RE: Re: st: about residuals and coefficients

[Charley Greenwood <Charley.Greenwood@coffey.com>]

I wonder if people think this is a reasonable description of the interpretation of regression coefficients:

- The difference in Y associated with a unit increase in X, adjusted for Y's associations (likewise adjusted) with "any other Xs in our model that tend to change at the same time as X (according to our data)".

It's not very catchy, but it's consistent with using regression coefficients to look for good candidates for causal associations which I think is what most people who ask for a definition are interested in doing.

A problem with shorter formulations may be that people tend to hear 'effects' and 'contributions' as implying causality even when they are being used as shorthands for associations.

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