Author Information

Richard E. Lund
Albert L. Scharen

Abstract

Path analysis was originally proposed to decompose and interpret causal linear relationships among a set of continuous stochastic variables. Research designs necessarily employed the natural variation in the system rather than the technique of controlling independent variables by selection of levels and categories which is emphasized in many experimental designs. Path coefficients are closely related to correlation coefficients, the size of which will be controlled when variation in the system is controlled. We examine a data set produced by research related to worldwide occurrence of a wheat pathogen and describe techniques for applying path analysis to its variables, some of which were merely categorical. Limitations in interpretation are noted.

Keywords

path analysis

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Download

Share

COinS
 
Apr 26th, 4:30 PM

AN EXAMPLE OF PATH ANALYSIS APPLIED TO CLASSIFICATION VARIABLES APPLIED TO CLASSIFICATION VARIABLES

Path analysis was originally proposed to decompose and interpret causal linear relationships among a set of continuous stochastic variables. Research designs necessarily employed the natural variation in the system rather than the technique of controlling independent variables by selection of levels and categories which is emphasized in many experimental designs. Path coefficients are closely related to correlation coefficients, the size of which will be controlled when variation in the system is controlled. We examine a data set produced by research related to worldwide occurrence of a wheat pathogen and describe techniques for applying path analysis to its variables, some of which were merely categorical. Limitations in interpretation are noted.