Polkuanalyysissä

Polkuanalyysissä, often translated as path analysis, is a statistical technique used to estimate causal relationships among a set of variables. It is a specific case of structural equation modeling that deals with variables that are all observed (manifest) variables, meaning they are directly measured. Polkuanalyysissä allows researchers to test hypotheses about the direct and indirect effects of a set of independent variables on a dependent variable, mediated by one or more intervening variables.

The core idea behind polkuanalyysissä is to represent the hypothesized causal relationships as a diagram, known as a path diagram. In this diagram, variables are represented by circles or boxes, and directional arrows represent hypothesized causal links. The strength and significance of these causal links are then estimated using regression analysis. The technique decomposes the total effect of an independent variable on a dependent variable into direct effects and indirect effects that operate through intermediary variables.

Polkuanalyysissä is particularly useful for understanding complex relationships where direct causality might be difficult to isolate. By examining the standardized regression coefficients (path coefficients), researchers can assess the relative strength of different causal pathways. The technique also allows for the assessment of model fit, indicating how well the hypothesized causal structure explains the observed correlations among the variables. It is a valuable tool in fields such as psychology, sociology, education, and marketing for theory testing and understanding intricate causal processes.