LogisticRegression1Sociology8811Lecture4.ppt

Logistic Regression 1 Sociology 8811 Lecture 4 Copyright ? 2007 by Evan Schofer Do not copy or distribute without permission Announcements Lab Assignment #1 due on Monday Get in the habit of bringing a calculator to class It isn’t absolutely necessary, but it will help with interpreting logistic regression coefficients… Reasons for advanced methods OLS regression is great… why do we need to learn more? Answer: You need a “toolbox” of methods to deal with common situations 1. Different types of variables require different tools Crosstabs = useful for examining the relationship among 2 categorical variables Correlation and OLS regression = good for identifying linear relationships among interval variables We’ll learn appropriate techniques for other combinations of variables Ex: Logistic regression for dichotomous dependent variables. Reasons for advanced methods 2. Some types of data create problems for standard tools like OLS regression Ex: Often we like to observe cases repeatedly over time… but this can violate OLS assumptions You need “time-series” regression models 3. Sometimes you want to accomplish tasks beyond simply looking for relationships among variables Ex: Network analysis; latent class models; geometric data analysis Not covered in this class… Upcoming Topics Logistic Regression Count Models Event History Analysis Multilevel models (e.g., HLM) Structural equation models with latent variables (SEM) Review: Types of Variables Continuous variable = can be measured with infinite precision Age: we may round off, but great precision is possible Discrete variable = can only take on a specific set of values Typically: Positive integers or a small set of categories Ex: # children living in a household; Race; gender Note: Dichotomous = discrete with 2 categories. Review: Types of Variables And, don’t forget about measurement scales: Nominal: Categories that can’t be ordered Note: Also called “categorical” variables Ex: Religion; race; geograph