A Primer on Regression Artifacts [Hardcover]

Regression toward the mean is a complex statistical principle that plays a crucial role in any research involving the measurement of change. This primer is designed to help researchers more fully understand this phenomenon and avoid common errors in interpretation. The book presents new methods of graphing regression toward the mean, facilitating comprehension with a wealth of figures and diagrams. Special attention is given to applications related to program or treatment evaluation. Numerous concrete examples illustrate the ways researchers all too often attribute effects to an intervention or other causal variable without considering regression artifacts as an alternative explanation for change. Also discussed are instances when problems are actually created, instead of solved, by correction for regression toward the mean. Throughout, the authors strive to use nontechnical language and to keep simulations and formulas as accessible as possible.

"In a world that calls attention to extremes, both good and bad, it is critical that social scientists fully understand regression effects. Campbell and Kenny have produced a book on this topic that is destined to be a classic. Ideally suited for graduate students in the social sciences and for nonexperimental researchers, the book is comprehensive and accessible. These well known methodologists tell us how regression effects have fooled experts in psychology, education, and biology, and they explain clearly how the effects can be identified using graphical and statistical tools. Producers as well as critical consumers of empirical information will want this text on their shelves." --Patrick E. Shrout, PhD, Professor of Psychology, New York University

"Elegant and concise....If you are a novice in the topic, you will become an expert by readingA Primer on Regression Artifacts. If you are already an expert, you will learn things you will be surprised you did not already klCv