Interactiecoëfficiënten

Interactiecoëfficiënten, also known as interaction terms or cross-product terms, are components in statistical models that represent the combined effect of two or more independent variables on a dependent variable. Instead of assuming that each independent variable has a separate, additive effect, interaction coefficicicients allow for the possibility that the effect of one variable depends on the level of another variable. These coefficients are typically formed by multiplying two or more independent variables together. When included in a regression model, the coefficient associated with this interaction term quantifies the degree to which the relationship between one independent variable and the dependent variable changes as the other interacting variable changes. For example, in a model predicting job satisfaction, there might be an interaction between "salary" and "job autonomy." A significant interaction coefficient would suggest that the impact of salary on job satisfaction is not constant but rather depends on the level of job autonomy an employee experiences. Understanding interaction coefficients is crucial for a nuanced analysis, as it reveals more complex relationships within data than models that only consider main effects.