is r.
A REAl ExAMPlE
The case study "SAT and College GPA" contains high school and university grades
for 105 computer science majors
at a local state school. We now consider how
we could predict
a student's university GPA if we knew his or her high school
GPA.
Figure 3 shows a scatter plot of University GPA
as a function of High School GPA.
You can see from the figure
that there is a strong positive relationship. The
correlation
is 0.78. The regression equation is
University GPA' = (0.675)(High School
GPA) + 1.097
Therefore, a student with a high school GPA of
3 would be predicted to have a
university GPA of
University GPA' = (0.675)(3)
+ 1.097 = 3.12.

Figure 3. University GPA as a function


of High
School GPA.
ASSUMPTiONS
It may surprise you, but the calculations shown
in this section are assumptionhttp://onlinestatbook.com/2/regression/intro.html[11/12/2015 7:39:52 AM]

Introduction to Linear Regression

free. Of course, if the relationship


between X and Y were not linear, a different
shaped function could
fit the data better. Inferential statistics in
regression are
based on several assumptions, and these assumptions
are presented in a later
section of this chapter.

Question 1 out of 7.

The formula for a regression equation is Y' = 3X - 2. What would be the


predicted Y score for a person scoring 4 on X?

Check Answer

Previous Question

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