polkuanalyysejä
Polkuanalyysi, or path analysis in English, is a statistical technique used to examine the causal relationships among a set of variables. It is a specific type of regression analysis that allows researchers to test hypothesized causal models. The core idea of path analysis is to decompose the total effect of an independent variable on a dependent variable into direct and indirect effects. A direct effect is the influence of an independent variable on a dependent variable that is not mediated by other variables. An indirect effect occurs when an independent variable influences a dependent variable through one or more intermediate or mediating variables.
Path analysis is represented graphically by a path diagram, where variables are depicted as circles or boxes,