the null hypothesis in regression is

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13.6 Testing the Regression Coefficients

Learning objectives.

• Conduct and interpret a hypothesis test on individual regression coefficients.

Previously, we learned that the population model for the multiple regression equation is

[latex]\begin{eqnarray*} y & = & \beta_0+\beta_1x_1+\beta_2x_2+\cdots+\beta_kx_k +\epsilon \end{eqnarray*}[/latex]

where [latex]x_1,x_2,\ldots,x_k[/latex] are the independent variables, [latex]\beta_0,\beta_1,\ldots,\beta_k[/latex] are the population parameters of the regression coefficients, and [latex]\epsilon[/latex] is the error variable.  In multiple regression, we estimate each population regression coefficient [latex]\beta_i[/latex] with the sample regression coefficient [latex]b_i[/latex].

In the previous section, we learned how to conduct an overall model test to determine if the regression model is valid.  If the outcome of the overall model test is that the model is valid, then at least one of the independent variables is related to the dependent variable—in other words, at least one of the regression coefficients [latex]\beta_i[/latex] is not zero.  However, the overall model test does not tell us which independent variables are related to the dependent variable.  To determine which independent variables are related to the dependent variable, we must test each of the regression coefficients.

Testing the Regression Coefficients

For an individual regression coefficient, we want to test if there is a relationship between the dependent variable [latex]y[/latex] and the independent variable [latex]x_i[/latex].

• No Relationship .  There is no relationship between the dependent variable [latex]y[/latex] and the independent variable [latex]x_i[/latex].  In this case, the regression coefficient [latex]\beta_i[/latex] is zero.  This is the claim for the null hypothesis in an individual regression coefficient test:  [latex]H_0: \beta_i=0[/latex].
• Relationship.  There is a relationship between the dependent variable [latex]y[/latex] and the independent variable [latex]x_i[/latex].  In this case, the regression coefficients [latex]\beta_i[/latex] is not zero.  This is the claim for the alternative hypothesis in an individual regression coefficient test:  [latex]H_a: \beta_i \neq 0[/latex].  We are not interested if the regression coefficient [latex]\beta_i[/latex] is positive or negative, only that it is not zero.  We only need to find out if the regression coefficient is not zero to demonstrate that there is a relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variable. This makes the test on a regression coefficient a two-tailed test.

In order to conduct a hypothesis test on an individual regression coefficient [latex]\beta_i[/latex], we need to use the distribution of the sample regression coefficient [latex]b_i[/latex]:

• The mean of the distribution of the sample regression coefficient is the population regression coefficient [latex]\beta_i[/latex].
• The standard deviation of the distribution of the sample regression coefficient is [latex]\sigma_{b_i}[/latex].  Because we do not know the population standard deviation we must estimate [latex]\sigma_{b_i}[/latex] with the sample standard deviation [latex]s_{b_i}[/latex].
• The distribution of the sample regression coefficient follows a normal distribution.

Steps to Conduct a Hypothesis Test on a Regression Coefficient

[latex]\begin{eqnarray*} H_0: &  &  \beta_i=0 \\ \\ \end{eqnarray*}[/latex]

[latex]\begin{eqnarray*} H_a: &  & \beta_i \neq 0 \\ \\ \end{eqnarray*}[/latex]

• Collect the sample information for the test and identify the significance level [latex]\alpha[/latex].

[latex]\begin{eqnarray*}t & = & \frac{b_i-\beta_i}{s_{b_i}} \\ \\ df &  = & n-k-1 \\  \\ \end{eqnarray*}[/latex]

• The results of the sample data are significant.  There is sufficient evidence to conclude that the null hypothesis [latex]H_0[/latex] is an incorrect belief and that the alternative hypothesis [latex]H_a[/latex] is most likely correct.
• The results of the sample data are not significant.  There is not sufficient evidence to conclude that the alternative hypothesis [latex]H_a[/latex] may be correct.
• Write down a concluding sentence specific to the context of the question.

The required [latex]t[/latex]-score and p -value for the test can be found on the regression summary table, which we learned how to generate in Excel in a previous section.

The human resources department at a large company wants to develop a model to predict an employee’s job satisfaction from the number of hours of unpaid work per week the employee does, the employee’s age, and the employee’s income.  A sample of 25 employees at the company is taken and the data is recorded in the table below.  The employee’s income is recorded in $1000s and the job satisfaction score is out of 10, with higher values indicating greater job satisfaction.

Previously, we found the multiple regression equation to predict the job satisfaction score from the other variables:

[latex]\begin{eqnarray*} \hat{y} & = & 4.7993-0.3818x_1+0.0046x_2+0.0233x_3 \\ \\ \hat{y} & = & \mbox{predicted job satisfaction score} \\ x_1 & = & \mbox{hours of unpaid work per week} \\ x_2 & = & \mbox{age} \\ x_3 & = & \mbox{income (\$1000s)}\end{eqnarray*}[/latex]

At the 5% significance level, test the relationship between the dependent variable “job satisfaction” and the independent variable “hours of unpaid work per week”.

Hypotheses:

[latex]\begin{eqnarray*} H_0: & & \beta_1=0 \\   H_a: & & \beta_1 \neq 0 \end{eqnarray*}[/latex]

The regression summary table generated by Excel is shown below:

The  p -value for the test on the hours of unpaid work per week regression coefficient is in the bottom part of the table under the P-value column of the Hours of Unpaid Work per Week row .  So the  p -value=[latex]0.0082[/latex].

Conclusion:  

Because p -value[latex]=0.0082 \lt 0.05=\alpha[/latex], we reject the null hypothesis in favour of the alternative hypothesis.  At the 5% significance level there is enough evidence to suggest that there is a relationship between the dependent variable “job satisfaction” and the independent variable “hours of unpaid work per week.”

• The null hypothesis [latex]\beta_1=0[/latex] is the claim that the regression coefficient for the independent variable [latex]x_1[/latex] is zero.  That is, the null hypothesis is the claim that there is no relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variable “hours of unpaid work per week.”
• The alternative hypothesis is the claim that the regression coefficient for the independent variable [latex]x_1[/latex] is not zero.  The alternative hypothesis is the claim that there is a relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variable “hours of unpaid work per week.”
• When conducting a test on a regression coefficient, make sure to use the correct subscript on [latex]\beta[/latex] to correspond to how the independent variables were defined in the regression model and which independent variable is being tested.  Here the subscript on [latex]\beta[/latex] is 1 because the “hours of unpaid work per week” is defined as [latex]x_1[/latex] in the regression model.
• The p -value for the tests on the regression coefficients are located in the bottom part of the table under the P-value column heading in the corresponding independent variable row. 
• Because the alternative hypothesis is a [latex]\neq[/latex], the p -value is the sum of the area in the tails of the [latex]t[/latex]-distribution.  This is the value calculated out by Excel in the regression summary table.
• The p -value of 0.0082 is a small probability compared to the significance level, and so is unlikely to happen assuming the null hypothesis is true.  This suggests that the assumption that the null hypothesis is true is most likely incorrect, and so the conclusion of the test is to reject the null hypothesis in favour of the alternative hypothesis.  In other words, the regression coefficient [latex]\beta_1[/latex] is not zero, and so there is a relationship between the dependent variable “job satisfaction” and the independent variable “hours of unpaid work per week.”  This means that the independent variable “hours of unpaid work per week” is useful in predicting the dependent variable.

At the 5% significance level, test the relationship between the dependent variable “job satisfaction” and the independent variable “age”.

[latex]\begin{eqnarray*} H_0: & & \beta_2=0 \\   H_a: & & \beta_2 \neq 0 \end{eqnarray*}[/latex]

The  p -value for the test on the age regression coefficient is in the bottom part of the table under the P-value column of the Age row .  So the  p -value=[latex]0.8439[/latex].

Because p -value[latex]=0.8439 \gt 0.05=\alpha[/latex], we do not reject the null hypothesis.  At the 5% significance level there is not enough evidence to suggest that there is a relationship between the dependent variable “job satisfaction” and the independent variable “age.”

• The null hypothesis [latex]\beta_2=0[/latex] is the claim that the regression coefficient for the independent variable [latex]x_2[/latex] is zero.  That is, the null hypothesis is the claim that there is no relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variable “age.”
• The alternative hypothesis is the claim that the regression coefficient for the independent variable [latex]x_2[/latex] is not zero.  The alternative hypothesis is the claim that there is a relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variable “age.”
• When conducting a test on a regression coefficient, make sure to use the correct subscript on [latex]\beta[/latex] to correspond to how the independent variables were defined in the regression model and which independent variable is being tested.  Here the subscript on [latex]\beta[/latex] is 2 because “age” is defined as [latex]x_2[/latex] in the regression model.
• The p -value of 0.8439 is a large probability compared to the significance level, and so is likely to happen assuming the null hypothesis is true.  This suggests that the assumption that the null hypothesis is true is most likely correct, and so the conclusion of the test is to not reject the null hypothesis.  In other words, the regression coefficient [latex]\beta_2[/latex] is zero, and so there is no relationship between the dependent variable “job satisfaction” and the independent variable “age.”  This means that the independent variable “age” is not particularly useful in predicting the dependent variable.

At the 5% significance level, test the relationship between the dependent variable “job satisfaction” and the independent variable “income”.

[latex]\begin{eqnarray*} H_0: & & \beta_3=0 \\   H_a: & & \beta_3 \neq 0 \end{eqnarray*}[/latex]

The  p -value for the test on the income regression coefficient is in the bottom part of the table under the P-value column of the Income row .  So the  p -value=[latex]0.0060[/latex].

Because p -value[latex]=0.0060 \lt 0.05=\alpha[/latex], we reject the null hypothesis in favour of the alternative hypothesis.  At the 5% significance level there is enough evidence to suggest that there is a relationship between the dependent variable “job satisfaction” and the independent variable “income.”

• The null hypothesis [latex]\beta_3=0[/latex] is the claim that the regression coefficient for the independent variable [latex]x_3[/latex] is zero.  That is, the null hypothesis is the claim that there is no relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variable “income.”
• The alternative hypothesis is the claim that the regression coefficient for the independent variable [latex]x_3[/latex] is not zero.  The alternative hypothesis is the claim that there is a relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variable “income.”
• When conducting a test on a regression coefficient, make sure to use the correct subscript on [latex]\beta[/latex] to correspond to how the independent variables were defined in the regression model and which independent variable is being tested.  Here the subscript on [latex]\beta[/latex] is 3 because “income” is defined as [latex]x_3[/latex] in the regression model.
• The p -value of 0.0060 is a small probability compared to the significance level, and so is unlikely to happen assuming the null hypothesis is true.  This suggests that the assumption that the null hypothesis is true is most likely incorrect, and so the conclusion of the test is to reject the null hypothesis in favour of the alternative hypothesis.  In other words, the regression coefficient [latex]\beta_3[/latex] is not zero, and so there is a relationship between the dependent variable “job satisfaction” and the independent variable “income.”  This means that the independent variable “income” is useful in predicting the dependent variable.

Concept Review

The test on a regression coefficient determines if there is a relationship between the dependent variable and the corresponding independent variable.  The p -value for the test is the sum of the area in tails of the [latex]t[/latex]-distribution.  The p -value can be found on the regression summary table generated by Excel.

The hypothesis test for a regression coefficient is a well established process:

• Write down the null and alternative hypotheses in terms of the regression coefficient being tested.  The null hypothesis is the claim that there is no relationship between the dependent variable and independent variable.  The alternative hypothesis is the claim that there is a relationship between the dependent variable and independent variable.
• Collect the sample information for the test and identify the significance level.
• The p -value is the sum of the area in the tails of the [latex]t[/latex]-distribution.  Use the regression summary table generated by Excel to find the p -value.
• Compare the  p -value to the significance level and state the outcome of the test.

Introduction to Statistics Copyright © 2022 by Valerie Watts is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Understanding the Null Hypothesis for Linear Regression

Linear regression is a technique we can use to understand the relationship between one or more predictor variables and a response variable .

If we only have one predictor variable and one response variable, we can use simple linear regression , which uses the following formula to estimate the relationship between the variables:

ŷ = β 0 + β 1 x

• ŷ: The estimated response value.
• β 0 : The average value of y when x is zero.
• β 1 : The average change in y associated with a one unit increase in x.
• x: The value of the predictor variable.

Simple linear regression uses the following null and alternative hypotheses:

• H 0 : β 1 = 0
• H A : β 1 ≠ 0

The null hypothesis states that the coefficient β 1 is equal to zero. In other words, there is no statistically significant relationship between the predictor variable, x, and the response variable, y.

The alternative hypothesis states that β 1 is not equal to zero. In other words, there is a statistically significant relationship between x and y.

If we have multiple predictor variables and one response variable, we can use multiple linear regression , which uses the following formula to estimate the relationship between the variables:

ŷ = β 0 + β 1 x 1 + β 2 x 2 + … + β k x k

• β 0 : The average value of y when all predictor variables are equal to zero.
• β i : The average change in y associated with a one unit increase in x i .
• x i : The value of the predictor variable x i .

Multiple linear regression uses the following null and alternative hypotheses:

• H 0 : β 1 = β 2 = … = β k = 0
• H A : β 1 = β 2 = … = β k ≠ 0

The null hypothesis states that all coefficients in the model are equal to zero. In other words, none of the predictor variables have a statistically significant relationship with the response variable, y.

The alternative hypothesis states that not every coefficient is simultaneously equal to zero.

The following examples show how to decide to reject or fail to reject the null hypothesis in both simple linear regression and multiple linear regression models.

Example 1: Simple Linear Regression

Suppose a professor would like to use the number of hours studied to predict the exam score that students will receive in his class. He collects data for 20 students and fits a simple linear regression model.

The following screenshot shows the output of the regression model:

The fitted simple linear regression model is:

Exam Score = 67.1617 + 5.2503*(hours studied)

To determine if there is a statistically significant relationship between hours studied and exam score, we need to analyze the overall F value of the model and the corresponding p-value:

• Overall F-Value:  47.9952
• P-value:  0.000

Since this p-value is less than .05, we can reject the null hypothesis. In other words, there is a statistically significant relationship between hours studied and exam score received.

Example 2: Multiple Linear Regression

Suppose a professor would like to use the number of hours studied and the number of prep exams taken to predict the exam score that students will receive in his class. He collects data for 20 students and fits a multiple linear regression model.

The fitted multiple linear regression model is:

Exam Score = 67.67 + 5.56*(hours studied) – 0.60*(prep exams taken)

To determine if there is a jointly statistically significant relationship between the two predictor variables and the response variable, we need to analyze the overall F value of the model and the corresponding p-value:

• Overall F-Value:  23.46
• P-value:  0.00

Since this p-value is less than .05, we can reject the null hypothesis. In other words, hours studied and prep exams taken have a jointly statistically significant relationship with exam score.

Note: Although the p-value for prep exams taken (p = 0.52) is not significant, prep exams combined with hours studied has a significant relationship with exam score.

Additional Resources

Understanding the F-Test of Overall Significance in Regression How to Read and Interpret a Regression Table How to Report Regression Results How to Perform Simple Linear Regression in Excel How to Perform Multiple Linear Regression in Excel

The Complete Guide: How to Report Regression Results

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9.1 Null and Alternative Hypotheses

The actual test begins by considering two hypotheses . They are called the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis . These hypotheses contain opposing viewpoints.

H 0 , the — null hypothesis: a statement of no difference between sample means or proportions or no difference between a sample mean or proportion and a population mean or proportion. In other words, the difference equals 0.

H a —, the alternative hypothesis: a claim about the population that is contradictory to H 0 and what we conclude when we reject H 0 .

Since the null and alternative hypotheses are contradictory, you must examine evidence to decide if you have enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis or not. The evidence is in the form of sample data.

After you have determined which hypothesis the sample supports, you make a decision. There are two options for a decision. They are reject H 0 if the sample information favors the alternative hypothesis or do not reject H 0 or decline to reject H 0 if the sample information is insufficient to reject the null hypothesis.

Mathematical Symbols Used in H 0 and H a :

H 0 always has a symbol with an equal in it. H a never has a symbol with an equal in it. The choice of symbol depends on the wording of the hypothesis test. However, be aware that many researchers use = in the null hypothesis, even with > or < as the symbol in the alternative hypothesis. This practice is acceptable because we only make the decision to reject or not reject the null hypothesis.

Example 9.1

H 0 : No more than 30 percent of the registered voters in Santa Clara County voted in the primary election. p ≤ 30 H a : More than 30 percent of the registered voters in Santa Clara County voted in the primary election. p > 30

A medical trial is conducted to test whether or not a new medicine reduces cholesterol by 25 percent. State the null and alternative hypotheses.

Example 9.2

We want to test whether the mean GPA of students in American colleges is different from 2.0 (out of 4.0). The null and alternative hypotheses are the following: H 0 : μ = 2.0 H a : μ ≠ 2.0

We want to test whether the mean height of eighth graders is 66 inches. State the null and alternative hypotheses. Fill in the correct symbol (=, ≠, ≥, <, ≤, >) for the null and alternative hypotheses.

• H 0 : μ __ 66
• H a : μ __ 66

Example 9.3

We want to test if college students take fewer than five years to graduate from college, on the average. The null and alternative hypotheses are the following: H 0 : μ ≥ 5 H a : μ < 5

We want to test if it takes fewer than 45 minutes to teach a lesson plan. State the null and alternative hypotheses. Fill in the correct symbol ( =, ≠, ≥, <, ≤, >) for the null and alternative hypotheses.

• H 0 : μ __ 45
• H a : μ __ 45

Example 9.4

An article on school standards stated that about half of all students in France, Germany, and Israel take advanced placement exams and a third of the students pass. The same article stated that 6.6 percent of U.S. students take advanced placement exams and 4.4 percent pass. Test if the percentage of U.S. students who take advanced placement exams is more than 6.6 percent. State the null and alternative hypotheses. H 0 : p ≤ 0.066 H a : p > 0.066

On a state driver’s test, about 40 percent pass the test on the first try. We want to test if more than 40 percent pass on the first try. Fill in the correct symbol (=, ≠, ≥, <, ≤, >) for the null and alternative hypotheses.

• H 0 : p __ 0.40
• H a : p __ 0.40

Collaborative Exercise

Bring to class a newspaper, some news magazines, and some internet articles. In groups, find articles from which your group can write null and alternative hypotheses. Discuss your hypotheses with the rest of the class.

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• Null and Alternative Hypotheses | Definitions & Examples

Null and Alternative Hypotheses | Definitions & Examples

Published on 5 October 2022 by Shaun Turney . Revised on 6 December 2022.

The null and alternative hypotheses are two competing claims that researchers weigh evidence for and against using a statistical test :

• Null hypothesis (H 0 ): There’s no effect in the population .
• Alternative hypothesis (H A ): There’s an effect in the population.

The effect is usually the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable .

Table of contents

Answering your research question with hypotheses, what is a null hypothesis, what is an alternative hypothesis, differences between null and alternative hypotheses, how to write null and alternative hypotheses, frequently asked questions about null and alternative hypotheses.

The null and alternative hypotheses offer competing answers to your research question . When the research question asks “Does the independent variable affect the dependent variable?”, the null hypothesis (H 0 ) answers “No, there’s no effect in the population.” On the other hand, the alternative hypothesis (H A ) answers “Yes, there is an effect in the population.”

The null and alternative are always claims about the population. That’s because the goal of hypothesis testing is to make inferences about a population based on a sample . Often, we infer whether there’s an effect in the population by looking at differences between groups or relationships between variables in the sample.

You can use a statistical test to decide whether the evidence favors the null or alternative hypothesis. Each type of statistical test comes with a specific way of phrasing the null and alternative hypothesis. However, the hypotheses can also be phrased in a general way that applies to any test.

The null hypothesis is the claim that there’s no effect in the population.

If the sample provides enough evidence against the claim that there’s no effect in the population ( p ≤ α), then we can reject the null hypothesis . Otherwise, we fail to reject the null hypothesis.

Although “fail to reject” may sound awkward, it’s the only wording that statisticians accept. Be careful not to say you “prove” or “accept” the null hypothesis.

Null hypotheses often include phrases such as “no effect”, “no difference”, or “no relationship”. When written in mathematical terms, they always include an equality (usually =, but sometimes ≥ or ≤).

Examples of null hypotheses

The table below gives examples of research questions and null hypotheses. There’s always more than one way to answer a research question, but these null hypotheses can help you get started.

*Note that some researchers prefer to always write the null hypothesis in terms of “no effect” and “=”. It would be fine to say that daily meditation has no effect on the incidence of depression and p 1 = p 2 .

The alternative hypothesis (H A ) is the other answer to your research question . It claims that there’s an effect in the population.

Often, your alternative hypothesis is the same as your research hypothesis. In other words, it’s the claim that you expect or hope will be true.

The alternative hypothesis is the complement to the null hypothesis. Null and alternative hypotheses are exhaustive, meaning that together they cover every possible outcome. They are also mutually exclusive, meaning that only one can be true at a time.

Alternative hypotheses often include phrases such as “an effect”, “a difference”, or “a relationship”. When alternative hypotheses are written in mathematical terms, they always include an inequality (usually ≠, but sometimes > or <). As with null hypotheses, there are many acceptable ways to phrase an alternative hypothesis.

Examples of alternative hypotheses

The table below gives examples of research questions and alternative hypotheses to help you get started with formulating your own.

Null and alternative hypotheses are similar in some ways:

• They’re both answers to the research question
• They both make claims about the population
• They’re both evaluated by statistical tests.

However, there are important differences between the two types of hypotheses, summarized in the following table.

To help you write your hypotheses, you can use the template sentences below. If you know which statistical test you’re going to use, you can use the test-specific template sentences. Otherwise, you can use the general template sentences.

The only thing you need to know to use these general template sentences are your dependent and independent variables. To write your research question, null hypothesis, and alternative hypothesis, fill in the following sentences with your variables:

Does independent variable affect dependent variable ?

• Null hypothesis (H 0 ): Independent variable does not affect dependent variable .
• Alternative hypothesis (H A ): Independent variable affects dependent variable .

Test-specific

Once you know the statistical test you’ll be using, you can write your hypotheses in a more precise and mathematical way specific to the test you chose. The table below provides template sentences for common statistical tests.

Note: The template sentences above assume that you’re performing one-tailed tests . One-tailed tests are appropriate for most studies.

The null hypothesis is often abbreviated as H 0 . When the null hypothesis is written using mathematical symbols, it always includes an equality symbol (usually =, but sometimes ≥ or ≤).

The alternative hypothesis is often abbreviated as H a or H 1 . When the alternative hypothesis is written using mathematical symbols, it always includes an inequality symbol (usually ≠, but sometimes < or >).

A research hypothesis is your proposed answer to your research question. The research hypothesis usually includes an explanation (‘ x affects y because …’).

A statistical hypothesis, on the other hand, is a mathematical statement about a population parameter. Statistical hypotheses always come in pairs: the null and alternative hypotheses. In a well-designed study , the statistical hypotheses correspond logically to the research hypothesis.

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• Talk To Minitab

How to Interpret Regression Analysis Results: P-values and Coefficients

Topics: Regression Analysis

Regression analysis generates an equation to describe the statistical relationship between one or more predictor variables and the response variable. After you use Minitab Statistical Software to fit a regression model, and verify the fit by checking the residual plots , you’ll want to interpret the results. In this post, I’ll show you how to interpret the p-values and coefficients that appear in the output for linear regression analysis.

How Do I Interpret the P-Values in Linear Regression Analysis?

The p-value for each term tests the null hypothesis that the coefficient is equal to zero (no effect). A low p-value (< 0.05) indicates that you can reject the null hypothesis. In other words, a predictor that has a low p-value is likely to be a meaningful addition to your model because changes in the predictor's value are related to changes in the response variable.

Conversely, a larger (insignificant) p-value suggests that changes in the predictor are not associated with changes in the response.

In the output below, we can see that the predictor variables of South and North are significant because both of their p-values are 0.000. However, the p-value for East (0.092) is greater than the common alpha level of 0.05, which indicates that it is not statistically significant.

Typically, you use the coefficient p-values to determine which terms to keep in the regression model. In the model above, we should consider removing East.

Related: F-test of overall significance

How Do I Interpret the Regression Coefficients for Linear Relationships?

Regression coefficients represent the mean change in the response variable for one unit of change in the predictor variable while holding other predictors in the model constant. This statistical control that regression provides is important because it isolates the role of one variable from all of the others in the model.

The key to understanding the coefficients is to think of them as slopes, and they’re often called slope coefficients. I’ll illustrate this in the fitted line plot below, where I’ll use a person’s height to model their weight. First, Minitab’s session window output:

The fitted line plot shows the same regression results graphically.

The equation shows that the coefficient for height in meters is 106.5 kilograms. The coefficient indicates that for every additional meter in height you can expect weight to increase by an average of 106.5 kilograms.

The blue fitted line graphically shows the same information. If you move left or right along the x-axis by an amount that represents a one meter change in height, the fitted line rises or falls by 106.5 kilograms. However, these heights are from middle-school aged girls and range from 1.3 m to 1.7 m. The relationship is only valid within this data range, so we would not actually shift up or down the line by a full meter in this case.

If the fitted line was flat (a slope coefficient of zero), the expected value for weight would not change no matter how far up and down the line you go. So, a low p-value suggests that the slope is not zero, which in turn suggests that changes in the predictor variable are associated with changes in the response variable.

I used a fitted line plot because it really brings the math to life. However, fitted line plots can only display the results from simple regression, which is one predictor variable and the response. The concepts hold true for multiple linear regression, but I would need an extra spatial dimension for each additional predictor to plot the results. That's hard to show with today's technology!

How Do I Interpret the Regression Coefficients for Curvilinear Relationships and Interaction Terms?

In the above example, height is a linear effect; the slope is constant, which indicates that the effect is also constant along the entire fitted line. However, if your model requires polynomial or interaction terms, the interpretation is a bit less intuitive.

As a refresher, polynomial terms model curvature in the data , while interaction terms indicate that the effect of one predictor depends on the value of another predictor.

The next example uses a data set that requires a quadratic (squared) term to model the curvature. In the output below, we see that the p-values for both the linear and quadratic terms are significant.

The residual plots (not shown) indicate a good fit, so we can proceed with the interpretation. But, how do we interpret these coefficients? It really helps to graph it in a fitted line plot.

You can see how the relationship between the machine setting and energy consumption varies depending on where you start on the fitted line. For example, if you start at a machine setting of 12 and increase the setting by 1, you’d expect energy consumption to decrease. However, if you start at 25, an increase of 1 should increase energy consumption. And if you’re around 20, energy consumption shouldn’t change much at all.

A significant polynomial term can make the interpretation less intuitive because the effect of changing the predictor varies depending on the value of that predictor. Similarly, a significant interaction term indicates that the effect of the predictor varies depending on the value of a different predictor.

Take extra care when you interpret a regression model that contains these types of terms. You can’t just look at the main effect (linear term) and understand what is happening! Unfortunately, if you are performing multiple regression analysis, you won't be able to use a fitted line plot to graphically interpret the results. This is where subject area knowledge is extra valuable!

Particularly attentive readers may have noticed that I didn’t tell you how to interpret the constant . I’ll cover that in my next post!

Be sure to:

• Check your residual plots so you can trust the results
• Assess the goodness-of-fit and R-squared

If you're learning about regression, read my regression tutorial !

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6.2.3 - more on model-fitting.

Suppose two models are under consideration, where one model is a special case or "reduced" form of the other obtained by setting \(k\) of the regression coefficients (parameters) equal to zero. The larger model is considered the "full" model, and the hypotheses would be

\(H_0\): reduced model versus \(H_A\): full model

Equivalently, the null hypothesis can be stated as the \(k\) predictor terms associated with the omitted coefficients have no relationship with the response, given the remaining predictor terms are already in the model. If we fit both models, we can compute the likelihood-ratio test (LRT) statistic:

\(G^2 = −2 (\log L_0 - \log L_1)\)

where \(L_0\) and \(L_1\) are the max likelihood values for the reduced and full models, respectively. The degrees of freedom would be \(k\), the number of coefficients in question. The p-value is the area under the \(\chi^2_k\) curve to the right of \( G^2)\).

To perform the test in SAS, we can look at the "Model Fit Statistics" section and examine the value of "−2 Log L" for "Intercept and Covariates." Here, the reduced model is the "intercept-only" model (i.e., no predictors), and "intercept and covariates" is the full model. For our running example, this would be equivalent to testing "intercept-only" model vs. full (saturated) model (since we have only one predictor).

Larger differences in the "-2 Log L" values lead to smaller p-values more evidence against the reduced model in favor of the full model. For our example, \( G^2 = 5176.510 − 5147.390 = 29.1207\) with \(2 − 1 = 1\) degree of freedom. Notice that this matches the deviance we got in the earlier text above.

Also, notice that the \(G^2\) we calculated for this example is equal to 29.1207 with 1df and p-value <.0001 from "Testing Global Hypothesis: BETA=0" section (the next part of the output, see below).

Testing the Joint Significance of All Predictors Section  

Testing the null hypothesis that the set of coefficients is simultaneously zero. For example, consider the full model

\(\log\left(\dfrac{\pi}{1-\pi}\right)=\beta_0+\beta_1 x_1+\cdots+\beta_k x_k\)

and the null hypothesis \(H_0\colon \beta_1=\beta_2=\cdots=\beta_k=0\) versus the alternative that at least one of the coefficients is not zero. This is like the overall F−test in linear regression. In other words, this is testing the null hypothesis of the intercept-only model:

\(\log\left(\dfrac{\pi}{1-\pi}\right)=\beta_0\)

versus the alternative that the current (full) model is correct. This corresponds to the test in our example because we have only a single predictor term, and the reduced model that removes the coefficient for that predictor is the intercept-only model.

In the SAS output, three different chi-square statistics for this test are displayed in the section "Testing Global Null Hypothesis: Beta=0," corresponding to the likelihood ratio, score, and Wald tests. Recall our brief encounter with them in our discussion of binomial inference in Lesson 2.

Large chi-square statistics lead to small p-values and provide evidence against the intercept-only model in favor of the current model. The Wald test is based on asymptotic normality of ML estimates of \(\beta\)s. Rather than using the Wald, most statisticians would prefer the LR test. If these three tests agree, that is evidence that the large-sample approximations are working well and the results are trustworthy. If the results from the three tests disagree, most statisticians would tend to trust the likelihood-ratio test more than the other two.

In our example, the "intercept only" model or the null model says that student's smoking is unrelated to parents' smoking habits. Thus the test of the global null hypothesis \(\beta_1=0\) is equivalent to the usual test for independence in the \(2\times2\) table. We will see that the estimated coefficients and standard errors are as we predicted before, as well as the estimated odds and odds ratios.

Residual deviance is the difference between −2 logL for the saturated model and −2 logL for the currently fit model. The high residual deviance shows that the model cannot be accepted. The null deviance is the difference between −2 logL for the saturated model and −2 logL for the intercept-only model. The high residual deviance shows that the intercept-only model does not fit.

In our \(2\times2\) table smoking example, the residual deviance is almost 0 because the model we built is the saturated model. And notice that the degree of freedom is 0 too. Regarding the null deviance, we could see it equivalent to the section "Testing Global Null Hypothesis: Beta=0," by likelihood ratio in SAS output.

For our example, Null deviance = 29.1207 with df = 1. Notice that this matches the deviance we got in the earlier text above.

The Homer-Lemeshow Statistic Section  

An alternative statistic for measuring overall goodness-of-fit is the  Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic .

This is a Pearson-like chi-square statistic that is computed after the data are grouped by having similar predicted probabilities. It is more useful when there is more than one predictor and/or continuous predictors in the model too. We will see more on this later.

\(H_0\): the current model fits well \(H_A\): the current model does not fit well

To calculate this statistic:

• Group the observations according to model-predicted probabilities ( \(\hat{\pi}_i\))
• The number of groups is typically determined such that there is roughly an equal number of observations per group
• The Hosmer-Lemeshow (HL) statistic, a Pearson-like chi-square statistic, is computed on the grouped data but does NOT have a limiting chi-square distribution because the observations in groups are not from identical trials. Simulations have shown that this statistic can be approximated by a chi-squared distribution with \(g − 2\) degrees of freedom, where \(g\) is the number of groups.

Warning about the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test:

• It is a conservative statistic, i.e., its value is smaller than what it should be, and therefore the rejection probability of the null hypothesis is smaller.
• It has low power in predicting certain types of lack of fit such as nonlinearity in explanatory variables.
• It is highly dependent on how the observations are grouped.
• If too few groups are used (e.g., 5 or less), it almost always fails to reject the current model fit. This means that it's usually not a good measure if only one or two categorical predictor variables are involved, and it's best used for continuous predictors.

In the model statement, the option lackfit tells SAS to compute the HL statistic and print the partitioning. For our example, because we have a small number of groups (i.e., 2), this statistic gives a perfect fit (HL = 0, p-value = 1). Instead of deriving the diagnostics, we will look at them from a purely applied viewpoint. Recall the definitions and introductions to the regression residuals and Pearson and Deviance residuals.

Residuals Section  

The Pearson residuals are defined as

\(r_i=\dfrac{y_i-\hat{\mu}_i}{\sqrt{\hat{V}(\hat{\mu}_i)}}=\dfrac{y_i-n_i\hat{\pi}_i}{\sqrt{n_i\hat{\pi}_i(1-\hat{\pi}_i)}}\)

The contribution of the \(i\)th row to the Pearson statistic is

\(\dfrac{(y_i-\hat{\mu}_i)^2}{\hat{\mu}_i}+\dfrac{((n_i-y_i)-(n_i-\hat{\mu}_i))^2}{n_i-\hat{\mu}_i}=r^2_i\)

and the Pearson goodness-of fit statistic is

\(X^2=\sum\limits_{i=1}^N r^2_i\)

which we would compare to a \(\chi^2_{N-p}\) distribution. The deviance test statistic is

\(G^2=2\sum\limits_{i=1}^N \left\{ y_i\text{log}\left(\dfrac{y_i}{\hat{\mu}_i}\right)+(n_i-y_i)\text{log}\left(\dfrac{n_i-y_i}{n_i-\hat{\mu}_i}\right)\right\}\)

which we would again compare to \(\chi^2_{N-p}\), and the contribution of the \(i\)th row to the deviance is

\(2\left\{ y_i\log\left(\dfrac{y_i}{\hat{\mu}_i}\right)+(n_i-y_i)\log\left(\dfrac{n_i-y_i}{n_i-\hat{\mu}_i}\right)\right\}\)

We will note how these quantities are derived through appropriate software and how they provide useful information to understand and interpret the models.

Teach yourself statistics

Hypothesis Test for Regression Slope

This lesson describes how to conduct a hypothesis test to determine whether there is a significant linear relationship between an independent variable X and a dependent variable Y .

The test focuses on the slope of the regression line

Y = Β 0 + Β 1 X

where Β 0 is a constant, Β 1 is the slope (also called the regression coefficient), X is the value of the independent variable, and Y is the value of the dependent variable.

If we find that the slope of the regression line is significantly different from zero, we will conclude that there is a significant relationship between the independent and dependent variables.

Test Requirements

The approach described in this lesson is valid whenever the standard requirements for simple linear regression are met.

• The dependent variable Y has a linear relationship to the independent variable X .
• For each value of X, the probability distribution of Y has the same standard deviation σ.
• The Y values are independent.
• The Y values are roughly normally distributed (i.e., symmetric and unimodal ). A little skewness is ok if the sample size is large.

The test procedure consists of four steps: (1) state the hypotheses, (2) formulate an analysis plan, (3) analyze sample data, and (4) interpret results.

State the Hypotheses

If there is a significant linear relationship between the independent variable X and the dependent variable Y , the slope will not equal zero.

H o : Β 1 = 0

H a : Β 1 ≠ 0

The null hypothesis states that the slope is equal to zero, and the alternative hypothesis states that the slope is not equal to zero.

Formulate an Analysis Plan

The analysis plan describes how to use sample data to accept or reject the null hypothesis. The plan should specify the following elements.

• Significance level. Often, researchers choose significance levels equal to 0.01, 0.05, or 0.10; but any value between 0 and 1 can be used.
• Test method. Use a linear regression t-test (described in the next section) to determine whether the slope of the regression line differs significantly from zero.

Analyze Sample Data

Using sample data, find the standard error of the slope, the slope of the regression line, the degrees of freedom, the test statistic, and the P-value associated with the test statistic. The approach described in this section is illustrated in the sample problem at the end of this lesson.

SE = s b 1 = sqrt [ Σ(y i - ŷ i ) 2 / (n - 2) ] / sqrt [ Σ(x i - x ) 2 ]

• Slope. Like the standard error, the slope of the regression line will be provided by most statistics software packages. In the hypothetical output above, the slope is equal to 35.

t = b 1 / SE

• P-value. The P-value is the probability of observing a sample statistic as extreme as the test statistic. Since the test statistic is a t statistic, use the t Distribution Calculator to assess the probability associated with the test statistic. Use the degrees of freedom computed above.

Interpret Results

If the sample findings are unlikely, given the null hypothesis, the researcher rejects the null hypothesis. Typically, this involves comparing the P-value to the significance level , and rejecting the null hypothesis when the P-value is less than the significance level.

Test Your Understanding

The local utility company surveys 101 randomly selected customers. For each survey participant, the company collects the following: annual electric bill (in dollars) and home size (in square feet). Output from a regression analysis appears below.

Is there a significant linear relationship between annual bill and home size? Use a 0.05 level of significance.

The solution to this problem takes four steps: (1) state the hypotheses, (2) formulate an analysis plan, (3) analyze sample data, and (4) interpret results. We work through those steps below:

H o : The slope of the regression line is equal to zero.

H a : The slope of the regression line is not equal to zero.

• Formulate an analysis plan . For this analysis, the significance level is 0.05. Using sample data, we will conduct a linear regression t-test to determine whether the slope of the regression line differs significantly from zero.

We get the slope (b 1 ) and the standard error (SE) from the regression output.

b 1 = 0.55       SE = 0.24

We compute the degrees of freedom and the t statistic, using the following equations.

DF = n - 2 = 101 - 2 = 99

t = b 1 /SE = 0.55/0.24 = 2.29

where DF is the degrees of freedom, n is the number of observations in the sample, b 1 is the slope of the regression line, and SE is the standard error of the slope.

• Interpret results . Since the P-value (0.0242) is less than the significance level (0.05), we cannot accept the null hypothesis.

Statistics Made Easy

Understanding the Null Hypothesis for Logistic Regression

Logistic regression is a type of regression model we can use to understand the relationship between one or more predictor variables and a response variable when the response variable is binary.

If we only have one predictor variable and one response variable, we can use simple logistic regression , which uses the following formula to estimate the relationship between the variables:

log[p(X) / (1-p(X))]  =  β 0 + β 1 X

The formula on the right side of the equation predicts the log odds of the response variable taking on a value of 1.

Simple logistic regression uses the following null and alternative hypotheses:

• H 0 : β 1 = 0
• H A : β 1 ≠ 0

The null hypothesis states that the coefficient β 1 is equal to zero. In other words, there is no statistically significant relationship between the predictor variable, x, and the response variable, y.

The alternative hypothesis states that β 1 is not equal to zero. In other words, there is a statistically significant relationship between x and y.

If we have multiple predictor variables and one response variable, we can use multiple logistic regression , which uses the following formula to estimate the relationship between the variables:

log[p(X) / (1-p(X))] = β 0 + β 1 x 1 + β 2 x 2 + … + β k x k

Multiple logistic regression uses the following null and alternative hypotheses:

• H 0 : β 1 = β 2 = … = β k = 0
• H A : β 1 = β 2 = … = β k ≠ 0

The null hypothesis states that all coefficients in the model are equal to zero. In other words, none of the predictor variables have a statistically significant relationship with the response variable, y.

The alternative hypothesis states that not every coefficient is simultaneously equal to zero.

The following examples show how to decide to reject or fail to reject the null hypothesis in both simple logistic regression and multiple logistic regression models.

Example 1: Simple Logistic Regression

Suppose a professor would like to use the number of hours studied to predict the exam score that students will receive in his class. He collects data for 20 students and fits a simple logistic regression model.

We can use the following code in R to fit a simple logistic regression model:

To determine if there is a statistically significant relationship between hours studied and exam score, we need to analyze the overall Chi-Square value of the model and the corresponding p-value.

We can use the following formula to calculate the overall Chi-Square value of the model:

X 2 = (Null deviance – Residual deviance) / (Null df – Residual df)

The p-value turns out to be 0.2717286 .

Since this p-value is not less than .05, we fail to reject the null hypothesis. In other words, there is not a statistically significant relationship between hours studied and exam score received.

Example 2: Multiple Logistic Regression

Suppose a professor would like to use the number of hours studied and the number of prep exams taken to predict the exam score that students will receive in his class. He collects data for 20 students and fits a multiple logistic regression model.

We can use the following code in R to fit a multiple logistic regression model:

The p-value for the overall Chi-Square statistic of the model turns out to be 0.01971255 .

Since this p-value is less than .05, we reject the null hypothesis. In other words, there is a statistically significant relationship between the combination of hours studied and prep exams taken and final exam score received.

Additional Resources

The following tutorials offer additional information about logistic regression:

Introduction to Logistic Regression How to Report Logistic Regression Results Logistic Regression vs. Linear Regression: The Key Differences

Featured Posts

Hey there. My name is Zach Bobbitt. I have a Masters of Science degree in Applied Statistics and I’ve worked on machine learning algorithms for professional businesses in both healthcare and retail. I’m passionate about statistics, machine learning, and data visualization and I created Statology to be a resource for both students and teachers alike.  My goal with this site is to help you learn statistics through using simple terms, plenty of real-world examples, and helpful illustrations.

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Thank you, thank you, thank you for being clear and concise and working through each step of this, and including the R code!

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11.1: Testing the Hypothesis that β = 0

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The correlation coefficient, \(r\), tells us about the strength and direction of the linear relationship between \(x\) and \(y\). However, the reliability of the linear model also depends on how many observed data points are in the sample. We need to look at both the value of the correlation coefficient \(r\) and the sample size \(n\), together. We perform a hypothesis test of the "significance of the correlation coefficient" to decide whether the linear relationship in the sample data is strong enough to use to model the relationship in the population.

The sample data are used to compute \(r\), the correlation coefficient for the sample. If we had data for the entire population, we could find the population correlation coefficient. But because we have only sample data, we cannot calculate the population correlation coefficient. The sample correlation coefficient, \(r\), is our estimate of the unknown population correlation coefficient.

• The symbol for the population correlation coefficient is \(\rho\), the Greek letter "rho."
• \(\rho =\) population correlation coefficient (unknown)
• \(r =\) sample correlation coefficient (known; calculated from sample data)

The hypothesis test lets us decide whether the value of the population correlation coefficient \(\rho\) is "close to zero" or "significantly different from zero". We decide this based on the sample correlation coefficient \(r\) and the sample size \(n\).

If the test concludes that the correlation coefficient is significantly different from zero, we say that the correlation coefficient is "significant."

• Conclusion: There is sufficient evidence to conclude that there is a significant linear relationship between \(x\) and \(y\) because the correlation coefficient is significantly different from zero.
• What the conclusion means: There is a significant linear relationship between \(x\) and \(y\). We can use the regression line to model the linear relationship between \(x\) and \(y\) in the population.

If the test concludes that the correlation coefficient is not significantly different from zero (it is close to zero), we say that correlation coefficient is "not significant".

• Conclusion: "There is insufficient evidence to conclude that there is a significant linear relationship between \(x\) and \(y\) because the correlation coefficient is not significantly different from zero."
• What the conclusion means: There is not a significant linear relationship between \(x\) and \(y\). Therefore, we CANNOT use the regression line to model a linear relationship between \(x\) and \(y\) in the population.
• If \(r\) is significant and the scatter plot shows a linear trend, the line can be used to predict the value of \(y\) for values of \(x\) that are within the domain of observed \(x\) values.
• If \(r\) is not significant OR if the scatter plot does not show a linear trend, the line should not be used for prediction.
• If \(r\) is significant and if the scatter plot shows a linear trend, the line may NOT be appropriate or reliable for prediction OUTSIDE the domain of observed \(x\) values in the data.

PERFORMING THE HYPOTHESIS TEST

• Null Hypothesis: \(H_{0}: \rho = 0\)
• Alternate Hypothesis: \(H_{a}: \rho \neq 0\)

WHAT THE HYPOTHESES MEAN IN WORDS:

• Null Hypothesis \(H_{0}\) : The population correlation coefficient IS NOT significantly different from zero. There IS NOT a significant linear relationship(correlation) between \(x\) and \(y\) in the population.
• Alternate Hypothesis \(H_{a}\) : The population correlation coefficient IS significantly DIFFERENT FROM zero. There IS A SIGNIFICANT LINEAR RELATIONSHIP (correlation) between \(x\) and \(y\) in the population.

DRAWING A CONCLUSION:There are two methods of making the decision. The two methods are equivalent and give the same result.

• Method 1: Using the \(p\text{-value}\)
• Method 2: Using a table of critical values

In this chapter of this textbook, we will always use a significance level of 5%, \(\alpha = 0.05\)

Using the \(p\text{-value}\) method, you could choose any appropriate significance level you want; you are not limited to using \(\alpha = 0.05\). But the table of critical values provided in this textbook assumes that we are using a significance level of 5%, \(\alpha = 0.05\). (If we wanted to use a different significance level than 5% with the critical value method, we would need different tables of critical values that are not provided in this textbook.)

METHOD 1: Using a \(p\text{-value}\) to make a decision

To calculate the \(p\text{-value}\) using LinRegTTEST:

On the LinRegTTEST input screen, on the line prompt for \(\beta\) or \(\rho\), highlight "\(\neq 0\)"

The output screen shows the \(p\text{-value}\) on the line that reads "\(p =\)".

(Most computer statistical software can calculate the \(p\text{-value}\).)

If the \(p\text{-value}\) is less than the significance level ( \(\alpha = 0.05\) ):

• Decision: Reject the null hypothesis.
• Conclusion: "There is sufficient evidence to conclude that there is a significant linear relationship between \(x\) and \(y\) because the correlation coefficient is significantly different from zero."

If the \(p\text{-value}\) is NOT less than the significance level ( \(\alpha = 0.05\) )

• Decision: DO NOT REJECT the null hypothesis.
• Conclusion: "There is insufficient evidence to conclude that there is a significant linear relationship between \(x\) and \(y\) because the correlation coefficient is NOT significantly different from zero."

Calculation Notes:

• You will use technology to calculate the \(p\text{-value}\). The following describes the calculations to compute the test statistics and the \(p\text{-value}\):
• The \(p\text{-value}\) is calculated using a \(t\)-distribution with \(n - 2\) degrees of freedom.
• The formula for the test statistic is \(t = \frac{r\sqrt{n-2}}{\sqrt{1-r^{2}}}\). The value of the test statistic, \(t\), is shown in the computer or calculator output along with the \(p\text{-value}\). The test statistic \(t\) has the same sign as the correlation coefficient \(r\).
• The \(p\text{-value}\) is the combined area in both tails.

An alternative way to calculate the \(p\text{-value}\) ( \(p\) ) given by LinRegTTest is the command 2*tcdf(abs(t),10^99, n-2) in 2nd DISTR.

THIRD-EXAM vs FINAL-EXAM EXAMPLE: \(p\text{-value}\) method

• Consider the third exam/final exam example.
• The line of best fit is: \(\hat{y} = -173.51 + 4.83x\) with \(r = 0.6631\) and there are \(n = 11\) data points.
• Can the regression line be used for prediction? Given a third exam score ( \(x\) value), can we use the line to predict the final exam score (predicted \(y\) value)?
• \(H_{0}: \rho = 0\)
• \(H_{a}: \rho \neq 0\)
• \(\alpha = 0.05\)
• The \(p\text{-value}\) is 0.026 (from LinRegTTest on your calculator or from computer software).
• The \(p\text{-value}\), 0.026, is less than the significance level of \(\alpha = 0.05\).
• Decision: Reject the Null Hypothesis \(H_{0}\)
• Conclusion: There is sufficient evidence to conclude that there is a significant linear relationship between the third exam score (\(x\)) and the final exam score (\(y\)) because the correlation coefficient is significantly different from zero.

Because \(r\) is significant and the scatter plot shows a linear trend, the regression line can be used to predict final exam scores.

METHOD 2: Using a table of Critical Values to make a decision

The 95% Critical Values of the Sample Correlation Coefficient Table can be used to give you a good idea of whether the computed value of \(r\) is significant or not . Compare \(r\) to the appropriate critical value in the table. If \(r\) is not between the positive and negative critical values, then the correlation coefficient is significant. If \(r\) is significant, then you may want to use the line for prediction.

Example \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Suppose you computed \(r = 0.801\) using \(n = 10\) data points. \(df = n - 2 = 10 - 2 = 8\). The critical values associated with \(df = 8\) are \(-0.632\) and \(+0.632\). If \(r <\) negative critical value or \(r >\) positive critical value, then \(r\) is significant. Since \(r = 0.801\) and \(0.801 > 0.632\), \(r\) is significant and the line may be used for prediction. If you view this example on a number line, it will help you.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\)

For a given line of best fit, you computed that \(r = 0.6501\) using \(n = 12\) data points and the critical value is 0.576. Can the line be used for prediction? Why or why not?

If the scatter plot looks linear then, yes, the line can be used for prediction, because \(r >\) the positive critical value.

Example \(\PageIndex{2}\)

Suppose you computed \(r = –0.624\) with 14 data points. \(df = 14 – 2 = 12\). The critical values are \(-0.532\) and \(0.532\). Since \(-0.624 < -0.532\), \(r\) is significant and the line can be used for prediction

Exercise \(\PageIndex{2}\)

For a given line of best fit, you compute that \(r = 0.5204\) using \(n = 9\) data points, and the critical value is \(0.666\). Can the line be used for prediction? Why or why not?

No, the line cannot be used for prediction, because \(r <\) the positive critical value.

Example \(\PageIndex{3}\)

Suppose you computed \(r = 0.776\) and \(n = 6\). \(df = 6 - 2 = 4\). The critical values are \(-0.811\) and \(0.811\). Since \(-0.811 < 0.776 < 0.811\), \(r\) is not significant, and the line should not be used for prediction.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{3}\)

For a given line of best fit, you compute that \(r = -0.7204\) using \(n = 8\) data points, and the critical value is \(= 0.707\). Can the line be used for prediction? Why or why not?

Yes, the line can be used for prediction, because \(r <\) the negative critical value.

THIRD-EXAM vs FINAL-EXAM EXAMPLE: critical value method

Consider the third exam/final exam example. The line of best fit is: \(\hat{y} = -173.51 + 4.83x\) with \(r = 0.6631\) and there are \(n = 11\) data points. Can the regression line be used for prediction? Given a third-exam score ( \(x\) value), can we use the line to predict the final exam score (predicted \(y\) value)?

• Use the "95% Critical Value" table for \(r\) with \(df = n - 2 = 11 - 2 = 9\).
• The critical values are \(-0.602\) and \(+0.602\)
• Since \(0.6631 > 0.602\), \(r\) is significant.
• Conclusion:There is sufficient evidence to conclude that there is a significant linear relationship between the third exam score (\(x\)) and the final exam score (\(y\)) because the correlation coefficient is significantly different from zero.

Example \(\PageIndex{4}\)

Suppose you computed the following correlation coefficients. Using the table at the end of the chapter, determine if \(r\) is significant and the line of best fit associated with each r can be used to predict a \(y\) value. If it helps, draw a number line.

• \(r = –0.567\) and the sample size, \(n\), is \(19\). The \(df = n - 2 = 17\). The critical value is \(-0.456\). \(-0.567 < -0.456\) so \(r\) is significant.
• \(r = 0.708\) and the sample size, \(n\), is \(9\). The \(df = n - 2 = 7\). The critical value is \(0.666\). \(0.708 > 0.666\) so \(r\) is significant.
• \(r = 0.134\) and the sample size, \(n\), is \(14\). The \(df = 14 - 2 = 12\). The critical value is \(0.532\). \(0.134\) is between \(-0.532\) and \(0.532\) so \(r\) is not significant.
• \(r = 0\) and the sample size, \(n\), is five. No matter what the \(dfs\) are, \(r = 0\) is between the two critical values so \(r\) is not significant.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{4}\)

For a given line of best fit, you compute that \(r = 0\) using \(n = 100\) data points. Can the line be used for prediction? Why or why not?

No, the line cannot be used for prediction no matter what the sample size is.

Assumptions in Testing the Significance of the Correlation Coefficient

Testing the significance of the correlation coefficient requires that certain assumptions about the data are satisfied. The premise of this test is that the data are a sample of observed points taken from a larger population. We have not examined the entire population because it is not possible or feasible to do so. We are examining the sample to draw a conclusion about whether the linear relationship that we see between \(x\) and \(y\) in the sample data provides strong enough evidence so that we can conclude that there is a linear relationship between \(x\) and \(y\) in the population.

The regression line equation that we calculate from the sample data gives the best-fit line for our particular sample. We want to use this best-fit line for the sample as an estimate of the best-fit line for the population. Examining the scatter plot and testing the significance of the correlation coefficient helps us determine if it is appropriate to do this.

The assumptions underlying the test of significance are:

• There is a linear relationship in the population that models the average value of \(y\) for varying values of \(x\). In other words, the expected value of \(y\) for each particular value lies on a straight line in the population. (We do not know the equation for the line for the population. Our regression line from the sample is our best estimate of this line in the population.)
• The \(y\) values for any particular \(x\) value are normally distributed about the line. This implies that there are more \(y\) values scattered closer to the line than are scattered farther away. Assumption (1) implies that these normal distributions are centered on the line: the means of these normal distributions of \(y\) values lie on the line.
• The standard deviations of the population \(y\) values about the line are equal for each value of \(x\). In other words, each of these normal distributions of \(y\) values has the same shape and spread about the line.
• The residual errors are mutually independent (no pattern).
• The data are produced from a well-designed, random sample or randomized experiment.

Linear regression is a procedure for fitting a straight line of the form \(\hat{y} = a + bx\) to data. The conditions for regression are:

• Linear In the population, there is a linear relationship that models the average value of \(y\) for different values of \(x\).
• Independent The residuals are assumed to be independent.
• Normal The \(y\) values are distributed normally for any value of \(x\).
• Equal variance The standard deviation of the \(y\) values is equal for each \(x\) value.
• Random The data are produced from a well-designed random sample or randomized experiment.

The slope \(b\) and intercept \(a\) of the least-squares line estimate the slope \(\beta\) and intercept \(\alpha\) of the population (true) regression line. To estimate the population standard deviation of \(y\), \(\sigma\), use the standard deviation of the residuals, \(s\). \(s = \sqrt{\frac{SEE}{n-2}}\). The variable \(\rho\) (rho) is the population correlation coefficient. To test the null hypothesis \(H_{0}: \rho =\) hypothesized value , use a linear regression t-test. The most common null hypothesis is \(H_{0}: \rho = 0\) which indicates there is no linear relationship between \(x\) and \(y\) in the population. The TI-83, 83+, 84, 84+ calculator function LinRegTTest can perform this test (STATS TESTS LinRegTTest).

Formula Review

Least Squares Line or Line of Best Fit:

\[\hat{y} = a + bx\]

\[a = y\text{-intercept}\]

\[b = \text{slope}\]

Standard deviation of the residuals:

\[s = \sqrt{\frac{SEE}{n-2}}\]

\[SSE = \text{sum of squared errors}\]

\[n = \text{the number of data points}\]