1. The EffectLiteR Approach for Analyzing Average and Conditional Effects
- Author
-
Lisa Dietzfelbinger, Yves Rosseel, Rolf Steyer, and Axel Mayer
- Subjects
Statistics and Probability ,Male ,stochastic regressors ,Experimental and Cognitive Psychology ,01 natural sciences ,Structural equation modeling ,Access to Information ,010104 statistics & probability ,0504 sociology ,Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) ,Statistics ,Covariate ,Econometrics ,Humans ,Computer Simulation ,0101 mathematics ,Average and conditional effects ,Categorical variable ,Mathematics ,Variable (mathematics) ,Analysis of Variance ,Internet ,Stochastic Processes ,multigroup structural equation modeling ,moderation ,Models, Statistical ,Mental Disorders ,05 social sciences ,050401 social sciences methods ,General Medicine ,interactions ,Covariance ,Regression ,Outcome (probability) ,Observational Studies as Topic ,Data Interpretation, Statistical ,Regression Analysis ,Female ,Conditional variance ,Algorithms ,Software - Abstract
We present a framework for estimating average and conditional effects of a discrete treatment variable on a continuous outcome variable, conditioning on categorical and continuous covariates. Using the new approach, termed the EffectLiteR approach, researchers can consider conditional treatment effects given values of all covariates in the analysis and various aggregates of these conditional treatment effects such as average effects, effects on the treated, or aggregated conditional effects given values of a subset of covariates. Building on structural equation modeling, key advantages of the new approach are (1) It allows for latent covariates and outcome variables; (2) it permits (higher order) interactions between the treatment variable and categorical and (latent) continuous covariates; and (3) covariates can be treated as stochastic or fixed. The approach is illustrated by an example, and open source software EffectLiteR is provided, which makes a detailed analysis of effects conveniently accessible for applied researchers.
- Published
- 2016