Applied Multivariate Statistics for the Social Sciences 6th Edition by Keenan Pituch [Dr.soc] - docshare.tips (2023)

APPLIED MULTIVARIATE STATISTICS
FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

Now in its 6th edition, the authoritative textbook Applied Multivariate Statistics for
the Social Sciences, continues to provide advanced students with a practical and conceptual understanding of statistical procedures through examples and data-sets from
actual research studies. With the added expertise of co-author Keenan Pituch (University of Texas-Austin), this 6th edition retains many key features of the previous editions, including its breadth and depth of coverage, a review chapter on matrix algebra,
applied coverage of MANOVA, and emphasis on statistical power. In this new edition,
the authors continue to provide practical guidelines for checking the data, assessing
assumptions, interpreting, and reporting the results to help students analyze data from
their own research confidently and professionally.
Features new to this edition include:
 NEW chapter on Logistic Regression (Ch. 11) that helps readers understand and
use this very flexible and widely used procedure
 NEW chapter on Multivariate Multilevel Modeling (Ch. 14) that helps readers
understand the benefits of this “newer” procedure and how it can be used in conventional and multilevel settings
 NEW Example Results Section write-ups that illustrate how results should be presented in research papers and journal articles
 NEW coverage of missing data (Ch. 1) to help students understand and address
problems associated with incomplete data
 Completely re-written chapters on Exploratory Factor Analysis (Ch. 9), Hierarchical Linear Modeling (Ch. 13), and Structural Equation Modeling (Ch. 16) with
increased focus on understanding models and interpreting results
 NEW analysis summaries, inclusion of more syntax explanations, and reduction
in the number of SPSS/SAS dialogue boxes to guide students through data analysis in a more streamlined and direct approach
 Updated syntax to reflect newest versions of IBM SPSS (21) /SAS (9.3)

 A free online resources site www.routledge.com/9780415836661 with data sets
and syntax from the text, additional data sets, and instructor’s resources (including
PowerPoint lecture slides for select chapters, a conversion guide for 5th edition
adopters, and answers to exercises).
Ideal for advanced graduate-level courses in education, psychology, and other social
sciences in which multivariate statistics, advanced statistics, or quantitative techniques
courses are taught, this book also appeals to practicing researchers as a valuable reference. Pre-requisites include a course on factorial ANOVA and covariance; however, a
working knowledge of matrix algebra is not assumed.
Keenan Pituch is Associate Professor in the Quantitative Methods Area of the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.
James P. Stevens is Professor Emeritus at the University of Cincinnati.

APPLIED MULTIVARIATE
STATISTICS FOR THE
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Analyses with SAS and
IBM‘s SPSS
Sixth edition

Keenan A. Pituch and James P. Stevens

Sixth edition published 2016

by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor€& Francis Group, an informa business
© 2016 Taylor€& Francis

The right of Keenan A. Pituch and James P. Stevens to be identified as authors of this work has
been asserted by them in accordance with sections€77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form
or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Fifth edition published by Routledge 2009
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pituch, Keenan A.
â•… Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences / Keenan A. Pituch and James
P. Stevens –– 6th edition.
â•…â•…pages cm
â•… Previous edition by James P. Stevens.
â•… Includes index.
╇1.╇ Multivariate analysis.â•… 2.╇ Social sciences––Statistical methods.â•… I.╇ Stevens, James (James
Paul)╅II.╇ Title.
â•… QA278.S74 2015
â•… 519.5'350243––dc23
â•… 2015017536
ISBN 13: 978-0-415-83666-1(pbk)
ISBN 13: 978-0-415-83665-4(hbk)
ISBN 13: 978-1-315-81491-9(ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Commissioning Editor: Debra Riegert
Textbook Development Manager: Rebecca Pearce
Project Manager: Sheri Sipka
Production Editor: Alf Symons
Cover Design: Nigel Turner
Companion Website Manager: Natalya Dyer
Copyeditor: Apex CoVantage, LLC

Keenan would like to dedicate this:
To his Wife: Elizabeth and
To his Children: Joseph and Alexis
Jim would like to dedicate this:
To his Grandsons: Henry and Killian and
To his Granddaughter: Fallon

This page intentionally left blank

CONTENTS

Preface

xv

1.Introduction
1.1Introduction
1.2 Type I€Error, Type II Error, and Power
1.3 Multiple Statistical Tests and the Probability
of Spurious Results
1.4 Statistical Significance Versus Practical Importance
1.5 Outliers
1.6 Missing Data
1.7 Unit or Participant Nonresponse
1.8 Research Examples for Some Analyses
Considered in This Text
1.9 The SAS and SPSS Statistical Packages
1.10 SAS and SPSS Syntax
1.11 SAS and SPSS Syntax and Data Sets on the Internet
1.12 Some Issues Unique to Multivariate Analysis
1.13 Data Collection and Integrity
1.14 Internal and External Validity
1.15 Conflict of Interest
1.16Summary
1.17Exercises
2.

Matrix Algebra
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Addition, Subtraction, and Multiplication of a
Matrix by a Scalar
2.3 Obtaining the Matrix of Variances and Covariances
2.4 Determinant of a Matrix
2.5 Inverse of a Matrix
2.6 SPSS Matrix Procedure

1
1
3
6
10
12
18
31
32
35
35
36
36
37
39
40
40
41
44
44
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50
52
55
58

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2.7
2.8
2.9
3.

4.

5.

SAS IML Procedure
Summary
Exercises

Multiple Regression for Prediction
3.1Introduction
3.2 Simple Regression
3.3 Multiple Regression for Two Predictors: Matrix Formulation
3.4 Mathematical Maximization Nature of
Least Squares Regression
3.5 Breakdown of Sum of Squares and F Test for
Multiple Correlation
3.6 Relationship of Simple Correlations to Multiple Correlation
3.7Multicollinearity
3.8 Model Selection
3.9 Two Computer Examples
3.10 Checking Assumptions for the Regression Model
3.11 Model Validation
3.12 Importance of the Order of the Predictors
3.13 Other Important Issues
3.14 Outliers and Influential Data Points
3.15 Further Discussion of the Two Computer Examples
3.16 Sample Size Determination for a Reliable Prediction Equation
3.17 Other Types of Regression Analysis
3.18 Multivariate Regression
3.19 Summary
3.20 Exercises

60
61
61
65
65
67
69
72
73
75
75
77
82
93
96
101
104
107
116
121
124
124
128
129

Two-Group Multivariate Analysis of Variance
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Four Statistical Reasons for Preferring a Multivariate Analysis
4.3 The Multivariate Test Statistic as a Generalization of
the Univariate t Test
4.4 Numerical Calculations for a Two-Group Problem
4.5Three Post Hoc Procedures
4.6 SAS and SPSS Control Lines for Sample Problem
and Selected Output
4.7 Multivariate Significance but No Univariate Significance
4.8 Multivariate Regression Analysis for the Sample Problem
4.9 Power Analysis
4.10 Ways of Improving Power
4.11 A Priori Power Estimation for a Two-Group MANOVA
4.12 Summary
4.13Exercises

142
142
143

K-Group MANOVA: A Priori and Post Hoc Procedures
5.1Introduction

175
175

144
146
150
152
156
156
161
163
165
169
170

Contents

5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.8
5.9
5.10
5.11
5.12
5.13
5.14
5.15
5.16
6.

7.

Multivariate Regression Analysis for a Sample Problem
Traditional Multivariate Analysis of Variance
Multivariate Analysis of Variance for Sample Data
Post Hoc Procedures
The Tukey Procedure
Planned Comparisons
Test Statistics for Planned Comparisons
Multivariate Planned Comparisons on SPSS MANOVA
Correlated Contrasts
Studies Using Multivariate Planned Comparisons
Other Multivariate Test Statistics
How Many Dependent Variables for a MANOVA?
Power Analysis—A Priori Determination of Sample Size
Summary
Exercises

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176
177
179
184
187
193
196
198
204
208
210
211
211
213
214

Assumptions in MANOVA
6.1 Introduction
6.2 ANOVA and MANOVA Assumptions
6.3 Independence Assumption
6.4 What Should Be Done With Correlated Observations?
6.5 Normality Assumption
6.6 Multivariate Normality
6.7 Assessing the Normality Assumption
6.8 Homogeneity of Variance Assumption
6.9 Homogeneity of the Covariance Matrices
6.10 Summary
6.11 Complete Three-Group MANOVA Example
6.12 Example Results Section for One-Way MANOVA
6.13 Analysis Summary
Appendix 6.1 Analyzing Correlated Observations
Appendix 6.2 Multivariate Test Statistics for Unequal
Covariance Matrices
6.14 Exercises

219
219
220
220
222
224
225
226
232
233
240
242
249
250
255

Factorial ANOVA and MANOVA
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Advantages of a Two-Way Design
7.3 Univariate Factorial Analysis
7.4 Factorial Multivariate Analysis of Variance
7.5 Weighting of the Cell Means
7.6 Analysis Procedures for Two-Way MANOVA
7.7 Factorial MANOVA With SeniorWISE Data
7.8 Example Results Section for Factorial MANOVA With
SeniorWise Data
7.9 Three-Way MANOVA

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265
266
268
277
280
280
281

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262

290
292

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7.10 Factorial Descriptive Discriminant Analysis
7.11 Summary
7.12 Exercises

294
298
299

8.

Analysis of Covariance
301
8.1Introduction
301
8.2 Purposes of ANCOVA
302
8.3 Adjustment of Posttest Means and Reduction of Error Variance 303
8.4 Choice of Covariates
307
8.5 Assumptions in Analysis of Covariance
308
8.6 Use of ANCOVA With Intact Groups
311
8.7 Alternative Analyses for Pretest–Posttest Designs
312
8.8 Error Reduction and Adjustment of Posttest Means for
Several Covariates
314
8.9 MANCOVA—Several Dependent Variables and
315
Several Covariates
8.10 Testing the Assumption of Homogeneous
Hyperplanes on SPSS
316
8.11 Effect Size Measures for Group Comparisons in
MANCOVA/ANCOVA317
8.12 Two Computer Examples
318
8.13 Note on Post Hoc Procedures
329
8.14 Note on the Use of MVMM
330
8.15 Example Results Section for MANCOVA
330
8.16 Summary
332
8.17 Analysis Summary
333
8.18Exercises
335

9.

Exploratory Factor Analysis
339
9.1Introduction
339
9.2 The Principal Components Method
340
9.3 Criteria for Determining How Many Factors to Retain
Using Principal Components Extraction
342
9.4 Increasing Interpretability of Factors by Rotation
344
9.5 What Coefficients Should Be Used for Interpretation?
346
9.6 Sample Size and Reliable Factors
347
9.7 Some Simple Factor Analyses Using Principal
Components Extraction
347
9.8 The Communality Issue
359
9.9 The Factor Analysis Model
360
9.10 Assumptions for Common Factor Analysis
362
9.11 Determining How Many Factors Are Present With
364
Principal Axis Factoring
9.12 Exploratory Factor Analysis Example With Principal Axis
Factoring365
9.13 Factor Scores
373

Contents

10.

11.

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9.14
9.15
9.16
9.17

Using SPSS in Factor Analysis
Using SAS in Factor Analysis
Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis
Example Results Section for EFA of Reactions-toTests Scale
9.18Summary
9.19Exercises

376
378
382

Discriminant Analysis
10.1Introduction
10.2 Descriptive Discriminant Analysis
10.3 Dimension Reduction Analysis
10.4 Interpreting the Discriminant Functions
10.5 Minimum Sample Size
10.6 Graphing the Groups in the Discriminant Plane
10.7 Example With SeniorWISE Data
10.8 National Merit Scholar Example
10.9 Rotation of the Discriminant Functions
10.10 Stepwise Discriminant Analysis
10.11 The Classification Problem
10.12 Linear Versus Quadratic Classification Rule
10.13 Characteristics of a Good Classification Procedure
10.14 Analysis Summary of Descriptive Discriminant Analysis
10.15 Example Results Section for Discriminant Analysis of the
National Merit Scholar Example
10.16 Summary
10.17 Exercises

391
391
392
393
395
396
397
398
409
415
415
416
425
425
426

Binary Logistic Regression
11.1Introduction
11.2 The Research Example
11.3 Problems With Linear Regression Analysis
11.4 Transformations and the Odds Ratio With a
Dichotomous Explanatory Variable
11.5 The Logistic Regression Equation With a Single
Dichotomous Explanatory Variable
11.6 The Logistic Regression Equation With a Single
Continuous Explanatory Variable
11.7 Logistic Regression as a Generalized Linear Model
11.8 Parameter Estimation
11.9 Significance Test for the Entire Model and Sets of Variables
11.10 McFadden’s Pseudo R-Square for Strength of Association
11.11 Significance Tests and Confidence Intervals for
Single Variables
11.12 Preliminary Analysis
11.13 Residuals and Influence

434
434
435
436

383
385
387

427
429
429

438
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11.14Assumptions
453
11.15 Other Data Issues
457
11.16 Classification
458
11.17 Using SAS and SPSS for Multiple Logistic Regression
461
11.18 Using SAS and SPSS to Implement the Box–Tidwell
Procedure463
11.19 Example Results Section for Logistic Regression
With Diabetes Prevention Study
465
11.20 Analysis Summary
466
11.21 Exercises
468
12.

13.

Repeated-Measures Analysis
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Single-Group Repeated Measures
12.3 The Multivariate Test Statistic for Repeated Measures
12.4 Assumptions in Repeated-Measures Analysis
12.5 Computer Analysis of the Drug Data
12.6 Post Hoc Procedures in Repeated-Measures Analysis
12.7 Should We Use the Univariate or Multivariate Approach?
12.8 One-Way Repeated Measures—A Trend Analysis
12.9 Sample Size for Power€=€.80 in Single-Sample Case
12.10 Multivariate Matched-Pairs Analysis
12.11 One-Between and One-Within Design
12.12 Post Hoc Procedures for the One-Between and
One-Within Design
12.13 One-Between and Two-Within Factors
12.14 Two-Between and One-Within Factors
12.15 Two-Between and Two-Within Factors
12.16 Totally Within Designs
12.17 Planned Comparisons in Repeated-Measures Designs
12.18 Profile Analysis
12.19 Doubly Multivariate Repeated-Measures Designs
12.20 Summary
12.21 Exercises

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477
480
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487
488
489
494
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505
511
515
517
518
520
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528
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530

Hierarchical Linear Modeling
537
13.1Introduction
537
13.2 Problems Using Single-Level Analyses of
Multilevel Data
539
13.3 Formulation of the Multilevel Model
541
13.4 Two-Level Model—General Formation
541
13.5 Example 1: Examining School Differences in
Mathematics545
13.6 Centering Predictor Variables
563
568
13.7 Sample Size
13.8 Example 2: Evaluating the Efficacy of a Treatment
569
13.9Summary
576

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14.

Multivariate Multilevel Modeling
578
14.1Introduction
578
14.2 Benefits of Conducting a Multivariate Multilevel
Analysis579
14.3 Research Example
580
14.4 Preparing a Data Set for MVMM Using SAS and SPSS
581
14.5 Incorporating Multiple Outcomes in the Level-1 Model
584
14.6 Example 1: Using SAS and SPSS to Conduct Two-Level
Multivariate Analysis
585
14.7 Example 2: Using SAS and SPSS to Conduct
Three-Level Multivariate Analysis
595
14.8Summary
614
14.9 SAS and SPSS Commands Used to Estimate All
Models in the Chapter
615

15.

Canonical Correlation
15.1Introduction
15.2 The Nature of Canonical Correlation
15.3 Significance Tests
15.4 Interpreting the Canonical Variates
15.5 Computer Example Using SAS CANCORR
15.6 A€Study That Used Canonical Correlation
15.7 Using SAS for Canonical Correlation on
Two Sets of Factor Scores
15.8 The Redundancy Index of Stewart and Love
15.9 Rotation of Canonical Variates
15.10 Obtaining More Reliable Canonical Variates
15.11 Summary
15.12 Exercises

16.

618
618
619
620
621
623
625
628
630
631
632
632
634

Structural Equation Modeling
639
16.1Introduction
639
16.2 Notation, Terminology, and Software
639
16.3 Causal Inference
642
16.4 Fundamental Topics in SEM
643
16.5 Three Principal SEM Techniques
663
16.6 Observed Variable Path Analysis
663
16.7 Observed Variable Path Analysis With the Mueller
Study668
16.8 Confirmatory Factor Analysis
689
16.9 CFA With Reactions-to-Tests Data
691
16.10 Latent Variable Path Analysis
707
16.11 Latent Variable Path Analysis With Exercise Behavior
Study711
16.12 SEM Considerations
719
16.13 Additional Models in SEM
724
16.14 Final Thoughts
726

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Appendix 16.1 Abbreviated SAS Output for Final Observed
Variable Path Model
Appendix 16.2 Abbreviated SAS Output for the Final
Latent Variable Path Model for Exercise Behavior

734
736

Appendix A: Statistical Tables

747

Appendix B: Obtaining Nonorthogonal Contrasts in Repeated Measures Designs

763

Detailed Answers

771

Index785

PREFACE

The first five editions of this text have been received warmly, and we are grateful for
that.
This edition, like previous editions, is written for those who use, rather than develop,
advanced statistical methods. The focus is on conceptual understanding rather than
proving results. The narrative and many examples are there to promote understanding,
and a chapter on matrix algebra is included for those who need the extra help. Throughout the book, you will find output from SPSS (version 21) and SAS (version 9.3) with
interpretations. These interpretations are intended to demonstrate what analysis results
mean in the context of a research example and to help you interpret analysis results
properly. In addition to demonstrating how to use the statistical programs effectively,
our goal is to show you the importance of examining data, assessing statistical assumptions, and attending to sample size issues so that the results are generalizable. The
text also includes end-of-chapter exercises for many chapters, which are intended to
promote better understanding of concepts and have you obtain additional practice in
conducting analyses and interpreting results. Detailed answers to the odd-numbered
exercises are included in the back of the book so you can check your work.
NEW TO THIS EDITION
Many changes were made in this edition of the text, including a new lead author of
the text. In 2012, Dr.€Keenan Pituch of the University of Texas at Austin, along with
Dr.€James Stevens, developed a plan to revise this edition and began work. The goals
in revising the text were to provide more guidance on practical matters related to data
analysis, update the text in terms of the statistical procedures used, and firmly align
those procedures with findings from methodological research.
Key changes to this edition are:
 Inclusion of analysis summaries and example results sections
 Focus on just two software programs (SPSS version 21 and SAS version 9.3)

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 New chapters on Binary Logistic Regression (Chapter€11) and Multivariate Multilevel Modeling (Chapter€14)
 Completely rewritten chapters on structural equation modeling (SEM), exploratory factor analysis, and hierarchical linear modeling.
ANALYSIS SUMMARIES AND EXAMPLE RESULTS SECTIONS
The analysis summaries provide a convenient guide for the analysis activities we generally recommend you use when conducting data analysis. Of course, to carry out these
activities in a meaningful way, you have to understand the underlying statistical concepts—something that we continue to promote in this edition. The analysis summaries and example results sections will also help you tie together the analysis activities
involved for a given procedure and illustrate how you may effectively communicate
analysis results.
The analysis summaries and example results sections are provided for several techniques.
Specifically, they are provided and applied to examples for the following procedures:
one-way MANOVA (sections€6.11–6.13), two-way MANOVA (sections€7.6–7.8), oneway MANCOVA (example 8.4 and sections€8.15 and 8.17), exploratory factor analysis
(sections€ 9.12, 9.17, and 9.18), discriminant analysis (sections€ 10.7.1, 10.7.2, 10.8,
10.14, and 10.15), and binary logistic regression (sections€11.19 and 11.20).
FOCUS ON SPSS AND SAS
Another change that has been implemented throughout the text is to focus the use of
software on two programs: SPSS (version 21) and SAS (version 9.3). Previous editions of this text, particularly for hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) and structural
equation modeling applications, have introduced additional programs for these purposes. However, in this edition, we use only SPSS and SAS because these programs
have improved capability to model data from more complex designs, and reviewers
of this edition expressed a preference for maintaining software continuity throughout
the text. This continuity essentially eliminates the need to learn (and/or teach) additional software programs (although we note there are many other excellent programs
available). Note, though, that for the structural equation modeling chapter SAS is used
exclusively, as SPSS requires users to obtain a separate add on module (AMOS) for
such analyses. In addition, SPSS and SAS syntax and output have also been updated
as needed throughout the text.
NEW CHAPTERS
Chapter€11 on binary logistic regression is new to this edition. We included the chapter
on logistic regression, a technique that Alan Agresti has called the “most important

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model for categorical response data,” due to the widespread use of this procedure in
the social sciences, given its ability to readily incorporate categorical and continuous predictors in modeling a categorical response. Logistic regression can be used for
explanation and classification, with each of these uses illustrated in the chapter. With
the inclusion of this new chapter, the former chapter on Categorical Data Analysis: The
Log Linear Model has been moved to the website for this text.
Chapter€14 on multivariate multilevel modeling is another new chapter for this edition. This chapter is included because this modeling procedure has several advantages over the traditional MANOVA procedures that appear in Chapters€4–6 and
provides another alternative to analyzing data from a design that has a grouping
variable and several continuous outcomes (with discriminant analysis providing yet
another alternative). The advantages of multivariate multilevel modeling are presented in Chapter€14, where we also show that the newer modeling procedure can
replicate the results of traditional MANOVA. Given that we introduce this additional
and flexible modeling procedure for examining multivariate group differences, we
have eliminated the chapter on stepdown analysis from the text, but make it available
on the web.
REWRITTEN AND IMPROVED CHAPTERS
In addition, the chapter on structural equation modeling has been completely rewritten
by Dr.€Tiffany Whittaker of the University of Texas at Austin. Dr.€Whittaker has taught
a structural equation modeling course for many years and is an active methodological
researcher in this area. In this chapter, she presents the three major applications of
SEM: observed variable path analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and latent variable path analysis. Note that the placement of confirmatory factor analysis in the SEM
chapter is new to this edition and was done to allow for more extensive coverage of
the common factor model in Chapter€ 9 and because confirmatory factor analysis is
inherently a SEM technique.
Chapter€9 is one of two chapters that have been extensively revised (along with Chapter€13). The major changes to Chapter€9 include the inclusion of parallel analysis to
help determine the number of factors present, an updated section on sample size, sections covering an overall focus on the common factor model, a section (9.7) providing
a student- and teacher-friendly introduction to factor analysis, a new section on creating factor scores, and the new example results and analysis summary sections. The
research examples used here are also new for exploratory factor analysis, and recall
that coverage of confirmatory analysis is now found in Chapter€16.
Major revisions have been made to Chapter€13, Hierarchical Linear Modeling. Section€13.1 has been revised to provide discussion of fixed and random factors to help
you recognize when hierarchical linear modeling may be needed. Section€13.2 uses
a different example than presented in the fifth edition and describes three types of

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widely used models. Given the use of SPSS and SAS for HLM included in this
edition and a new example used in section€13.5, the remainder of the chapter is
essentially new material. Section€13.7 provides updated information on sample size,
and we would especially like to draw your attention to section€13.6, which is a new
section on the centering of predictor variables, a critical concern for this form of
modeling.
KEY CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER REVISIONS
There are also many new sections and important revisions in this edition. Here, we
discuss the major changes by chapter.

Chapter€1 (section€1.6) now includes a discussion of issues related to missing data.
Included here are missing data mechanisms, missing data treatments, and illustrative analyses showing how you can select and implement a missing data analysis
treatment.
•The post hoc procedures have been revised for Chapters€4 and 5, which largely
reflect prevailing practices in applied research.
• Chapter€6 adds more information on the use of skewness and kurtosis to evaluate
the normality assumption as well as including the new example results and analysis summary sections for one-way MANOVA. In Chapter€6, we also include a new
data set (which we call the SeniorWISE data set, modeled after an applied study)
that appears in several chapters in the text.
• Chapter€7 has been retitled (somewhat), and in addition to including the example
results and analysis summary sections for two-way MANOVA, includes a new
section on factorial descriptive discriminant analysis.
• Chapter€8, in addition to the example results and analysis summary sections, includes a new section on effect size measures for group comparisons in ANCOVA/
MANCOVA, revised post hoc procedures for MANCOVA, and a new section that
briefly describes a benefit of using multivariate multilevel modeling that is particularly relevant for MANCOVA.
• The introduction to Chapter€10 is revised, and recommendations are updated in
section€ 10.4 for the use of coefficients to interpret discriminant functions. Section€10.7 includes a new research example for discriminant analysis, and section€10.7.5 is particularly important in that we provide recommendations for
selecting among traditional MANOVA, discriminant analysis, and multivariate
multilevel modeling procedures. This chapter includes the new example results
and analysis summary sections for descriptive discriminant analysis and applies
these procedures in sections€10.7 and 10.8.
• In Chapter€12, the major changes include an update of the post hoc procedures
(section€12.6), a new section on one-way trend analysis (section€12.8), and a
revised example and a more extensive discussion of post hoc procedures for
the one-between and one-within subjects factors design (sections€ 12.11 and
12.12).

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ONLINE RESOURCES FOR TEXT
The book’s website www.routledge.com/9780415836661 contains the data sets from
the text, SPSS and SAS syntax from the text, and additional data sets (in SPSS and
SAS) that can be used for assignments and extra practice. For instructors, the site hosts
a conversion guide for users of the previous editions, 6 PowerPoint lecture slides providing a detailed walk-through for key examples from the text, detailed answers for all
exercises from the text, and downloadable PDFs of chapters 10 and 14 from the 5th
edition of the text for instructors that wish to continue assigning this content.
INTENDED AUDIENCE
As in previous editions, this book is intended for courses on multivariate statistics
found in psychology, social science, education, and business departments, but the
book also appeals to practicing researchers with little or no training in multivariate
methods.
A word on prerequisites students should have before using this book. They should
have a minimum of two quarter courses in statistics (covering factorial ANOVA and
ANCOVA). A€two-semester sequence of courses in statistics is preferable, as is prior
exposure to multiple regression. The book does not assume a working knowledge of
matrix algebra.
In closing, we hope you find that this edition is interesting to read, informative, and
provides useful guidance when you analyze data for your research projects.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We wish to thank Dr.€Tiffany Whittaker of the University of Texas at Austin for her
valuable contribution to this edition. We would also like to thank Dr.€Wanchen Chang,
formerly a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin and now a faculty
member at Boise State University, for assisting us with the SPSS and SAS syntax
that is included in Chapter€14. Dr.€Pituch would also like to thank his major professor Dr.€Richard Tate for his useful advice throughout the years and his exemplary
approach to teaching statistics courses.
Also, we would like to say a big thanks to the many reviewers (anonymous and otherwise) who provided many helpful suggestions for this text: Debbie Hahs-Vaughn
(University of Central Florida), Dennis Jackson (University of Windsor), Karin
Schermelleh-Engel (Goethe University), Robert Triscari (Florida Gulf Coast University), Dale Berger (Claremont Graduate University–Claremont McKenna College),
Namok Choi (University of Louisville), Joseph Wu (City University of Hong Kong),
Jorge Tendeiro (Groningen University), Ralph Rippe (Leiden University), and Philip

xix

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Schatz (Saint Joseph’s University). We attended to these suggestions whenever
possible.
Dr.€Pituch also wishes to thank commissioning editor Debra Riegert and Dr.€Stevens
for inviting him to work on this edition and for their patience as he worked through the
revisions. We would also like to thank development editor Rebecca Pearce for assisting us in many ways with this text. We would also like to thank the production staff at
Routledge for bringing this edition to completion.

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1╇INTRODUCTION
Studies in the social sciences comparing two or more groups very often measure their
participants on several criterion variables. The following are some examples:
1. A researcher is comparing two methods of teaching second-grade reading. On a
posttest the researcher measures the participants on the following basic elements
related to reading: syllabication, blending, sound discrimination, reading rate, and
comprehension.
2. A social psychologist is testing the relative efficacy of three treatments on
self-concept, and measures participants on academic, emotional, and social
aspects of self-concept. Two different approaches to stress management are being
compared.
3. The investigator employs a couple of paper-and-pencil measures of anxiety (say,
the State-Trait Scale and the Subjective Stress Scale) and some physiological
measures.
4. A researcher comparing two types of counseling (Rogerian and Adlerian) on client
satisfaction and client self-acceptance.
A major part of this book involves the statistical analysis of several groups on a set of
criterion measures simultaneously, that is, multivariate analysis of variance, the multivariate referring to the multiple dependent variables.
Cronbach and Snow (1977), writing on aptitude–treatment interaction research, echoed the need for multiple criterion measures:
Learning is multivariate, however. Within any one task a person’s performance
at a point in time can be represented by a set of scores describing aspects of the
performance .€.€. even in laboratory research on rote learning, performance can
be assessed by multiple indices: errors, latencies and resistance to extinction, for

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example. These are only moderately correlated, and do not necessarily develop at
the same rate. In the paired associate’s task, sub skills have to be acquired: discriminating among and becoming familiar with the stimulus terms, being able to
produce the response terms, and tying response to stimulus. If these attainments
were separately measured, each would generate a learning curve, and there is no
reason to think that the curves would echo each other. (p.€116)
There are three good reasons that the use of multiple criterion measures in a study
comparing treatments (such as teaching methods, counseling methods, types of reinforcement, diets, etc.) is very sensible:
1. Any worthwhile treatment will affect the participants in more than one way.
Hence, the problem for the investigator is to determine in which specific ways the
participants will be affected, and then find sensitive measurement techniques for
those variables.
2. Through the use of multiple criterion measures we can obtain a more complete and
detailed description of the phenomenon under investigation, whether it is teacher
method effectiveness, counselor effectiveness, diet effectiveness, stress management technique effectiveness, and so€on.
3. Treatments can be expensive to implement, while the cost of obtaining data on
several dependent variables is relatively small and maximizes information€gain.
Because we define a multivariate study as one with several dependent variables, multiple regression (where there is only one dependent variable) and principal components
analysis would not be considered multivariate techniques. However, our distinction is
more semantic than substantive. Therefore, because regression and component analysis are so important and frequently used in social science research, we include them
in this€text.
We have four major objectives for the remainder of this chapter:
1. To review some basic concepts (e.g., type I€error and power) and some issues associated with univariate analysis that are equally important in multivariate analysis.
2. To discuss the importance of identifying outliers, that is, points that split off from
the rest of the data, and deciding what to do about them. We give some examples to show the considerable impact outliers can have on the results in univariate
analysis.
3 To discuss the issue of missing data and describe some recommended missing data
treatments.
4. To give research examples of some of the multivariate analyses to be covered later
in the text and to indicate how these analyses involve generalizations of what the
student has previously learned.
5. To briefly introduce the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) and the IBM Statistical
Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), whose outputs are discussed throughout
the€text.

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1.2╇ TYPE I€ERROR, TYPE II ERROR, AND€POWER
Suppose we have randomly assigned 15 participants to a treatment group and another
15 participants to a control group, and we are comparing them on a single measure of
task performance (a univariate study, because there is a single dependent variable).
You may recall that the t test for independent samples is appropriate here. We wish to
determine whether the difference in the sample means is large enough, given sampling
error, to suggest that the underlying population means are different. Because the sample means estimate the population means, they will generally be in error (i.e., they will
not hit the population values right “on the nose”), and this is called sampling error. We
wish to test the null hypothesis (H0) that the population means are equal:
H0 : μ1€=€μ2
It is called the null hypothesis because saying the population means are equal is equivalent to saying that the difference in the means is 0, that is, μ1 − μ2 = 0, or that the
difference is€null.
Now, statisticians have determined that, given the assumptions of the procedure are
satisfied, if we had populations with equal means and drew samples of size 15 repeatedly and computed a t statistic each time, then 95% of the time we would obtain t
values in the range −2.048 to 2.048. The so-called sampling distribution of t under H0
would look like€this:

t (under H0)

95% of the t values

–2.048

2.048

This sampling distribution is extremely important, for it gives us a frame of reference
for judging what is a large value of t. Thus, if our t value was 2.56, it would be very
plausible to reject the H0, since obtaining such a large t value is very unlikely when
H0 is true. Note, however, that if we do so there is a chance we have made an error,
because it is possible (although very improbable) to obtain such a large value for t,
even when the population means are equal. In practice, one must decide how much of
a risk of making this type of error (called a type I€error) one wishes to take. Of course,
one would want that risk to be small, and many have decided a 5% risk is small. This
is formalized in hypothesis testing by saying that we set our level of significance (α)
at the .05 level. That is, we are willing to take a 5% chance of making a type I€error. In
other words, type I€error (level of significance) is the probability of rejecting the null
hypothesis when it is true.

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Recall that the formula for degrees of freedom for the t test is (n1 + n2 − 2); hence,
for this problem df€=€28. If we had set α€=€.05, then reference to Appendix A.2 of this
book shows that the critical values are −2.048 and 2.048. They are called critical values because they are critical to the decision we will make on H0. These critical values
define critical regions in the sampling distribution. If the value of t falls in the critical
region we reject H0; otherwise we fail to reject:

t (under H0) for df = 28

–2.048

2.048
0

Reject H0

Reject H0

Type I€error is equivalent to saying the groups differ when in fact they do not. The α
level set by the investigator is a subjective decision, but is usually set at .05 or .01 by
most researchers. There are situations, however, when it makes sense to use α levels
other than .05 or .01. For example, if making a type I€error will not have serious
substantive consequences, or if sample size is small, setting α€=€.10 or .15 is quite
reasonable. Why this is reasonable for small sample size will be made clear shortly.
On the other hand, suppose we are in a medical situation where the null hypothesis
is equivalent to saying a drug is unsafe, and the alternative is that the drug is safe.
Here, making a type I€error could be quite serious, for we would be declaring the
drug safe when it is not safe. This could cause some people to be permanently damaged or perhaps even killed. In this case it would make sense to use a very small α,
perhaps .001.
Another type of error that can be made in conducting a statistical test is called a type II
error. The type II error rate, denoted by β, is the probability of accepting H0 when it is
false. Thus, a type II error, in this case, is saying the groups don’t differ when they do.
Now, not only can either type of error occur, but in addition, they are inversely related
(when other factors, e.g., sample size and effect size, affecting these probabilities are
held constant). Thus, holding these factors constant, as we control on type I€error, type
II error increases. This is illustrated here for a two-group problem with 30 participants
per group where the population effect size d (defined later) is .5:
α

β

1−β

.10
.05
.01

.37
.52
.78

.63
.48
.22

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Notice that, with sample and effect size held constant, as we exert more stringent control over α (from .10 to .01), the type II error rate increases fairly sharply (from .37 to
.78). Therefore, the problem for the experimental planner is achieving an appropriate
balance between the two types of errors. While we do not intend to minimize the seriousness of making a type I€error, we hope to convince you throughout the course of
this text that more attention should be paid to type II error. Now, the quantity in the
last column of the preceding table (1 − β) is the power of a statistical test, which is the
probability of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is false. Thus, power is the probability of making a correct decision, or of saying the groups differ when in fact they do.
Notice from the table that as the α level decreases, power also decreases (given that
effect and sample size are held constant). The diagram in Figure€1.1 should help to
make clear why this happens.
The power of a statistical test is dependent on three factors:
1. The α level set by the experimenter
2. Sample€size
3. Effect size—How much of a difference the treatments make, or the extent to which
the groups differ in the population on the dependent variable(s).
Figure€1.1 has already demonstrated that power is directly dependent on the α level.
Power is heavily dependent on sample size. Consider a two-tailed test at the .05 level
for the t test for independent samples. An effect size for the t test, as defined by Cohen
^
(1988), is estimated as =
d ( x1 − x2 ) / s, where s is the standard deviation. That is,
effect size expresses the difference between the means in standard deviation units.
^
Thus, if x1€=€6 and x2€=€3 and s€=€6, then d= ( 6 − 3) / 6 = .5, or the means differ by
1
standard deviation. Suppose for the preceding problem we have an effect size of .5
2
standard deviations. Holding α (.05) and effect size constant, power increases dramatically as sample size increases (power values from Cohen, 1988):

n (Participants per group)

Power

10
20
50
100

.18
.33
.70
.94

As the table suggests, given this effect size and α, when sample size is large (say, 100
or more participants per group), power is not an issue. In general, it is an issue when
one is conducting a study where group sizes will be small (n ≤ 20), or when one is
evaluating a completed study that had small group size. Then, it is imperative to be
very sensitive to the possibility of poor power (or conversely, a high type II error rate).
Thus, in studies with small group size, it can make sense to test at a more liberal level

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 Figure 1.1:╇ Graph of F distribution under H0 and under H0 false showing the direct relationship
between type I€error and power. Since type I€error is the probability of rejecting H0 when true, it
is the area underneath the F distribution in critical region for H0 true. Power is the probability of
rejecting H0 when false; therefore it is the area underneath the F distribution in critical region when
H0 is false.
F (under H0)
F (under H0 false)

Reject for α = .01
Reject for α = .05
Power at α = .05
Power at α = .01

Type I error
for .01
Type I error for .05

(.10 or .15) to improve power, because (as mentioned earlier) power is directly related
to the α level. We explore the power issue in considerably more detail in Chapter€4.
1.3╇MULTIPLE STATISTICAL TESTS AND THE PROBABILITY
OF SPURIOUS RESULTS
If a researcher sets α€=€.05 in conducting a single statistical test (say, a t test), then,
if statistical assumptions associated with the procedure are satisfied, the probability
of rejecting falsely (a spurious result) is under control. Now consider a five-group
problem in which the researcher wishes to determine whether the groups differ significantly on some dependent variable. You may recall from a previous statistics course
that a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) is appropriate here. But suppose our
researcher is unaware of ANOVA and decides to do 10 t tests, each at the .05 level,
comparing each pair of groups. The probability of a false rejection is no longer under
control for the set of 10 t tests. We define the overall α for a set of tests as the probability of at least one false rejection when the null hypothesis is true. There is an important
inequality called the Bonferroni inequality, which gives an upper bound on overall€α:
Overall α ≤ .05 + .05 +  + .05 = .50

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Thus, the probability of a few false rejections here could easily be 30 or 35%, that is,
much too€high.
In general then, if we are testing k hypotheses at the α1, α2, …, αk levels, the Bonferroni
inequality guarantees€that
Overall α ≤ α1 + α 2 +  + α k
If the hypotheses are each tested at the same alpha level, say α′, then the Bonferroni
upper bound becomes
Overall α ≤ k α ′
This Bonferroni upper bound is conservative, and how to obtain a sharper (tighter)
upper bound is discussed€next.
If the tests are independent, then an exact calculation for overall α is available. First,
(1 − α1) is the probability of no type I€error for the first comparison. Similarly, (1 − α2)
is the probability of no type I€error for the second, (1 − α3) the probability of no type
I€error for the third, and so on. If the tests are independent, then we can multiply probabilities. Therefore, (1 − α1) (1 − α2) … (1 − αk) is the probability of no type I€errors
for all k tests.€Thus,
Overall α = 1 − (1 − α1 ) (1 − α 2 ) (1 − α k )
is the probability of at least one type I€error. If the tests are not independent, then overall α will still be less than given here, although it is very difficult to calculate. If we set
the alpha levels equal, say to α′ for each test, then this expression becomes
Overall α = 1 − (1 − α ′ ) (1 − α ′ ) (1 − α ′ ) = 1 − (1 − α ′ )

α′€=€.05

k

α′€=€.01

α′€=€.001

No. of tests

1 − (1 − α′)

kα′

1 − (1 − α′)

kα′

1 − (1 − α′)k

kα′

5
10
15
30
50
100

.226
.401
.537
.785
.923
.994

.25
.50
.75
1.50
2.50
5.00

.049
.096
.140
.260
.395
.634

╇.05
╇.10
╇.15
╇.30
╇.50
1.00

.00499
.00990
.0149
.0296
.0488
.0952

.005
.010
.015
.030
.050
.100

k

k

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This expression, that is, 1 − (1 − α′)k, is approximately equal to kα′ for small α′. The
next table compares the two for α′€=€.05, .01, and .001 for number of tests ranging from
5 to€100.
First, the numbers greater than 1 in the table don’t represent probabilities, because
a probability can’t be greater than 1. Second, note that if we are testing each of a
large number of hypotheses at the .001 level, the difference between 1 − (1 − α′)k
and the Bonferroni upper bound of kα′ is very small and of no practical consequence. Also, the differences between 1 − (1 − α′)k and kα′ when testing at α′€=€.01
are also small for up to about 30 tests. For more than about 30 tests 1 − (1 − α′)k
provides a tighter bound and should be used. When testing at the α′€=€.05 level, kα′
is okay for up to about 10 tests, but beyond that 1 − (1 − α′)k is much tighter and
should be€used.
You may have been alert to the possibility of spurious results in the preceding example with multiple t tests, because this problem is pointed out in texts on intermediate
statistical methods. Another frequently occurring example of multiple t tests where
overall α gets completely out of control is in comparing two groups on each item of a
scale (test); for example, comparing males and females on each of 30 items, doing 30
t tests, each at the .05 level.
Multiple statistical tests also arise in various other contexts in which you may not readily recognize that the same problem of spurious results exists. In addition, the fact that
the researcher may be using a more sophisticated design or more complex statistical
tests doesn’t mitigate the problem.
As our first illustration, consider a researcher who runs a four-way ANOVA (A × B ×
C × D). Then 15 statistical tests are being done, one for each effect in the design: A, B, C,
and D main effects, and AB, AC, AD, BC, BD, CD, ABC, ABD, ACD, BCD, and
ABCD interactions. If each of these effects is tested at the .05 level, then all we
know from the Bonferroni inequality is that overall α ≤ 15(.05)€=€.75, which is not
very reassuring. Hence, two or three significant results from such a study (if they
were not predicted ahead of time) could very well be type I€errors, that is, spurious
results.
Let us take another common example. Suppose an investigator has a two-way ANOVA
design (A × B) with seven dependent variables. Then, there are three effects being
tested for significance: A main effect, B main effect, and the A × B interaction. The
investigator does separate two-way ANOVAs for each dependent variable. Therefore,
the investigator has done a total of 21 statistical tests, and if each of them was conducted at the .05 level, then the overall α has gotten completely out of control. This
type of thing is done very frequently in the literature, and you should be aware of it in
interpreting the results of such studies. Little faith should be placed in scattered significant results from these studies.

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A third example comes from survey research, where investigators are often interested
in relating demographic characteristics of the participants (sex, age, religion, socioeconomic status, etc.) to responses to items on a questionnaire. A€statistical test for relating
each demographic characteristic to responses on each item is a two-way χ2. Often in
such studies 20 or 30 (or many more) two-way χ2 tests are run (and it is so easy to run
them on SPSS). The investigators often seem to be able to explain the frequent small
number of significant results perfectly, although seldom have the significant results
been predicted a priori.
A fourth fairly common example of multiple statistical tests is in examining the elements of a correlation matrix for significance. Suppose there were 10 variables in one
set being related to 15 variables in another set. In this case, there are 150 between
correlations, and if each of these is tested for significance at the .05 level, then
150(.05)€=€7.5, or about eight significant results could be expected by chance. Thus,
if 10 or 12 of the between correlations are significant, most of them could be chance
results, and it is very difficult to separate out the chance effects from the real associations. A€way of circumventing this problem is to simply test each correlation for significance at a much more stringent level, say α€=€.001. Then, by the Bonferroni inequality,
overall α ≤ 150(.001)€=€.15. Naturally, this will cause a power problem (unless n is
large), and only those associations that are quite strong will be declared significant. Of
course, one could argue that it is only such strong associations that may be of practical
importance anyway.
A fifth case of multiple statistical tests occurs when comparing the results of many
studies in a given content area. Suppose, for example, that 20 studies have been
reviewed in the area of programmed instruction and its effect on math achievement
in the elementary grades, and that only five studies show significance. Since at least
20 statistical tests were done (there would be more if there were more than a single
criterion variable in some of the studies), most of these significant results could be
spurious, that is, type I€errors.
A sixth case of multiple statistical tests occurs when an investigator(s) selects
a small set of dependent variables from a much larger set (you don’t know this
has been done—this is an example of selection bias). The much smaller set is
chosen because all of the significance occurs here. This is particularly insidious.
Let us illustrate. Suppose the investigator has a three-way design and originally
15 dependent variables. Then 105€=€15 × 7 tests have been done. If each test is
done at the .05 level, then the Bonferroni inequality guarantees that overall alpha
is less than 105(.05)€=€5.25. So, if seven significant results are found, the Bonferroni procedure suggests that most (or all) of the results could be spurious. If all
the significance is confined to three of the variables, and those are the variables
selected (without your knowing this), then overall alpha€=€21(.05)€=€1.05, and this
conveys a very different impression. Now, the conclusion is that perhaps a few of
the significant results are spurious.

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1.4╇STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE VERSUS PRACTICAL
IMPORTANCE
You have probably been exposed to the statistical significance versus practical importance issue in a previous course in statistics, but it is sufficiently important to have us
review it here. Recall from our earlier discussion of power (probability of rejecting the
null hypothesis when it is false) that power is heavily dependent on sample size. Thus,
given very large sample size (say, group sizes > 200), most effects will be declared
statistically significant at the .05 level. If significance is found, often researchers seek
to determine whether the difference in means is large enough to be of practical importance. There are several ways of getting at practical importance; among them€are
1. Confidence intervals
2. Effect size measures
3. Measures of association (variance accounted€for).
Suppose you are comparing two teaching methods and decide ahead of time that the
achievement for one method must be at least 5 points higher on average for practical
importance. The results are significant, but the 95% confidence interval for the difference in the population means is (1.61, 9.45). You do not have practical importance,
because, although the difference could be as large as 9 or slightly more, it could also
be less than€2.
You can calculate an effect size measure and see if the effect is large relative to what
others have found in the same area of research. As a simple example, recall that the
Cohen effect size measure for two groups is d = ( x1 − x2 ) / s, that is, it indicates how
many standard deviations the groups differ by. Suppose your t test was significant
and the estimated effect size measure was d = .63 (in the medium range according
to Cohen’s rough characterization). If this is large relative to what others have found,
then it probably is of practical importance. As Light, Singer, and Willett indicated in
their excellent text By Design (1990), “because practical significance depends upon
the research context, only you can judge if an effect is large enough to be important”
(p.€195).
ˆ 2 , can also be used
Measures of association or strength of relationship, such as Hay’s ω
to assess practical importance because they are essentially independent of sample size.
However, there are limitations associated with these measures, as O’Grady (1982)
pointed out in an excellent review on measures of explained variance. He discussed
three basic reasons that such measures should be interpreted with caution: measurement, methodological, and theoretical. We limit ourselves here to a theoretical point
O’Grady mentioned that should be kept in mind before casting aspersions on a “low”
amount of variance accounted. The point is that most behaviors have multiple causes,
and hence it will be difficult in these cases to account for a large amount of variance
with just a single cause such as treatments. We give an example in Chapter€4 to show

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that treatments accounting for only 10% of the variance on the dependent variable can
indeed be practically significant.
Sometimes practical importance can be judged by simply looking at the means and
thinking about the range of possible values. Consider the following example.
1.4.1 Example
A survey researcher compares four geographic regions on their attitude toward education. The survey is sent out and 800 responses are obtained. Ten items, Likert scaled
from 1 to 5, are used to assess attitude. The group sizes, along with the means and
standard deviations for the total score scale, are given€here:

n

x

S

West

North

East

South

238
32.0
7.09

182
33.1
7.62

130
34.0
7.80

250
31.0
7.49

An analysis of variance on these groups yields F€=€5.61, which is significant at the .001
level. Examining the p value suggests that results are “highly significant,” but are the
results practically important? Very probably not. Look at the size of the mean differences for a scale that has a range from 10 to 50. The mean differences for all pairs of
groups, except for East and South, are about 2 or less. These are trivial differences on
a scale with a range of€40.
Now recall from our earlier discussion of power the problem of finding statistical significance with small sample size. That is, results in the literature that are not significant
may be simply due to poor or inadequate power, whereas results that are significant,
but have been obtained with huge sample sizes, may not be practically significant. We
illustrate this statement with two examples.
First, consider a two-group study with eight participants per group and an effect
size of .8 standard deviations. This is, in general, a large effect size (Cohen, 1988),
and most researchers would consider this result to be practically significant. However, if testing for significance at the .05 level (two-tailed test), then the chances
of finding significance are only about 1 in 3 (.31 from Cohen’s power tables).
The danger of not being sensitive to the power problem in such a study is that a
researcher may abort a promising line of research, perhaps an effective diet or type
of psychotherapy, because significance is not found. And it may also discourage
other researchers.

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On the other hand, now consider a two-group study with 300 participants per group
and an effect size of .20 standard deviations. In this case, when testing at the .05 level,
the researcher is likely to find significance (power€=€.70 from Cohen’s tables). To use
a domestic analogy, this is like using a sledgehammer to “pound out” significance. Yet
the effect size here may not be considered practically significant in most cases. Based
on these results, for example, a school system may decide to implement an expensive
program that may yield only very small gains in achievement.
For further perspective on the practical importance issue, there is a nice article by
Haase, Ellis, and Ladany (1989). Although that article is in the Journal of Counseling
Psychology, the implications are much broader. They suggest five different ways of
assessing the practical or clinical significance of findings:
1. Reference to previous research—the importance of context in determining whether
a result is practically important.
2. Conventional definitions of magnitude of effect—Cohen’s (1988) definitions of
small, medium, and large effect€size.
3. Normative definitions of clinical significance—here they reference a special issue
of Behavioral Assessment (Jacobson, 1988) that should be of considerable interest
to clinicians.
4. Cost-benefit analysis.
5. The good-enough principle—here the idea is to posit a form of the null hypothesis
that is more difficult to reject: for example, rather than testing whether two population means are equal, testing whether the difference between them is at least€3.
Note that many of these ideas are considered in detail in Grissom and Kim (2012).
Finally, although in a somewhat different vein, with various multivariate procedures
we consider in this text (such as discriminant analysis), unless sample size is large relative to the number of variables, the results will not be reliable—that is, they will not
generalize. A€major point of the discussion in this section is that it is critically important to take sample size into account in interpreting results in the literature.
1.5╇OUTLIERS
Outliers are data points that split off or are very different from the rest of the data. Specific examples of outliers would be an IQ of 160, or a weight of 350 lbs. in a group for
which the median weight is 180 lbs. Outliers can occur for two fundamental reasons:
(1) a data recording or entry error was made, or (2) the participants are simply different
from the rest. The first type of outlier can be identified by always listing the data and
checking to make sure the data have been read in accurately.
The importance of listing the data was brought home to Dr.€Stevens many years ago as
a graduate student. A€regression problem with five predictors, one of which was a set

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of random scores, was run without checking the data. This was a textbook problem to
show students that the random number predictor would not be related to the dependent variable. However, the random number predictor was significant and accounted
for a fairly large part of the variance on y. This happened simply because one of the
scores for the random number predictor was incorrectly entered as a 300 rather than
as a 3. In this case it was obvious that something was wrong. But with large data sets
the situation will not be so transparent, and the results of an analysis could be completely thrown off by 1 or 2 errant points. The amount of time it takes to list and check
the data for accuracy (even if there are 1,000 or 2,000 participants) is well worth the
effort.
Statistical procedures in general can be quite sensitive to outliers. This is particularly
true for the multivariate procedures that will be considered in this text. It is very important to be able to identify such outliers and then decide what to do about them. Why?
Because we want the results of our statistical analysis to reflect most of the data, and
not to be highly influenced by just 1 or 2 errant data points.
In small data sets with just one or two variables, such outliers can be relatively easy to
identify. We now consider some examples.
Example 1.1
Consider the following small data set with two variables:
Case number

x1

x2

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

111
92
90
107
98
150
118
110
117
94

68
46
50
59
50
66
54
51
59
97

Cases 6 and 10 are both outliers, but for different reasons. Case 6 is an outlier because
the score for case 6 on x1 (150) is deviant, while case 10 is an outlier because the score
for that subject on x2 (97) splits off from the other scores on x2. The graphical split-off
of cases 6 and 10 is quite vivid and is given in Figure€1.2.
Example 1.2
In large data sets having many variables, some outliers are not so easy to spot
and could go easily undetected unless care is taken. Here, we give an example

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 Figure 1.2:╇ Plot of outliers for two-variable example.
x2
100

Case 10

90
80

(108.7, 60)–Location of means on x1 and x2.

70

Case 6

60

X

50
90

100 110 120 130 140 150

x1

of a somewhat more subtle outlier. Consider the following data set on four
variables:
Case number

x1

x2

x3

x4

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

111
92
90
107
98
150
118
110
117
94
130
118
155
118
109

68
46
50
59
50
66
54
51
59
67
57
51
40
61
66

17
28
19
25
13
20
11
26
18
12
16
19
9
20
13

81
67
83
71
92
90
101
82
87
69
97
78
58
103
88

The somewhat subtle outlier here is case 13. Notice that the scores for case 13 on none
of the xs really split off dramatically from the other participants’ scores. Yet the scores
tend to be low on x2, x3, and x4 and high on x1, and the cumulative effect of all this is
to isolate case 13 from the rest of the cases. We indicate shortly a statistic that is quite
useful in detecting multivariate outliers and pursue outliers in more detail in Chapter€3.
Now let us consider three more examples, involving material learned in previous statistics courses, to show the effect outliers can have on some simple statistics.

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Example 1.3
Consider the following small set of data: 2, 3, 5, 6, 44. The last number, 44, is an
obvious outlier; that is, it splits off sharply from the rest of the data. If we were to
use the mean of 12 as the measure of central tendency for this data, it would be quite
misleading, as there are no scores around 12. That is why you were told to use the
median as the measure of central tendency when there are extreme values (outliers in
our terminology), because the median is unaffected by outliers. That is, it is a robust
measure of central tendency.
Example 1.4
To show the dramatic effect an outlier can have on a correlation, consider the two scatterplots in Figure€1.3. Notice how the inclusion of the outlier in each case drastically
changes the interpretation of the results. For case A€there is no relationship without the
outlier but there is a strong relationship with the outlier, whereas for case B the relationship changes from strong (without the outlier) to weak when the outlier is included.
Example 1.5
As our final example, consider the following€data:

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

y1

y2

y1

y2

y1

y2

15
18
12
12
9
10
12
20

21
27
32
29
18
34
18
36

17
22
15
12
20
14
15
20
21

36
41
31
28
47
29
33
38
25

6
9
12
11
11
8
13
30
7

26
31
38
24
35
29
30
16
23

For now, ignore variable y2, and we run a one-way ANOVA for y1. The score of 30
in group 3 is an outlier. With that case in the ANOVA we do not find significance
(F€=€2.61, p < .095) at the .05 level, while with the case deleted we do find significance
well beyond the .01 level (F€=€11.18, p < .0004). Deleting the case has the effect of
producing greater separation among the three means, because the means with the case
included are 13.5, 17.33, and 11.89, but with the case deleted the means are 13.5,
17.33, and 9.63. It also has the effect of reducing the within variability in group 3
substantially, and hence the pooled within variability (error term for ANOVA) will be
much smaller.

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 Figure 1.3:╇ The effect of an outlier on a correlation coefficient.
Case A

y

Data
x
y

rxy = .67 (with outlier)

20

6 8
7 6
7 11
8 4
8 6
9 10
10
4
10
8
11 11
12
6
13
9
20 18

16

12

8

rxy = .086 (without outlier)

4

4

8

12

16

20

24

x

y
20

Case B
Data
x y
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
24

16
rxy = .84 (without outlier)

12

8

rxy = .23 (with outlier)

4

4

8

12

16

20

24

3
6
8
4
10
14
8
12
14
12
16
5

x

1.5.1 Detecting Outliers
If a variable is approximately normally distributed, then z scores around 3 in absolute value should be considered as potential outliers. Why? Because, in an approximate normal distribution, about 99% of the scores should lie within three standard

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deviations of the mean. Therefore, any z value > 3 indicates a value very unlikely to
occur. Of course, if n is large, say > 100, then simply by chance we might expect a
few participants to have z scores > 3 and this should be kept in mind. However, even
for any type of distribution this rule is reasonable, although we might consider extending the rule to z > 4. It was shown many years ago that regardless of how the data is
distributed, the percentage of observations contained within k standard deviations of
the mean must be at least (1 − 1/k2) × 100%. This holds only for k > 1 and yields the
following percentages for k€=€2 through€5:
Number of standard deviations

Percentage of observations

2
3
4
5

at least 75%
at least 88.89%
at least 93.75%
at least 96%

Shiffler (1988) showed that the largest possible z value in a data set of size n is bounded
by ( n − 1) / n . This means for n€=€10 the largest possible z is 2.846 and for n€=€11 the
largest possible z is 3.015. Thus, for small sample size, any data point with a z around
2.5 should be seriously considered as a possible outlier.
After the outliers are identified, what should be done with them? The action to be
taken is not to automatically drop the outlier(s) from the analysis. If one finds after
further investigation of the outlying points that an outlier was due to a recording or
entry error, then of course one would correct the data value and redo the analysis.
Or, if it is found that the errant data value is due to an instrumentation error or that
the process that generated the data for that subject was different, then it is legitimate
to drop the outlier. If, however, none of these appears to be the case, then there are
different schools of thought on what should be done. Some argue that such outliers
should not be dropped from the analysis entirely, but perhaps report two analyses (one
including the outlier and the other excluding it). Another school of thought is that it
is reasonable to remove these outliers. Judd, McClelland, and Carey (2009) state the
following:
In fact, we would argue that it is unethical to include clearly outlying observations
that “grab” a reported analysis, so that the resulting conclusions misrepresent the
majority of the observations in a dataset. The task of data analysis is to build a
story of what the data have to tell. If that story really derives from only a few
overly influential observations, largely ignoring most of the other observations,
then that story is a misrepresentation. (p.€306)
Also, outliers should not necessarily be regarded as “bad.” In fact, it has been argued
that outliers can provide some of the most interesting cases for further study.

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1.6╇ MISSING€DATA
It is not uncommon for researchers to have missing data, that is, incomplete responses
from some participants. There are many reasons why missing data may occur. Participants, for example, may refuse to answer “sensitive” questions (e.g., questions about
sexual activity, illegal drug use, income), may lose motivation in responding to questionnaire items and quit answering questions, may drop out of a longitudinal study, or
may be asked not to respond to a specific item by the researcher (e.g., skip this question
if you are not married). In addition, data collection or recording equipment may fail. If
not handled properly, missing data may result in poor (biased) estimates of parameters
as well as reduced statistical power. As such, how you treat missing data can threaten
or help preserve the validity of study conclusions.
In this section, we first describe general reasons (mechanisms) for the occurrence of
missing data. As we explain, the performance of different missing data treatments
depends on the presumed reason for the occurrence of missing data. Second, we will
briefly review various missing data treatments, illustrate how you may examine your
data to determine if there appears to be a random or systematic process for the occurrence of missing data, and show that modern methods of treating missing data generally provide for improved parameter estimates compared to other methods. As this is
a survey text on multivariate methods, we can only devote so much space to coverage
of missing data treatments. Since the presence of missing data may require the use of
fairly complex methods, we encourage you to consult in-depth treatments on missing
data (e.g., Allison, 2001; Enders, 2010).
We should also point out that not all types of missing data require sophisticated treatment. For example, suppose we ask respondents whether they are employed or not,
and, if so, to indicate their degree of satisfaction with their current employer. Those
employed may answer both questions, but the second question is not relevant to those
unemployed. In this case, it is a simple matter to discard the unemployed participants
when we conduct analyses on employee satisfaction. So, if we were to use regression
analysis to predict whether one is employed or not, we could use data from all respondents. However, if we then wish to use regression analysis to predict employee satisfaction, we would exclude those not employed from this analysis, instead of, for example,
attempting to impute their satisfaction with their employer had they been employed,
which seems like a meaningless endeavor.
This simple example highlights the challenges in missing data analysis, in that there
is not one “correct” way to handle all missing data. Rather, deciding how to deal with
missing data in a general sense involves a consideration of study variables and analysis
goals. On the other hand, when a survey question is such that a participant is expected
to respond but does not, then you need to consider whether the missing data appears to
be a random event or is predictable. This concern leads us to consider what are known
as missing data mechanisms.

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1.6.1 Missing Data Mechanisms
There are three common missing data mechanisms discussed in the literature, two of
which have similar labels but have a critical difference. The first mechanism we consider is referred to as Missing Completely at Random (or MCAR). MCAR describes
the condition where data are missing for purely random reasons, which could happen,
for example, if a data recording device malfunctions for no apparent reason. As such,
if we were to remove all cases having any missing data, the resulting subsample can be
considered a simple random sample from the larger set of cases. More specifically, data
are said to be MCAR if the presence of missing data on a given variable is not related
to any variable in your analysis model of interest or related to the variable itself. Note
that with the last stipulation, that is, that the presence of missing data is not related to
the variable itself, Allison (2001) notes that we are not able to confirm that data are
MCAR, because the data we need to assess this condition are missing. As such, we
are only able to determine if the presence of missing data on a given variable is or is
not related to other variables in the data set. We will illustrate how one may assess
this later, but note that even if you find no such associations in your data set, it is still
possible that the MCAR assumption is violated.
We now consider two examples of MCAR violations. First, suppose that respondents
are asked to indicate their annual income and age, and that older workers tend to leave
the income question blank. In this example, missingness on income is predictable by
age and the cases with complete data are not a simple random sample of the larger data
set. As a result, running an analysis using just those participants with complete data
would likely introduce bias because the results would be based primarily on younger
workers. As a second example of a violation of MCAR, suppose that the presence
of missing data on income was not related to age or other variables at hand, but that
individuals with greater incomes chose not to report income. In this case, missingness
on income is related to income itself, but you could not determine this because these
income data are missing. If you were to use just those cases that reported income, mean
income and its variance would be underestimated in this example due to nonrandom
missingness, which is a form of self-censoring or selection bias. Associations between
variables and income may well be attenuated due to the restriction in range in the
income variable, given that the larger values for income are missing.
A second mechanism for missing data is known as Missing at Random (MAR), which
is a less stringent condition than MCAR and is a frequently invoked assumption for
missing data. MAR means that the presence of missing data is predictable from other
study variables and after taking these associations into account, missingness for a specific variable is not related to the variable itself. Using the previous example, the MAR
assumption would hold if missingness on income were predictable by age (because
older participants tended not to report income) or other study variables, but was not
related to income itself. If, on the other hand, missingness on income was due to those
with greater (or lesser) income not reporting income, then MAR would not hold. As
such, unless you have the missing data at hand (which you would not), you cannot

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fully verify this assumption. Note though that the most commonly recommended procedures for treating missing data—use of maximum likelihood estimation and multiple
imputation—assume a MAR mechanism.
A third missing data mechanism is Missing Not at Random (MNAR). Data are MNAR
when the presence of missing data for a given variable is related to that variable itself
even after predicting missingness with the other variables in the data set. With our running example, if missingness on income is related to income itself (e.g., those with greater
income do not report income) even after using study variables to account for missingness
on income, the missing mechanism is MNAR. While this missing mechanism is the
most problematic, note that methods that are used when MAR is assumed (maximum
likelihood and multiple imputation) can provide for improved parameter estimates when
the MNAR assumption holds. Further, by collecting data from participants on variables
that may be related to missingness for variables in your study, you can potentially turn
an MNAR mechanism into an MAR mechanism. Thus, in the planning stages of a study,
it may helpful to consider including variables that, although may not be of substantive
interest, may explain missingness for the variables in your data set. These variables are
known as auxiliary variables and software programs that include the generally accepted
missing data treatments can make use of such variables to provide for improved parameter estimates and perhaps greatly reduce problems associated with missing€data.
1.6.2 Deletion Strategies for Missing€Data
This section, focusing on deletion methods, and three sections that follow present various missing data treatments suitable for the MCAR or MAR mechanisms or both.
Missing data treatments for the MNAR condition are discussed in the literature (e.g.,
Allison, 2001; Enders, 2010). The methods considered in these sections include traditionally used methods that may often be problematic and two generally recommended
missing data treatments.
A commonly used and easily implemented deletion strategy is listwise deletion, which
is not recommended for widespread use. With listwise deletion, which is the default
method for treating missing data in many software programs, cases that have any missing data are removed or deleted from the analysis. The primary advantages of listwise
deletion are that it is easy to implement and its use results in a single set of cases that
can be used for all study analyses. A€primary disadvantage of listwise deletion is that
it generally requires that data are MCAR. If data are not MCAR, then parameter estimates and their standard errors using just those cases having complete data are generally biased. Further, even when data are MCAR, using listwise deletion may severely
reduce statistical power if many cases are missing data on one or more variables, as
such cases are removed from the analysis.
There are, however, situations where listwise deletion is sometimes recommended.
When missing data are minimal and only a small percent of cases (perhaps from 5%
to 10%) are removed with the use of listwise deletion, this method is recommended.

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In addition, listwise deletion is a recommended missing data treatment for regression
analysis under any missing mechanism (even MNAR) if a certain condition is satisfied. That is, if missingness for variables used in a regression analysis are missing as a
function of the predictors only (and not the outcome), the use of listwise deletion can
outperform the two more generally recommended missing data treatments (i.e., maximum likelihood and multiple imputation).
Another deletion strategy used is pairwise deletion. With this strategy, cases with incomplete data are not excluded entirely from the analysis. Rather, with pairwise deletion,
a given case with missing data is excluded only from those analyses that involve variables for which the case has missing data. For example, if you wanted to report correlations for three variables, using the pairwise deletion method, you would compute the
correlation for variables 1 and 2 using all cases having scores for these variables (even
if such a case had missing data for variable 3). Similarly, the correlation for variables
1 and 3 would be computed for all cases having scores for these two variables (even if
a given case had missing data for variable 2) and so on. Thus, unlike listwise deletion,
pairwise deletion uses as much data as possible for cases having incomplete data. As a
result, different sets of cases are used to compute, in this case, the correlation matrix.
Pairwise deletion is not generally recommended for treating missing data, as its
advantages are outweighed by its disadvantages. On the positive side, pairwise deletion is easy to implement (as it is often included in software programs) and can
produce approximately unbiased parameter estimates when data are MCAR. However, when the missing data mechanism is MAR or MNAR, parameter estimates are
biased with the use of pairwise deletion. In addition, using different subsets of cases,
as in the earlier correlation example, can result in correlation or covariance matrices
that are not positive definite. Such matrices would not allow for the computation,
for example, of regression coefficients or other parameters of interest. Also, computing accurate standard errors with pairwise deletion is not straightforward because a
common sample size is not used for all variables in the analysis.
1.6.3 Single Imputation Strategies for Missing€Data
Imputing data involves replacing missing data with score values, which are (hopefully) reasonable values to use. In general, imputation methods are attractive because
once the data are imputed, analyses can proceed with a “complete” set of data. Single
imputation strategies replace missing data with just a single value, whereas multiple
imputation, as we will see, provides multiple replacement values. Different methods
can be used to assign or impute score values. As is often the case with missing data
treatments, the simpler methods are generally more problematic than more sophisticated treatments. However, use of statistical software (e.g., SAS, SPSS) greatly simplifies the task of imputing€data.
A relatively easy but generally unsatisfactory method of imputing data is to replace
missing values with the mean of the available scores for a given variable, referred to

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as mean substitution. This method assumes that the missing mechanism is MCAR, but
even in this case, mean substitution can produce biased estimates. The main problem
with this procedure is that it assumes that all cases having missing data for a given
variable score only at the mean of the variable in question. This replacement strategy,
then, can greatly underestimate the variance (and standard deviation) of the imputed
variable. Also, given that variances are underestimated with mean substitution, covariances and correlations will also be attenuated. As such, missing data experts often
suggest not using mean substitution as a missing data treatment.
Another imputation method involves using a multiple regression equation to replace
missing values, a procedure known as regression substitution or regression imputation.
With this procedure, a given variable with missing data serves as the dependent variable
and is regressed on the other variables in the data set. Note that only those cases having
complete data are typically used in this procedure. Once the regression estimates (i.e.,
intercept and slope values) are obtained, we can then use the equation to predict or
impute scores for individuals having missing data by plugging into this equation their
scores on the equation predictors. A€complete set of scores is then obtained for all participants. Although regression imputation is an improvement over mean substitution,
this procedure is also not recommended because it can produce attenuated estimates
of variable variances and covariances, due to the lack of variability that is inherent in
using the predicted scores from the regression equation as the replacement values.
An improved missing data replacement procedure uses this same regression idea, but
adds random variability to the predicted scores. This procedure is known as stochastic
regression imputation, where the term stochastic refers to the additional random component that is used in imputing scores. The procedure is similar to that described for
regression imputation but now includes a residual term, scores for which are included
when generating imputed values. Scores for this residual are obtained by sampling
from a population having certain characteristics, such as being normally distributed
with a mean of zero and a variance that is equal to the residual variance estimated from
the regression equation used to impute the scores.
Stochastic single regression imputation overcomes some of the limitations of the
other single imputation methods but still has one major shortcoming. On the positive
side, point estimates obtained with analyses that use such imputed data are unbiased
for MAR data. However, standard errors estimated when analyses are run using data
imputed by stochastic regression are negatively biased, leading to inflated test statistics
and an inflated type I€error rate. This misestimation also occurs for the other single
imputation methods mentioned earlier. Improved estimates of standard errors can be
obtained by generating several such imputed data sets and incorporating variability
across the imputed data sets into the standard error estimates.
The last single imputation method considered here is a maximum likelihood approach
known as expectation maximization (EM). The EM algorithm uses two steps to estimate parameters (e.g., means, variances, and covariances) that may be of interest
by themselves or can be used as input for other analyses (e.g., exploratory factor

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analysis). In the first step of the algorithm, the means and variance-covariance matrix
for the set of variables are estimated using the available (i.e., nonmissing) data. In the
second step, regression equations are obtained using these means and variances, with
the regression equations used (as in stochastic regression) to then obtain estimates for
the missing data. With these newly estimated values, the procedure then reestimates
the variable means and covariances, which are used again to obtain the regression
equations to provide new estimates for the missing data. This two-step process continues until the means and covariances are essentially the same from one iteration to
the€next.
Of the single imputation methods discussed here, use of the EM algorithm is considered to be superior and provides unbiased parameter estimates (i.e., the means and
covariances). However, like the other single-imputation procedures, the standard errors
estimated from analyses using the EM-obtained means and covariances are underestimated. As such, this procedure is not recommended for analyses where standard errors
and associated statistical tests are used, as type I€ error rates would be inflated. For
procedures that do not require statistical inference (principal component or principal
axis factor analysis), use of the EM procedure is recommended. The full information
maximum likelihood procedure described in section€1.6.5 is an improved maximum
likelihood approach that can obtain proper estimates of standard errors.
1.6.4 Multiple Imputation
Multiple imputation (MI) is one of two procedures that are widely recommended for
dealing with missing data. MI involves three main steps. In the first step, the imputation phase, missing data are imputed using a version of stochastic regression imputation, except now this procedure is done several times, so that multiple “complete” data
sets are created. Given that a random procedure is included when imputing scores, the
imputed score for a given case for a given variable will differ across the multiple data
sets. Also, note while the default in statistical software is often to impute a total of
five data sets, current thinking is that this number is generally too small, as improved
standard error estimates and statistical test results are obtained with a larger number
of imputed data sets. Allison (personal communication, November€8, 2013) has suggested that 100 may be regarded as the maximum number of imputed data sets needed.
The second and third steps of this procedure involve analyzing the imputed data sets
and obtaining a final set of parameter estimates. In the second step, the analysis stage,
the primary analysis of interest is conducted with each of the imputed data sets. So, if
100 data sets were imputed, 100 sets of parameter estimates would be obtained. In the
final stage, the pooling phase, a final set of parameter estimates is obtained by combining the parameter estimates across the analyzed data sets. If the procedure is carried
out properly, parameter estimates and standard errors are unbiased when the missing
data mechanism is MCAR or€MAR.
There are advantages and disadvantages to using MI as a missing data treatment.
The main advantages are that MI provides for unbiased parameter estimates when

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the missing data mechanism is MCAR and MAR, and multiple imputation has great
flexibility in that it can be applied to a variety of analysis models. One main disadvantage of the procedure is that it can be relatively complicated to implement. As Allison
(2012) points out, users must make at least seven decisions when implementing this
procedure, and it may be difficult for the user to determine the proper set of choices
that should be€made.
Another disadvantage of MI is that it is always possible that the imputation and analysis model differ, and such a difference may result in biased parameter estimation even
when the data follow an MCAR mechanism. As an example, the analysis model may
include interactions or nonlinearities among study variables. However, if such terms
were excluded from the imputation model, such interactions and nonlinear associations may not be found in the analysis model. While this problem can be avoided
by making sure that the imputation model matches or includes more terms than the
analysis model, Allison (2012) notes that in practice it is easy to make this mistake.
These latter difficulties can be overcome with the use of another widely recommended
missing data treatment, full information maximum likelihood estimation.
1.6.5 Full Information Maximum Likelihood Estimation
Full information maximum likelihood, or FIML (also known as direct maximum likelihood or maximum likelihood), is another widely recommended procedure for treating missing data. When the missing mechanism is MAR, FIML provides for unbiased
parameter estimation as well as accurate estimates of standard errors. When data are
MCAR, FIML also provides for accurate estimation and can provide for more power
than listwise deletion. For sample data, use of maximum likelihood estimation yields
parameter estimates that maximize the probability for obtaining the data at hand. Or,
as stated by Enders (2010), FIML tries out or “auditions” various parameter values
and finds those values that are most consistent with or provide the best fit to the
data. While the computational details are best left to missing data textbooks (e.g.,
Allison, 2001; Enders, 2010), FIML estimates model parameters, in the presence of
missing data, by using all available data as well as the implied values of the missing
data, given the observed data and assumed probability distribution (e.g., multivariate
normal).
Unlike other missing data treatments, FIML estimates parameters directly for the analysis model of substantive interest. Thus, unlike multiple imputation, there are no separate imputation and analysis models, as model parameters are estimated in the presence
of incomplete data in one step, that is, without imputing data sets. Allison (2012)
regards this simultaneous missing data treatment and estimation of model parameters
as a key advantage of FIML over multiple imputation. A€key disadvantage of FIML is
that its implementation typically requires specialized software, in particular, software
used for structural equation modeling (e.g., LISREL, Mplus). SAS, however, includes
such capability, and we briefly illustrate how FIML can be implemented using SAS in
the illustration to which we now€turn.

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1.6.6 Illustrative Example: Inspecting Data for
Missingness and Mechanism
This section and the next fulfill several purposes. First, using a small data set with missing data, we illustrate how you can assess, using relevant statistics, if the missing mechanism is consistent with the MCAR mechanism or not. Recall that some missing data
treatments require MCAR. As such, determining that the data are not MCAR would
suggest using a missing data treatment that does not require that mechanism. Second,
we show the computer code needed to implement FIML using SAS (as SPSS does not
offer this option) and MI in SAS and SPSS. Third, we compare the performance of
different missing data treatments for our small data set. This comparison is possible
because while we work with a data set having incomplete data, we have the full set of
scores or parent data set, from which the data set with missing values was obtained. As
such, we can determine how closely the parameters estimated by using various missing
data treatments approximate the parameters estimated for the parent data€set.
The hypothetical example considered here includes data collected from 300 adolescents
on three variables. The outcome variable is apathy, and the researchers, we assume, intend
to use multiple regression to determine if apathy is predicted by a participant’s perception of family dysfunction and sense of social isolation. Note that higher scores for each
variable indicate greater apathy, poorer family functioning, and greater isolation. While
we generated a complete set of scores for each variable, we subsequently created a data
set having missing values for some variables. In particular, there are no missing scores
for the outcome, apathy, but data are missing on the predictors. These missing data were
created by randomly removing some scores for dysfunction and isolation, but for only
those participants whose apathy score was above the mean. Thus, the missing data mechanism is MAR as whether data are missing or not for dysfunction and isolation depends
on apathy, where only those with greater apathy have missing data on the predictors.
We first show how you can examine data to determine the extent of missing data
as well as assess whether the data may be consistent with the MCAR mechanism.
Table€1.1 shows relevant output for some initial missing data analysis, which may
obtained from the following SPSS commands:
[@SPSS€CODE]
MVA VARIABLES=apathy dysfunction isolation
/TTEST
/TPATTERN DESCRIBE=apathy dysfunction isolation
/EM.

Note that some of this output can also be obtained in SAS by the commands shown in
section€1.6.7.
In the top display of Table€1.1, the means, standard deviations, and the number and percent of cases with missing data are shown. There is no missing data for apathy, but 20%
of the 300 cases did not report a score for dysfunction, and 30% of the sample did not

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provide a score for isolation. Information in the second display in Table€1.1 (Separate
Variance t Tests) can be used to assess whether the missing data are consistent with the
MCAR mechanism. This display reports separate variance t tests that test for a difference
in means between cases with and without missing data on a given variable on other study
variables. If mean differences are present, this suggests that cases with missing data differ
from other cases, discrediting the MCAR mechanism as an explanation for the missing
data. In this display, the second column (Apathy) compares mean apathy scores for cases
with and without scores for dysfunction and then for isolation. In that column, we see that
the 60 cases with missing data on dysfunction have much greater mean apathy (60.64)
than the other 240 cases (50.73), and that the 90 cases with missing data on isolation have
greater mean apathy (60.74) than the other 210 cases (49.27). The t test values, well above
a magnitude of 2, also suggest that cases with missing data on dysfunction and isolation
are different from cases (i.e., more apathetic) having no missing data on these predictors.
Further, the standard deviation for apathy (from the EM estimate obtained via the SPSS
syntax just mentioned) is about 10.2. Thus, the mean apathy differences are equivalent to
about 1 standard deviation, which is generally considered to be a large difference.

 Table€1.1:╇ Statistics Used to Describe Missing€Data
Missing
Apathy
Dysfunction
Isolation

N

Mean

Std. deviation

Count

Percent

300
240
210

52.7104
53.7802
52.9647

10.21125
10.12854
10.10549

0
60
90

.0
20.0
30.0

Separate Variance t Testsa

Dysfunction

Isolation

Apathy

Dysfunction

Isolation

t
df
# Present
# Missing
Mean (present)
Mean (missing)
t
df
# Present
# Missing
Mean (present)

−9.6
146.1
240
60
50.7283
60.6388
−12.0
239.1
210
90

.
.
240
0
53.7802
.
−2.9
91.1
189
51

−2.1
27.8
189
21
52.5622
56.5877
.
.
210
0

49.2673

52.8906

52.9647

Mean (missing)

60.7442

57.0770

For each quantitative variable, pairs of groups are formed by indicator variables (present, missing).
a
Indicator variables with less than 5.0% missing are not displayed.

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Tabulated Patterns
Missing patternsa
Number
Complete
of cases Apathy Dysfunction Isolation if .€.€.b
Apathyc

Dysfunctionc Isolationc

189
51
39

X

21

X

189

48.0361

52.8906

52.5622

X

240

60.7054

57.0770

.

X

300

60.7950

.

.

210

60.3486

.

56.5877

Patterns with less than 1.0% cases (3 or fewer) are not displayed.
a
Variables are sorted on missing patterns.
b
Number of complete cases if variables missing in that pattern (marked with X) are not used.
c
Means at each unique pattern.

The other columns in this output table (headed by dysfunction and isolation) indicate
that cases having missing data on isolation have greater mean dysfunction and those
with missing data on dysfunction have greater mean isolation. Thus, these statistics
suggest that the MCAR mechanism is not a reasonable explanation for the missing
data. As such, missing data treatments that assume MCAR should not be used with
these data, as they would be expected to produce biased parameter estimates.
Before considering the third display in Table€1.1, we discuss other procedures that can
be used to assess the MCAR mechanism. First, Little’s MCAR test is an omnibus test
that may be used to assess whether all mean differences, like those shown in Table€1.1,
are consistent with the MCAR mechanism (large p value) or not consistent with the
MCAR mechanism (small p value). For the example at hand, the chi-square test statistic for Little’s test, obtained with the SPSS syntax just mentioned, is 107.775 (df€=€5)
and statistically significant (p < .001). Given that the null hypothesis for this data is
that the data are MCAR, the conclusion from this test result is that the data do not
follow an MCAR mechanism. While Little’s test may be helpful, Enders (2010) notes
that it does not indicate which particular variables are associated with missingness and
prefers examining standardized group-mean differences as discussed earlier for this
purpose. Identifying such variables is important because they can be included in the
missing data treatment, as auxiliary variables, to improve parameter estimates.
A third procedure that can be used to assess the MCAR mechanism is logistic regression. With this procedure, you first create a dummy-coded variable for each variable
in the data set that indicates whether a given case has missing data for this variable or
not. (Note that this same thing is done in the t-test procedure earlier but is entirely automated by SPSS.) Then, for each variable with missing data (perhaps with a minimum
of 5% to 10% missing), you can use logistic regression with the missingness indicator
for a given variable as the outcome and other study variables as predictors. By doing
this, you can learn which study variables are uniquely associated with missingness.

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If any are, this suggests that missing data are not MCAR and also identifies variables
that need to be used, for example, in the imputation model, to provide for improved (or
hopefully unbiased) parameter estimates.
For the example at hand, given that there is a substantial proportion of missing data
for dysfunction and isolation, we created a missingness indicator variable first for dysfunction and ran a logistic regression equation with this indicator as the outcome and
apathy and isolation as the predictors. We then created a missingness indicator for
isolation and used this indicator as the outcome in a second logistic regression with
predictors apathy and dysfunction. While the odds ratios obtained with the logistic
regressions should be examined, we simply note here that, for each equation, the only
significant predictor was apathy. This finding provides further evidence against the
MCAR assumption and suggests that the only study variable responsible for missingness is apathy (which in this case is consistent with how the missing data were
obtained).
To complete the description of missing data, we examine the third output selection
shown in Table€1.1, labeled Tabulated Patterns. This output provides the number of
cases for each missing data pattern, sorted by the number of cases in each pattern, as
well as relevant group means. For the apathy data, note that there are four missing
data patterns shown in the Tabulated Patterns table. The first pattern, consisting of 189
cases, consists of cases that provided complete data on all study variables. The three
columns on the right side of the output show the means for each study variable for
these 189 cases. The second missing data pattern includes the 51 cases that provided
complete data on all variables except for isolation. Here, we can see that this group had
much greater mean apathy than those who provided complete scores for all variables
and somewhat higher mean dysfunction, again, discrediting the MCAR mechanism.
The next group includes those cases (n€=€39) that had missing data for both dysfunction
and isolation. Note, then, that the Tabulated Pattern table provides additional information than provided by the Separate Variance t Tests table, in that now we can identify
the number of cases that have missing data on more than one variable. The final group
in this table (n€=€21) consists of those who have missing data on the isolation variable
only. Inspecting the means for the three groups with missing data indicates that each of
these groups has much greater apathy, in particular, than do cases with complete data,
again suggesting the data are not€MCAR.
1.6.7 Applying FIML and MI to the Apathy€Data
We now use the results from the previous section to select a missing data treatment.
Given that the earlier analyses indicated that the data are not MCAR, this suggests
that listwise deletion, which could be used in some situations, should not be used
here. Rather, of the methods we have discussed, full information maximum likelihood
estimation and multiple imputation are the best choices. If we assume that the three
study variables approximately follow a multivariate normal distribution, FIML, due
to its ease of use and because it provides optimal parameter estimates when data are

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MAR, would be the most reasonable choice. We provide SAS and SPSS code that can
be used to implement these missing data treatments for our example data set and show
how these methods perform compared to the use of more conventional missing data
treatments.
Although SPSS has capacity for some missing data treatments, it currently cannot implement a maximum likelihood approach (outside of the effective but limited mixed modeling procedure discussed in a Chapter€14, which cannot handle
missingness in predictors, except for using listwise deletion for such cases). As
such, we use SAS to implement FIML with the relevant code for our example as
follows:
PROC CALIS DATA€=€apathy METHOD€=€fiml;
PATH apathy <- dysfunction isolation;
RUN;
CALIS (Covariance Analysis of Linear Structural Equations) is capable of
implementing FIML. Note that after indicating the data set, you simply write fiml
following METHOD. Note that SAS assumes that a dot or period (like this. ) represents missing data in your data set. On the second line, the dependent variable (here,
apathy) for our regression equation of interest immediately follows PATH with the
remaining predictors placed after the <− symbols. Assuming that we do not have auxiliary variables (which we do not here), the code is complete. We will present relevant
results later in this section.
PROC

Both SAS and SPSS can implement multiple imputation, assuming that you have
the Missing Values Analysis module in SPSS. Table€ 1.2 presents SAS and SPSS
code that can be used to implement MI for the apathy data. Be aware that both sets
of code, with the exception of the number of imputations, tacitly accept the default
choices that are embedded in each of the software programs. You should examine
SAS and SPSS documentation to see what these default options are and whether they
are reasonable for your particular set of circumstances. Note that SAS code follows
the three MI phases (imputation, analysis, and pooling of results). In the first line of
code in Table€1.2, you write after the OUT command the name of the data set that
will contain the imputed data sets (apout, here). The NIMPUTE command is used
to specify the number of imputed data sets you wish to have (here, 100 such data
sets). The variables used in the imputation phase appear in the second line of code.
The PROC REG command, leading off the second block of code (corresponding
to the analysis phase), is used because the primary analysis of interest is multiple
regression. Note that regression analysis is applied to each of the 100 imputed data
sets (stored in the file apout), and the resulting 100 sets of parameter estimates are
output to another data file we call est. The final block of SAS code (corresponding
to the pooling phase) is used to combine the parameter estimates across the imputed
data sets and yields a final single set of parameter estimates, which is then used to
interpret the regression results.

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 Table 1.2:╇ SAS and SPSS Code for Multiple Imputation With the Apathy€Data
SAS Code
PROC MI DATA€=€apathy OUT€=€apout NIMPUTE€=€100;
VAR apathy dysfunction isolation;
RUN;
PROC REG DATA€=€apout OUTEST€=€est COVOUT;
MODEL apathy€=€dysfunction isolation;
BY _Imputation_;
RUN;
PROC MIANALYZE DATA€=€est;
MODELEFFECTS INTERCEPT dysfunction isolation;
RUN;

SPSS Code
MULTIPLE IMPUTATION apathy dysfunction isolation
/IMPUTE METHOD=AUTO NIMPUTATIONS=100
/IMPUTATIONSUMMARIES MODELS
/OUTFILE IMPUTATIONS=impute.
REGRESSION
/STATISTICS COEFF OUTS R ANOVA
/DEPENDENT apathy
/METHOD=ENTER dysfunction isolation.

SPSS syntax needed to implement MI for the apathy data are shown in the lower
half of Table€1.2. In the first block of commands, MULTIPLE IMPUTATION is used
to create the imputed sets using the three variables appearing in that line. Note
that the second line of SPSS code requests 100 such imputed data sets, and the last
line in that first block outputs a data file that we named impute that has all 100
imputed data sets. With that data file active, the second block of SPSS code conducts the regression analysis of interest on each of the 100 data sets and produces a
final combined set of regression estimates used for interpretation. Note that if you
close the imputed data file and reopen it at some later time for analysis, you would
first need to click on View (in the Data Editor) and Mark Imputed Data prior to
running the regression analysis. If this step is not done, SPSS will treat the data in
the imputed data file as if they were from one data set, instead of, in this case, 100
imputed data sets. Results using MI for the apathy data are very similar for SAS and
SPSS, as would be expected. Thus, we report the final regression results as obtained
from€SPSS.
Table€1.3 provides parameter estimates obtained by applying a variety of missing data
treatments to the apathy data as well as the estimates obtained from the parent data
set that had no missing observations. Note that the percent bias columns in Table€1.3
are calculated as the difference between the respective regression coefficient obtained

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 Table 1.3:╇ Parameter Estimates for Dysfunction (β1) and Isolation (β2) Under Various
Missing Data Methods
Method

β1

β2

t (β1)

t (β2)

% Bias for β1

No missing data
Listwise
Pairwise
Mean substitution
FIML
MI

.289 (.058)
.245 (.067)
.307 (.076)
.334 (.067)
.300 (.068)
.303 (.074)

.280 (.067)
.202 (.067)
.226 (.076)
.199 (.072)
.247 (.071)
.242 (.078)

4.98
3.66
4.04
4.99
4.41
4.09

4.18
3.01
2.97
2.76
3.48
3.10

−15.2
6.2
15.6
3.8
4.8

% Bias for β2

−27.9
−19.3
−28.9
−11.8
−13.6

from the missing data treatment to that obtained by the complete or parent data set,
divided by the latter estimate, and then multiplied by 100 to obtain the percent. For
coefficient β1, we see that FIML and MI yielded estimates that are closest to the values
from the parent data set, as these estimates are less than 5% higher. Listwise deletion
and mean substitution produced the worst estimates for both regression coefficients,
and pairwise deletion also exhibited poorer performance than MI or FIML. In line with
the literature, FIML provided the most accurate estimates and resulted in more power
(exhibited by the t tests) than MI. Note, though, that with the greater amount of missing data for isolation (30%), the estimates for FIML and MI are more than 10% lower
than the estimate for the parent set. Thus, although FIML and MI are the best missing
data treatments for this situation (i.e., given that the data are MAR), no missing data is
the best kind of missing data to have.
1.6.8 Missing Data Summary
You should always determine and report the extent of missing data for your study
variables. Further, you should attempt to identify the most plausible mechanism for
missing data. Section€1.6.7 provided some procedures you can use for these purposes
and illustrated the selection of a missing data treatment given this preliminary analysis.
The two most widely recommended procedures are full information maximum likelihood and multiple imputation, although listwise deletion can be used in some circumstances (i.e., minimal amount of missing data and data MCAR). Also, to reduce the
amount of missing data, it is important to minimize the effort required by participants
to provide data (e.g., use short questionnaires, provide incentives for responding).
However, given that missing data are inevitable despite your best efforts, you should
consider collecting data on variables that may predict missingness for the study variables of interest. Incorporating such auxiliary variables in your missing data treatment
can provide for improved parameter estimates.
1.7╇ UNIT OR PARTICIPANT NONRESPONSE
Section€1.6 discussed the situation where data was collected from each respondent
but that some cases may not have provided a complete set of responses, resulting in

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incomplete or missing data. A€different type of missingness occurs when no data are
collected from some respondents, as when a survey respondent refuses to participate in
a survey. This nonparticipation, called unit or participant nonresponse, happens regularly in survey research and can be problematic because nonrespondents and respondents may differ in important ways. For example, suppose 1,000 questionnaires are sent
out and only 200 are returned. Of the 200 returned, 130 are in favor of some issue at
hand and 70 are opposed. As such, it appears that most of the people favor the issue.
But 800 surveys were not returned. Further, suppose that 55% of the nonrespondents
are opposed and 45% are in favor. Then, 440 of the nonrespondents are opposed and
360 are in favor. For all 1,000 individuals, we now have 510 opposed and 490 in favor.
What looked like an overwhelming majority in favor with the 200 respondents is now
evenly split among the 1,000 cases.
It is sometimes suggested, if one anticipates a low response rate and wants a certain
number of questionnaires returned, that the sample size should be simply increased.
For example, if one wishes 400 returned and a response rate of 20% is anticipated,
send out 2,000. This can be a dangerous and misleading practice. Let us illustrate.
Suppose 2,000 are sent out and 400 are returned. Of these, 300 are in favor and 100 are
opposed. It appears there is an overwhelming majority in favor, and this is true for the
respondents. But 1,600 did NOT respond. Suppose that 60% of the nonrespondents (a
distinct possibility) are opposed and 40% are in favor. Then, 960 of the nonrespondents are opposed and 640 are in favor. Again, what appeared to be an overwhelming
majority in favor is stacked against (1,060 vs. 940) for ALL participants.
Groves et€al. (2009) discuss a variety of methods that can be used to reduce unit nonresponse. In addition, they discuss a weighting approach that can be used to adjust
parameter estimates for such nonresponse when analyzing data with unit nonresponse.
Note that the methods described in section€1.6 for treating missing data, such as multiple imputation, are not relevant for unit nonresponse if there is a complete absence of
data from nonrespondents.
1.8╇RESEARCH EXAMPLES FOR SOME ANALYSES
CONSIDERED IN THIS€TEXT
To give you something of a feel for several of the statistical analyses considered in
succeeding chapters, we present the objectives in doing a multiple logistic regression
analysis, a multivariate analysis of variance and covariance, and an exploratory factor analysis, along with illustrative studies from the literature that use each of these
analyses.
1.8.1 Logistic Regression
In a previous course you have taken, simple linear regression was covered, where a
dependent variable (say chemistry achievement) is predicted from just one predictor,

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such as IQ. It is certainly reasonable that other variables would also be related to
chemistry achievement and that we could obtain better prediction by making use of
these variables, such as previous average grade in science courses, attitude toward
education, and math ability. In addition, in some studies, a binary outcome (success
or failure) is of interest, and researchers are interested in variables that are related to
this outcome. When the outcome variable is binary (i.e., pass/fail), though, standard
regression analysis is not appropriate. Instead, in this case, logistic regression is often
used. Thus, the objective in multiple logistic regression (called multiple because we
have multiple predictors)€is:
Objective: Predict a binary dependent variable from a set of independent variables.
Example
Reingle Gonzalez and Connell (2014) were interested in determining which of several
predictors were related to medication continuity among a nationally representative
sample of US prisoners. A€prisoner was said to have experienced medication continuity if that individual had been taking prescribed medication at intake into prison and
continued to take such medication after admission into prison. The logistic regression analysis indicated that, after controlling for other predictors, prisoners were more
likely to experience medication continuity if they were diagnosed with schizophrenia,
saw a health care professional in prison, were black, were older, and had served less
time than other prisoners.
1.8.2 One-Way Multivariate Analysis of Variance
In univariate analysis of variance, several groups of participants are compared to determine whether mean differences are present for a single dependent variable. But, as was
mentioned earlier in this chapter, any good treatment(s) generally affects participants
in several ways. Hence, it makes sense to collect data from participants on multiple
outcomes and then test whether the groups differ, on average, on the set of outcomes.
This provides for a more complete assessment of the efficacy of the treatments. Thus,
the objective in multivariate analysis of variance€is:
Objective: Determine whether mean differences are present across several groups for
a set of dependent variables.
Example
McCrudden, Schraw, and Hartley (2006) conducted an educational experiment to determine if college students exhibited improved learning relative to controls after they had
received general prereading relevance instructions. The researchers were interested in
determining if those receiving such instruction differed from control students for a set
of various learning outcomes, as well as a measure of learning effort (reading time).
The multivariate analysis indicated that the two groups had different means on the
set of outcomes. Follow-up testing revealed that students who received the relevance
instructions had higher mean scores on measures of factual and conceptual learning as

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well as the number of claims made in an essay item and the essay item score. The two
groups did not differ, on average, on total reading time, suggesting that the relevance
instructions facilitated learning while not requiring greater effort.
1.8.3 Multivariate Analysis of Covariance
Objective: Determine whether several groups differ on a set of dependent variables
after the posttest means have been adjusted for any initial differences on the covariates
(which are often pretests).
Example
Friedman, Lehrer, and Stevens (1983) examined the effect of two stress management
strategies, directed lecture discussion and self-directed, and the locus of control of
teachers on their scores on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and on the Subjective
Stress Scale. Eighty-five teachers were pretested and posttested on these measures,
with the treatment extending to 5 weeks. Teachers who received the stress management programs reduced their stress and anxiety more than those in a control group.
However, teachers who were in a stress management program compatible with their
locus of control (i.e., externals with lectures and internals with the self-directed) did
not reduce stress significantly more than participants in the unmatched stress management groups.
1.8.4 Exploratory Factor Analysis
As you know, a bivariate correlation coefficient describes the degree of linear association between two variables, such as anxiety and performance. However, in many
situations, researchers collect data on many variables, which are correlated, and they
wish to determine if there are fewer constructs or dimensions that underlie responses
to these variables. Finding support for a smaller number of constructs than observed
variables provides for a more parsimonious description of results and may lead to identifying new theoretical constructs that may be the focus of future research. Exploratory
factor analysis is a procedure that can be used to determine the number and nature of
such constructs. Thus, the general objective in exploratory factor analysis€is:
Objective: Determine the number and nature of constructs that underlie responses to
a set of observed variables.
Example
Wong, Pituch, and Rochlen (2006) were interested in determining if specific
emotion-related variables were predictive of men’s restrictive emotionality, where this
latter concept refers to having difficulty or fears about expressing or talking about one’s
emotions. As part of this study, the researchers wished to identify whether a smaller
number of constructs underlie responses to the Restrictive Emotionality scale and
eight other measures of emotion. Results from an exploratory factor analysis suggested
that three factors underlie responses to the nine measures. The researchers labeled the

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constructs or factors as (1) Difficulty With Emotional Communication (which was
related to restrictive emotionality), (2) Negative Beliefs About Emotional Expression,
and (3) Fear of Emotions, and suggested that these constructs may be useful for future
research on men’s emotional behavior.
1.9╇ THE SAS AND SPSS STATISTICAL PACKAGES
As you have seen already, SAS and the SPSS are selected for use in this text for several
reasons:
1. They are very widely distributed and€used.
2. They are easy to€use.
3. They do a very wide range of analyses—from simple descriptive statistics to various analyses of variance designs to all kinds of complex multivariate analyses
(factor analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, discriminant analysis, logistic
multiple regression, etc.).
4. They are well documented, having been in development for decades.
In this edition of the text, we assume that instructors are familiar with one of these two
statistical programs. Thus, we do not cover the basics of working with these programs,
such as reading in a data set and/or entering data. Instead, we show, throughout the
text, how these programs can be used to run the analyses that are discussed in the relevant chapters. The versions of the software programs used in this text are SAS version
9.3 and SPSS version 21. Note that user’s guides for SAS and SPSS are available at
http://support.sas.com/documentation/cdl/en/statug/63962/HTML/default/viewer.htm
#titlepage.htm and http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27024972,
respectively.
1.10╇ SAS AND SPSS SYNTAX
We nearly always use syntax, instead of dialogue boxes, to show how analyses can
be conducted throughout the text. While both SAS and SPSS offer dialogue boxes to
ease obtaining analysis results, we feel that providing syntax is preferred for several
reasons. First, using dialogue boxes for SAS and SPSS would “clutter up” the text
with pages of screenshots that would be needed to show how to conduct analyses. In
contrast, using syntax is a much more efficient way to show how analysis results may
be obtained. Second, with the use of the Internet, there is no longer any need for users
of this text to do much if any typing of commands, which is often dreaded by students.
Instead, you can simply download the syntax and related data sets and use these files
to run analyses that are in the textbook. That is about as easy as it gets! If you wish
to conduct analysis with your own data sets, it is a simple matter of using your own
data files and, for the most part, simply changing the variable names that appear in the
online syntax.

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Third, instructors may not wish to devote much time to showing how analyses can
be obtained via statistical software and instead focus on understanding which analysis should be used for a given situation, the specific analysis steps that should be
taken (e.g., search for outliers, assess assumptions, the statistical tests and effect size
measures that are to be used), and how analysis results are to be interpreted. For these
instructors, then, it is a simple matter of ignoring the relatively short sections of the
text that discuss and present software commands. Also, for students, if this is the case
and you still you wish to know what specific sections of code are doing, we provide
relevant descriptions along the way to help you€out.
Fourth, there may be occasions where you wish to keep a copy of the commands that
implemented your analysis. You could not easily do this if you exclusively use dialogue boxes, but your syntax file will contain the commands you used for analyses.
Fifth, implementing some analysis techniques requires use of commands, as not all
procedures can be obtained with the dialogue boxes. A€relevant example occurs with
exploratory factor analysis (Chapter€9), where parallel analysis can be implemented
only with commands. Sixth, as you continue to learn more advanced techniques (such
as multilevel and structural equation modeling), you will encounter other software programs (e.g., Mplus) that use only code to run analyses. Becoming familiar with using
code will better prepare you for this eventuality. Finally, while we anticipate this will
be not the case, if SAS or SPSS commands were to change before a subsequent edition of this text appears, we can simply update the syntax file online to handle recent
updates to the programming€code.
1.11╇SAS AND SPSS SYNTAX AND DATA SETS ON THE
INTERNET
Syntax and data files needed to replicate the analysis discussed throughout the text
are available on the Internet for both SAS and SPSS (www.psypress.com/books/
details/9780415836661/). You must, of course, open the SAS and SPSS programs on
your computer as well as the respective syntax and data files to run the analysis. If you
do not know how to do this, your instructor can help€you.
1.12╇ SOME ISSUES UNIQUE TO MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS
Many of the techniques discussed in this text are mathematical maximization procedures, and hence there is great opportunity for capitalization on chance. Often, analysis
results that “look great” on a given sample may not translate well to other samples.
Thus, the results are sample specific and of limited scientific utility. Reliability of
results, then, is a real concern.
The notion of a linear combination of variables is fundamental to all the types of analysis we discuss. A€general linear combination for p variables is given€by:

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=
y a1 x1 + a2 x2 + a3 x3 +  + a p x p ,
where a1, a2, a3, …, ap are the coefficients for the variables. This definition is abstract;
however, we give some simple examples of linear combinations that you are probably
already familiar€with.
Suppose we have a treatment versus control group design with participants pretested
and posttested on some variable. Then, sometimes analysis is done on the difference
scores (gain scores), that is, posttest–pretest. If we denote the pretest variable by x1 and
the posttest variable by x2, then the difference variable y€=€x2 − x1 is a simple linear
combination where a1€=€−1 and a2€=€1.
As another example of a simple linear combination, suppose we wished to sum three
subtest scores on a test (x1, x2, and x3). Then the newly created sum variable y€=€x1 + x2 + x3
is a linear combination where a1€=€a2€=€a3€=€1.
Still another example of linear combinations that you may have encountered in an
intermediate statistics course is that of contrasts among means, as when planned comparisons are used. Consider the following four-group ANOVA, where T3 is a combination treatment, and T4 is a control group:
T1T2T3T4
µ1µ 2 µ 3µ 4
Then the following meaningful contrast
L1 =

µ1 + µ 2
− µ3
2

1
is a linear combination, where a1€=€a2€=€ and a3€=€−1, while the following contrast
2
among means,
L1 =

µ1 + µ 2 + µ 3
− µ4 ,
3

1
and a4€ =€ −1. The notions of
3
mathematical maximization and linear combinations are combined in many of the
multivariate procedures. For example, in multiple regression we talk about the linear
combination of the predictors that is maximally correlated with the dependent variable, and in principal components analysis the linear combinations of the variables that
account for maximum portions of the total variance are considered.
is also a linear combination, where a1€=€a2€=€a3€=€

1.13 DATA COLLECTION AND INTEGRITY
Although in this text we minimize discussion of issues related to data collection and
measurement of variables, as this text focuses on analysis, you are forewarned that

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these are critical issues. No analysis, no matter how sophisticated, can compensate
for poor data collection and measurement problems. Iverson and Gergen (1997) in
chapter€14 of their text on statistics hit on some key issues. First, they discussed the
issue of obtaining a random sample, so that one can generalize to some population of
interest. They noted:
We believe that researchers are aware of the need for randomness, but achieving
it is another matter. In many studies, the condition of randomness is almost never
truly satisfied. A€majority of psychological studies, for example, rely on college
students for their research results. (Critics have suggested that modern psychology
should be called the psychology of the college sophomore.) Are college students
a random sample of the adult population or even the adolescent population? Not
likely. (p.€627)
Then they turned their attention to problems in survey research, and noted:
In interview studies, for example, differences in responses have been found
depending on whether the interviewer seems to be similar or different from the
respondent in such aspects as gender, ethnicity, and personal preferences.€.€.€.
The place of the interview is also important.€.€.€. Contextual effects cannot be
overcome totally and must be accepted as a facet of the data collection process.
(pp.€628–629)
Another point they mentioned is that what people say and what they do often do not correspond. They noted, “a study that asked about toothbrushing habits found that on the
basis of what people said they did, the toothpaste consumption in this country should
have been three times larger than the amount that is actually sold” (pp.€630–631).
Another problem, endemic in psychology, is using college freshmen or sophomores.
This raises issues of data integrity. A€student, visiting Dr.€Stevens and expecting advice
on multivariate analysis, had collected data from college freshmen. Dr.€Stevens raised
concerns about the integrity of the data, worrying that for most 18- or 19-year-olds
concentration lapses after 5 or 10 minutes. As such, this would compromise the integrity of the data, which no analysis could help. Many freshmen may be thinking about
the next party or social event, and filling out the questionnaire is far from the most
important thing in their minds.
In ending this section, we wish to point out that many mail questionnaires and telephone interviews may be much too long. Mail questionnaires, for the most part, can
be limited to two pages, and telephone interviews to 5 to 10 minutes. If you think
about it, most if not all relevant questions can be asked within 5 minutes. It is always
a balance between information obtained and participant fatigue, but unless participants are very motivated, they may have too many other things going in their lives
to spend the time filling out a 10-page questionnaire or to spend 20 minutes on the
telephone.

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1.14 INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL VALIDITY
Although this is a book on statistical analysis, the design you set up is critical. In a
course on research methods, you learn of internal and external validity, and of the
threats to each. If you have designed an experimental study, then internal validity
refers to the confidence you have that the treatment(s) are responsible for the posttest
group differences. There are various threats to internal validity (e.g., history, maturation, selection, regression toward the mean). In setting up a design, you want to be
confident that the treatment caused the difference, and not one of the threats. Random
assignment of participants to groups controls most of the threats to internal validity,
and for this reason it is often referred to as the “gold standard.” It is the best way of
assuring, within sampling error, that the groups are “equal” on all variables prior to
treatment implementation. However, if there is a variable (we will use gender and two
groups to illustrate) that is related to the dependent variable, then one should stratify
on that variable and then randomly assign within each stratum. For example, if there
were 36 females and 24 males, we would randomly assign 18 females and 12 males to
each group. By doing this, we ensure an equal number of males and females in each
group, rather than leaving this to chance. It is extremely important to understand that
good research design is essential. Light, Singer, and Willett (1990), in the preface of
their book, summed it up best by stating bluntly, “you can’t fix by analysis what you
bungled by design” (p. viii).
Treatment, as stated earlier, is generic and could refer to teaching methods, counseling
methods, drugs, diets, and so on. It is dangerous to assume that the treatment(s) will be
implemented as you planned, and hence it is very important to monitor the treatment
to help ensure that it is implemented as intended. If the planned and implemented treatments differ, it may not be clear what is responsible for the obtained group differences.
Further, posttest differences may not appear if the treatments are not implemented as
intended.
Now let us turn our attention to external validity. External validity refers to the generalizability of results. That is, to what population(s) of participants, settings, and times
can we generalize our results? A€good book on external validity is by Shadish, Cook,
and Campbell (2002).
Two excellent books on research design are the aforementioned By Design by Light,
Singer, and Willett (which Dr.€Stevens used for many years) and a book by Alan Kazdin entitled Research Design in Clinical Psychology (2003). Both of these books
require, in our opinion, that students have at least two courses in statistics and a course
on research methods.
Before leaving this section, a word of warning on ratings as the dependent variable.
Often you will hear of training raters so that raters agree. This is fine. However, it does
not go far enough. There is still the issue of bias with the raters, and this can be very

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problematic if the rater has a vested interest in the outcome. Dr.€Stevens has seen too
many dissertations where the person writing it is one of the raters.

1.15 CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Kazdin notes that conflict of interest can occur in many different ways (2003, p.€537).
One way is through a conflict between the scientific responsibility of the investigator(s) and a vested financial interest. We illustrate this with a medical example. In the
introduction to Overdosed America (2004), Abramson gives the following medical
conflict:
The second part, “The Commercialization of American Medicine,” presents a
brief history of the commercial takeover of medical knowledge and the techniques
used to manipulate doctors’ and the public’s understanding of new developments
in medical science and health care. One example of the depth of the problem was
presented in a 2002 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association,
which showed that 59% of the experts who write the clinical guidelines that define
good medical care have direct financial ties to the companies whose products are
being evaluated. (p.€xvii)
Kazdin (2003) gives examples that hit closer to home, that is, from psychology and
education:
In psychological research and perhaps specifically in clinical, counseling and educational psychology, it is easy to envision conflict of interest. Researchers may
own stock in companies that in some way are relevant to their research and their
findings. Also, a researcher may serve as a consultant to a company (e.g., that
develops software or psychological tests or that publishes books) and receive
generous consultation fees for serving as a resource for the company. Serving as
someone who gains financially from a company and who conducts research with
products that the company may sell could be a conflict of interest or perceived as
a conflict. (p.€539)
The example we gave earlier of someone serving as a rater for their dissertation is a
potential conflict of interest. That individual has a vested interest in the results, and for
him or her to remain objective in doing the ratings is definitely questionable.

1.16 SUMMARY
This chapter reviewed type I€error, type II error, and power. It indicated that power
is dependent on the alpha level, sample size, and effect size. The problem of multiple statistical tests appearing in various situations was discussed. The important issue
of statistical versus practical importance was discussed, and some ways of assessing

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practical importance (confidence intervals, effect sizes, and measures of association)
were mentioned. The importance of identifying outliers (e.g., participants who are 3 or
more standard deviations from the mean) was emphasized. We also considered at some
length issues related to missing data, discussed factors involved in selecting a missing
data treatment, and illustrated with a small data set how you can select and implement
a missing data treatment. We also showed that conventional missing data treatments
can produce relatively poor parameter estimates with MAR data. We also briefly discussed participant or unit nonresponse. SAS and SPSS syntax files and accompanying
data sets for the examples used in this text are available on the Internet, and these files
allow you to easily replicate analysis results shown in this text. Regarding data integrity, what people say and what they do often do not correspond. The critical importance
of a good design was also emphasized. Finally, it is important to keep in mind that
conflict of interest can undermine the integrity of results.
1.17╇EXERCISES
1. Consider a two-group independent-samples t test with a treatment group
(treatment is generic and could be intervention, diet, drug, counseling method,
etc.) and a control group. The null hypothesis is that the population means are
equal. What are the consequences of making a type I€error? What are the consequences of making a type II error?
2. This question is concerned with power.
(a) Suppose a clinical study (10 participants in each of two groups) does not
find significance at the .05 level, but there is a medium effect size (which is
judged to be of practical importance). What should the investigator do in a
future replication study?
(b) It has been mentioned that there can be “too much power” in some studies. What is meant by this? Relate this to the “sledgehammer effect” mentioned in the chapter.
3. This question is concerned with multiple statistical tests.
(a)Consider a two-way ANOVA (A × B) with six dependent variables. If a univariate analysis is done at α€=€.05 on each dependent variable, then how
many tests have been done? What is the Bonferroni upper bound on overall alpha? Compute the tighter bound.
(b)Now consider a three-way ANOVA (A × B × C) with four dependent variables. If a univariate analysis is done at α€=€.05 on each dependent variable, then how many tests have been done? What is the Bonferroni upper
bound on overall alpha? Compute the tighter upper bound.
4. This question is concerned with statistical versus practical importance: A€survey researcher compares four regions of the country on their attitude toward
education. To this survey, 800 participants respond. Ten items, Likert scaled

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from 1 to 5, are used to assess attitude. A€higher positive score indicates a
more positive attitude. Group sizes and the means are given€next.

N

x

North

South

East

West

238
32.0

182
33.1

130
34.0

250
31.0

An analysis of variance on these four groups yielded F€=€5.61, which is significant at the .001 level. Discuss the practical importance issue.

5. This question concerns outliers: Suppose 150 participants are measured on
four variables. Why could a subject not be an outlier on any of the four variables and yet be an outlier when the four variables are considered jointly?

Suppose a Mahalanobis distance is computed for each subject (checking for
multivariate outliers). Why might it be advisable to do each test at the .001
level?

6. Suppose you have a data set where some participants have missing data on
income. Further, suppose you use the methods described in section€1.6.6 to
assess whether the missing data appear to be MCAR and find that is missingness on income is not related to any of your study variables. Does that mean
the data are MCAR? Why or why€not?
7. If data are MCAR and a very small proportion of data is missing, would listwise
deletion, maximum likelihood estimation, and multiple imputation all be good
missing data treatments to use? Why or why€not?

REFERENCES
Abramson, J. (2004). Overdosed America: The broken promise of American medicine. New
York, NY: Harper Collins.
Allison, P.╛D. (2001). Missing data. Newbury Park, CA:€Sage.
Allison, P.â•›D. (2012). Handling missing data by maximum likelihood. Unpublished manuscript. Retrieved from http://www.statisticalhorizons.com/resources/unpublished-papers
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the social sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Cronbach, L.,€& Snow, R. (1977). Aptitudes and instructional methods: A€handbook for
research on interactions. New York, NY: Irvington.
Enders, C.â•›K. (2010). Applied missing data analysis. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Friedman, G., Lehrer, B.,€& Stevens, J. (1983). The effectiveness of self-directed and lecture/
discussion stress management approaches and the locus of control of teachers. American
Educational Research Journal, 20, 563–580.

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Grissom, R.╛J.,€& Kim, J.╛J. (2012). Effect sizes for research: Univariate and multivariate applications (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Groves, R.╛M., Fowler, F.╛J., Couper, M.╛P., Lepkowski, J.╛M., Singer, E.,€& Tourangeau, R.
(2009). Survey methodology (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley€&€Sons.
Haase, R., Ellis, M.,€& Ladany, N. (1989). Multiple criteria for evaluating the magnitude of
experimental effects. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 36, 511–516.
Iverson, G.,€& Gergen, M. (1997). Statistics: A€conceptual approach. New York, NY:
Springer-Verlag.
Jacobson, N.â•›S. (Ed.). (1988). Defining clinically significant change [Special issue]. Behavioral
Assessment, 10(2).
Judd, C.╛M., McClelland, G.╛H.,€& Ryan, C.╛S. (2009). Data analysis: A€model comparison
approach (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Kazdin, A. (2003). Research design in clinical psychology. Boston, MA: Allyn€& Bacon.
Light, R., Singer, J.,€& Willett, J. (1990). By design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
McCrudden, M.â•›T., Schraw, G.,€& Hartley, K. (2006). The effect of general relevance instructions on shallow and deeper learning and reading time. Journal of Experimental Education, 74, 291–310. doi:10.3200/JEXE.74.4.291-310
O’Grady, K. (1982). Measures of explained variation: Cautions and limitations. Psychological
Bulletin, 92, 766–777.
Reingle Gonzalez, J.╛M.,€& Connell, N.╛M. (2014). Mental health of prisoners: Identifying barriers to mental health treatment and medication continuity. American Journal of Public
Health, 104, 2328–2333. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.302043
Shadish, W.╛R., Cook, T.╛D.,€& Campbell, D.╛T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental
designs for generalized causal inference. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Shiffler, R. (1988). Maximum z scores and outliers. American Statistician, 42, 79–80.
Wong, Y.â•›L., Pituch, K.â•›A.,€& Rochlen, A.â•›R. (2006). Men’s restrictive emotionality: An investigation of associations with other emotion-related constructs, anxiety, and underlying dimensions. Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 7, 113–126. doi:10.1037/1524-9220.7.2.113

43

Chapter 2

MATRIX ALGEBRA

2.1╇INTRODUCTION
This chapter introduces matrices and vectors and covers some of the basic matrix
operations used in multivariate statistics. The matrix operations included are by
no means intended to be exhaustive. Instead, we present some important tools that
will help you better understand multivariate analysis. Understanding matrix algebra
is important, as the values of multivariate test statistics (e.g., Hotelling’s Tâ•›2 and
Wilks’ lambda), effect size measures (D2 and multivariate eta square), and outlier
indicators (e.g., the Mahalanobis distance) are obtained with matrix algebra. We
assume here that you have no previous exposure to matrix operations. Also, while it
is helpful, at times, to compute matrix operations by hand (particularly for smaller
matrices), we include SPSS and SAS commands that can be used to perform matrix
operations.
A matrix is simply a rectangular array of elements. The following are examples of
matrices:
1 2 3 4 
4 5 6 9 


2×4

1
2

5

1

2 1
3 5 
6 8

4 10 
4×3

1 2 
2 4


2×2

The numbers underneath each matrix are the dimensions of the matrix, and indicate
the size of the matrix. The first number is the number of rows and the second number the number of columns. Thus, the first matrix is a 2 × 4 since it has 2 rows and
4 columns.
A familiar matrix in educational research is the score matrix. For example, suppose
we had measured six subjects on three variables. We could represent all the scores as
a matrix:

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Variables
1 2 3
1 10
2 12
3 13
Subjects

4 16
5 12

6 15

4
6
2
8
3
9

18 
21
20 

16 
14 

13 

This is a 6 × 3 matrix. More generally, we can represent the scores of N participants on
p variables in an N × p matrix as follows:
1
1  x11

2  x21
Subjects
 

N  xN 1

Variables
2
3
x12

x13

x22

x23

xN 2

xN 3

p
x1 p 

 x2 p 
 

 xNp 

The first subscript indicates the row and the second subscript the column. Thus, x12
represents the score of participant 1 on variable 2 and x2p represents the score of participant 2 on variable€p.
The transpose A′ of a matrix A is simply the matrix obtained by interchanging rows
and columns.
Example 2.1
2 3 6
A=

5 4 8 

2 5
A′ =  3 4 
 6 8 

The first row of A has become the first column of A′ and the second row of A has
become the second column of€A′.
3 4
B = 5 6
1 3
In general, if a
are s ×€r.

2
 3 5 1
 4 6 3

5  → B′ =


 2 5 8
8 
matrix A has dimensions r × s, then the dimensions of the transpose

A matrix with a single row is called a row vector, and a matrix with a single column
is called a column vector. While matrices are written in bold uppercase letters, as we

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MATRIX ALGEBRA

have seen, vectors are always indicated by bold lowercase letters. Also, a row vector is
indicated by a transpose, for example, x′, y′, and so€on.
Example 2.2
4
6 
x ′ = (1, 2,3)
y =   4 × 1 column vector
8 
1 × 3 row vector
 
7 
A row vector that is of particular interest to us later is the vector of means for a group
of participants on several variables. For example, suppose we have measured 100 participants on the California Psychological Inventory and have obtained their average
scores on five of the subscales. The five means would be represented as the following
row vector€x′:
x′â•›= (24, 31, 22, 27,€30)
The elements on the diagonal running from upper left to lower right are said to be on
the main diagonal of a matrix. A€matrix A is said to be symmetric if the elements below
the main diagonal are a mirror reflection of the corresponding elements above the main
diagonal. This is saying a12€=€a21, a13€=€a31, and a23€=€a32 for a 3 × 3 matrix, since these
are the corresponding pairs. This is illustrated€by:
a12
6

4

a13
8

a21
6

3

a23
7

a31
8

a32
7

1

Main diagonal

Denotes
corresponding pairs

In general, a matrix A is symmetric if aij€=€aji, i ≠ j, that is, if all corresponding pairs of
elements above and below the main diagonal are equal.
An example of a symmetric matrix that is frequently encountered in statistical work is
that of a correlation matrix. For example, here is the matrix of intercorrelations for four
subtests of the Differential Aptitude Test for€boys:

Verbal reas.
Numerical abil.
Clerical speed
Mechan. reas.

VR

NA

Cler.

Mech.

1.00
.70
.19
.55

.70
1.00
.36
.50

.19
.36
1.00
.16

.55
.50
.16
1.00

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This matrix is symmetric because, for example, the correlation between VR and NA is
the same as the correlation between NA and€VR.
Two matrices A and B are equal if and only if all corresponding elements are equal.
That is to say, two matrices are equal only if they are identical.

2.2╇ADDITION, SUBTRACTION, AND MULTIPLICATION
OF A MATRIX BY A SCALAR
You add two matrices A and B by summing the corresponding elements.
Example 2.3
6 2
2 3
A=
B=


2 5
3 4
 2 + 6 3 + 2  8 5 
A+B=
 3 + 2 4 + 5 = 5 9 


 
Notice the elements in the (1, 1) positions, that is, 2 and 6, have been added, and so€on.
Only matrices of the same dimensions can be added. Thus, addition would not be
defined for these matrices:
 2 3 1  1 4 
1 4 6  + 5 6  not defined


 
If two matrices are of the same dimension, you can then subtract one matrix from
another by subtracting corresponding elements.
A

B

A−B

1 4 2 
1 −3 3
2 1 5
 3 2 6  − 1 2 5  =  2 0 1






You multiply a matrix or a vector by a scalar (number) by multiplying each element of
the matrix or vector by the scalar.
Example 2.4
 4   4 3
2 ( 3,1, 4 ) = ( 6, 2, 8 ) 1 3   =  
3  1 
 2 1  8 4 
4

=
1 5  4 20 

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MATRIX ALGEBRA

2.2.1 Multiplication of Matrices
There is a restriction as to when two matrices can be multiplied. Consider the product
AB. To multiply these matrices, the number of columns in A must equal the number
of rows in B. For example, if A is 2 × 3, then B must have 3 rows, although B could
have any number of columns. If two matrices can be multiplied they are said to be
сопformable. The dimensions of the product matrix, call it C, are simply the number
of rows of A by the number of columns of B. In the earlier example, if B were 3 × 4,
then C would be a 2 × 4 matrix. In general then, if A is an r × s matrix and B is an s × t
matrix, then the dimensions of the product AB are r ×€t.
Example 2.5
A
 2 1 3
4 5 6


2×3

B

C

 c11 c12 
 1 0

 2 4 = c
 21 c22 


 −1 5 
2× 2
3× 2

Note first that A and B can be multiplied because the number of columns in A is 3,
which is equal to the number of rows in B. The product matrix C is a 2 × 2, that is,
the outer dimensions of A and B. To obtain the element c11 (in the first row and first
column), we multiply corresponding elements of the first row of A by the elements of
the first column of B. Then, we simply sum the products. To obtain c12 we take the sum
of products of the corresponding elements of the first row of A by the second column
of B. This procedure is presented next for all four elements of€C:
Element

c11

 1
 
(2,1, 3)  =
2  2(1) + 1(2) + 3(−1) = 1
 −1 
 

c12

 0
 
(2,1, 3) =
4  2(0) + 1(4) + 3(5) =
19
 5
 

c21

 1
 
(4, 5, 6)  =
2  4(1) + 5(2) + 6(−1) = 8
 −1 
 

c22

0
 
(4, 5, 6) =
4  4(0) + 5(4) + 6(5) =
50
5
 

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Therefore, the product matrix C€is:
1 19 
C=

8 50 
We now multiply two more matrices to illustrate an important property concerning
matrix multiplication.
Example 2.6
A
2
1

B
1
4 

5  2 ⋅ 3 + 1 ⋅ 5
=
6  1 ⋅ 3 + 4 ⋅ 5

3
5

B
3
5

AB
2 ⋅ 5 + 1 ⋅ 6  11
=
1 ⋅ 5 + 4 ⋅ 6   23

A
5
6 

BA
1  3 ⋅ 2 + 5 ⋅ 1
=
4  5 ⋅ 2 + 6 ⋅ 1

2
1

16 
29 

3 ⋅ 1 + 5 ⋅ 4  11
=
5 ⋅ 1 + 6 ⋅ 4  16

23 
29 

Notice that AB ≠ BA; that is, the order in which matrices are multiplied makes a difference. The mathematical statement of this is to say that multiplication of matrices
is not commutative. Multiplying matrices in two different orders (assuming they are
conformable both ways) in general yields different results.
Example 2.7
A

x

Ax

3 1 2  2
18 
1 4 5   6  =  41

  
 
 2 5 2   3 
 40 
( 3 × 3) ( 3 × 1) ( 3 × 1)
Note that multiplying a matrix on the right by a column vector takes the matrix into a
column vector.
3 1 
(2, 5) 
 = (11, 22)
1 4 
Multiplying a matrix on the left by a row vector results in a row vector. If we are
multiplying more than two matrices, then we may group at will. The mathematical
statement of this is that multiplication of matrices is associative. Thus, if we are considering the matrix product ABC, we get the same result if we multiply A and B first
(and then the result of that by C) as if we multiply B and C first (and then the result of
that by A), that€is,
A B C€=€(A B) C€= A (B€C)

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A matrix product that is of particular interest to us in Chapter€4 is of the following€form:
x′
1× p

S
p× p

x
p ×1

Note that this product yields a number, i.e., the product matrix is 1 × 1 or a number.
The multivariate test statistic for two groups, Hotelling’s Tâ•›2, is of this form (except for
a scalar constant in front). Other multivariate statistics, for example, that are computed
in a similar way are the Mahalanobis distance (section€3.14.6) and the multivariate
effect size measure D2 (section€4.11).
Example 2.8
╇╛╛ x′╇╇╇╇S╅╛╛╇╛x€╛╛╛=€╛(x′S)€╇╇╛╛x
 4
10 3   4 
= (46, 20) =
(4, 2) 
 184 + 40 = 224



 2
 3 4  2
2.3╇ OBTAINING THE MATRIX OF VARIANCES AND COVARIANCES
Now, we show how various matrix operations introduced thus far can be used to obtain
two very important matrices in multivariate statistics, that is, the sums of squares and
cross products (SSCP) matrix (which is computed as part of the Wilks’ lambda test)
and the matrix of variances and covariances for a set of variables (which is computed
as part of Hotelling’s Tâ•›2 test). Consider the following set of€data:
x1

x2

1

1

3

4

2

7

x1â•›=â•›2

x2â•›=â•›4

First, we form the matrix Xd of deviation scores, that is, how much each score deviates
from the mean on that variable:
X
X
 1 1   2 4  −1 −3
X d =  3 4 −  2 4 =  1
0 
 2 7   2 4  0
3 
Next we take the transpose of Xd:
 −1 1 0 
X′d =
 −3 0 3

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Now we obtain the matrix of sums of squares and cross products (SSCP) as the product of X′d and Xd:
 −1
SSCP = 
 −3

1
0

 −1
0 
1
3  
 0

−3 
 ss1
0  = 
ss
3   21

ss12 

ss2 

The diagonal elements are just sums of squares:
ss1 = (−1)2 + 12 + 02€=€2
ss2 = (−3)2 + 02 + 32€=€18
Notice that these deviation sums of squares are the numerators of the variances for the
variables, because the variance for a variable€is

s2 =

∑ (x

ii

i

− x)

2

(n − 1).

The sum of deviation cross products (ss12) for the two variables€is
ss12€=€ss21€=€(−1)(−3) + 1(0) + (0)(3)€=€3.
This is just the numerator for the covariance for the two variables, because the definitional formula for covariance is given€by:
n

∑ (x

i1

s12 =

i =1

− x1 ) ( xi 2 − x2 )
n −1

,

where ( xi1 − x1 ) is the deviation score for the ith case on x1 and ( xi2 − x2 ) is the deviation score for the ith case on x2.
Finally, the matrix of variances and covariances S is obtained from the SSCP matrix
by multiplying by a constant, namely, 1 ( n − 1) :
S=

SSCP
n −1

S=

1  2 3   1 1.5


=
2  3 18 1.5 9 

where 1 and 9 are the variances for variables 1 and 2, respectively, and 1.5 is the
covariance.
Thus, in obtaining S we have done the following:
1. Represented the scores on several variables as a matrix.
2. Illustrated subtraction of matrices—to get Xd.

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3. Illustrated the transpose of a matrix—to get X′d.
4. Illustrated multiplication of matrices, that is, X′d Xd, to get SSCP.
5. Illustrated multiplication of a matrix by a scalar, that is, by 1 ( n − 1) , to obtain€S.
2.4╇ DETERMINANT OF A MATRIX
The determinant of a matrix A, denoted by A , is a unique number associated with each
square matrix. There are two interrelated reasons that consideration of determinants is
quite important for multivariate statistical analysis. First, the determinant of a covariance matrix represents the generalized variance for several variables. That is, it is one
way to characterize in a single number how much variability remains for the set of
variables after removing the shared variance among the variables. Second, because the
determinant is a measure of variance for a set of variables, it is intimately involved in
several multivariate test statistics. For example, in Chapter€3 on regression analysis,
we use a test statistic called Wilks’ Λ that involves a ratio of two determinants. Also,
in k group multivariate analysis of variance (Chapter€5) the following form of Wilks’
Λ ( Λ = W T ) is the most widely used test statistic for determining whether several
groups differ on a set of variables. The W and T matrices are SSCP matrices, which are
multivariate generalizations of SSw (sum of squares within) and SSt (sum of squares total)
from univariate ANOVA, and are defined and described in detail in Chapters€4 and€5.
There is a formal definition for finding the determinant of a matrix, but it is complicated, and we do not present it. There are other ways of finding the determinant, and
a convenient method for smaller matrices (4 × 4 or less) is the method of cofactors.
For a 2 × 2 matrix, the determinant could be evaluated by the method of cofactors;
however, it is evaluated more quickly as simply the difference in the products of the
diagonal elements.
Example 2.9
4
A=
1

1
2 

A = 4 ⋅ 2 − 1 ⋅1 = 7

a b 
In general, for a 2 × 2 matrix A = 
 , then |A| = ad − bc.
c d 
To evaluate the determinant of a 3 × 3 matrix we need the method of cofactors and the
following definition.
Definition: The minor of an element aij is the determinant of the matrix formed by
deleting the ith row and the jth column.
Example 2.10
Consider the following matrix:

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a12 a13

1 2
A =  2 2
 3 1


3
1 
4 

The minor of a12 (with this element equal to 2 in the matrix) is the determinant of the
2 1
matrix 
 obtained by deleting the first row and the second column. Therefore,
 3 4
2 1
the minor of a12 is
= 8 − 3 = 5.
3 4
 2 2
The minor of a13 (with this element equal to 3) is the determinant of the matrix 

3 1
obtained by deleting the first row and the third column. Thus, the minor of a13 is
2 2
= 2 − 6 = −4.
3 1
Definition: The cofactor of aij =

i+ j

( −1)

× minor.

Thus, the cofactor of an element will differ at most from its minor by sign. We now
evaluate ( −1)i + j for the first three elements of the A matrix given:
a11 : ( −1)

=1

a12 : ( −1)

= −1

a13 : ( −1)

=1

1+1
1+ 2

1+ 3

Notice that the signs for the elements in the first row alternate, and this pattern continues for all the elements in a 3 × 3 matrix. Thus, when evaluating the determinant for a
3 × 3 matrix it will be convenient to write down the pattern of signs and use it, rather
than figuring out what ( −1)i + j is for each element. That pattern of signs€is:
+ − + 
− + −


 + − + 
We denote the matrix of cofactors C as follows:
 c11 c12
C = c21 c22
 c31 c32

c13 
c23 
c33 

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Now, the determinant is obtained by expanding along any row or column of the matrix
of cofactors. Thus, for example, the determinant of A would be given€by
=
|A| a11c11 + a12 c12 + a13c13

(expanding along the firstrow)
or€by
=
|A| a12 c12 + a22 c22 + a32 c32
(expanding along the second column)
We now find the determinant of A by expanding along the first€row:
Element

Minor

Cofactor

Element × cofactor

a11€=€1

2 1
=7
1 4

7

7

a12€=€2

2 1
=5
3 4

−5

−10

a13€=€3

2 2
= −4
3 1

−4

−12

Therefore, |A|€=€7 + (−10) + (−12)€=€−15.
For a 4 × 4 matrix the pattern of signs is given€by:
+ − + −
− + − +
+ − + −
− + − +
and the determinant is again evaluated by expanding along any row or column. However, in this case the minors are determinants of 3 × 3 matrices, and the procedure
becomes quite tedious. Thus, we do not pursue it any further€here.
In the example in 2.3, we obtained the following covariance matrix:
1.0 1.5 
S=

1.5 9.0 
We also indicated at the beginning of this section that the determinant of S can be
interpreted as the generalized variance for a set of variables.

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Now, the generalized variance for the two-variable example is just |S|€ =€ (1 × 9) −
(1.5 × 1.5)€=€6.75. Because for this example there is a nonzero covariance, the generalized variance is reduced by this. That is, some of the variance of variable 2 is shared
by variable 1. On the other hand, if the variables were uncorrelated (covariance€=€0),
then we would expect the generalized variance to be larger (because there is no shared
variance between variables), and this is indeed the€case:
=
|S|

1 0
= 9
0 9

Thus, in representing the variance for a set of variables this measure takes into account
all the variances and covariances.
In addition, the meaning of the generalized variance is easy to see when we consider
the determinant of a 2 × 2 correlation matrix. Given the following correlation matrix
1
R=
 r21

r12 
,
1 

the determinant of =
R R
= 1 − r 2 . Of course, since we know that r 2 can be interpreted as the proportion of variation shared, or in common, between variables, the
determinant of this matrix represents the variation remaining in this pair of variables
after removing the shared variation among the variables. This concept also applies to
larger matrices where the generalized variance represents the variation remaining in
the set of variables after we account for the associations among the variables. While
there are other ways to describe the variance of a set of variables, this conceptualization appears in the commonly used Wilks’ Λ test statistic.

2.5 INVERSE OF A MATRIX
The inverse of a square matrix A is a matrix A−1 that satisfies the following equation:
AA−1€=€A−1 A€= In,
where In is the identity matrix of order n. The identity matrix is simply a matrix with
1s on the main diagonal and 0s elsewhere.
1 0 0 
1 0 


I2 = 
 I3 = 0 1 0 
0
1


0 0 1 
Why is finding inverses important in statistical work? Because we do not literally have
division with matrices, multiplying one matrix by the inverse of another is the analogue of division for numbers. This is why finding an inverse is so important. An analogy with univariate ANOVA may be helpful here. In univariate ANOVA, recall that
−1
the test statistic
=
F MS
=
MSb ( MS w ) , that is, a ratio of between to within
b MS w

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MATRIX ALGEBRA

variability. The analogue of this test statistic in multivariate analysis of variance is
BW−1, where B is a matrix that is the multivariate generalization of SSb (sum of squares
between); that is, it is a measure of how differential the effects of treatments have been
on the set of dependent variables. In the multivariate case, we also want to “divide” the
between-variability by the within-variability, but we don’t have division per se. However, multiplying the B matrix by W−1 accomplishes this for us, because, again, multiplying a matrix by an inverse of a matrix is the analogue of division. Also, as shown in
the next chapter, to obtain the regression coefficients for a multiple regression analysis,
it is necessary to find the inverse of a matrix product involving the predictors.
2.5.1 Procedure for Finding the Inverse of a Matrix
1.
2.
3.
4.

Replace each element of the matrix A by its minor.
Form the matrix of cofactors, attaching the appropriate signs as illustrated later.
Take the transpose of the matrix of cofactors, forming what is called the adjoint.
Divide each element of the adjoint by the determinant of€A.

For symmetric matrices (with which this text deals almost exclusively), taking the
transpose is not necessary, and hence, when finding the inverse of a symmetric matrix,
Step 3 is omitted.
We apply this procedure first to the simplest case, finding the inverse of a 2 × 2 matrix.
Example 2.11
4 2
D=

2 6
The minor of 4 is the determinant of the matrix obtained by deleting the first row and
the first column. What is left is simply the number 6, and the determinant of a number
is that number. Thus we obtain the following matrix of minors:
6 2
2 4


Now for a 2 × 2 matrix we attach the proper signs by multiplying each diagonal element
by 1 and each off-diagonal element by −1, yielding the matrix of cofactors, which€is
 6 −2 
.
 −2
4 

The determinant of D = 6(4) − (−2)(−2)€=€20.
Finally then, the inverse of D is obtained by dividing the matrix of cofactors by the
determinant, obtaining
 6
 20
D−1 = 
 −2
 20

−2 
20 

4
20 

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To check that D−1 is indeed the inverse of D, note€that
D

 6
4
2

  20
2 6 

  −2
 20

D −1

D −1

−2   6
20   20
 =
4   −2
20   20

I2
−2  D
20   4 2  = 1 0 


 
4   2 6  0 1 
20 

Example 2.12
Let us find the inverse for the 3 × 3 A matrix that we found the determinant for in the
previous section. Because A is a symmetric matrix, it is not necessary to find nine
minors, but only six, since the inverse of a symmetric matrix is symmetric. Thus we
just find the minors for the elements on and above the main diagonal.
1 2 3  Recall again that the minor of an element is the
A =  2 2 1  determinant of the matrix obtained by deleting the
 3 1 4  row and column that the element is in.
Element

Matrix

Minor

a11€=€1

 2 1
1 4

2 × 4 − 1 × 1€=€7

a12€=€2

 2 1
3 4 

2 × 4 − 1 × 3€=€5

a13€=€3

2 2 
3 1

2 × 1 − 2 × 3€=€−4

a22€=€2

 1 3
3 4 

1 × 4 − 3 × 3€=€−5

a23€=€1

 1 2
 3 1

1 × 1 − 2 × 3€=€−5

a33€=€4

 1 2
2 2 

1 × 2 − 2 × 2€=€−2

Therefore, the matrix of minors for A€is
 7 5 −4 
 5 −5 −5 .


 −4 −5 −2 
Recall that the pattern of signs€is

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MATRIX ALGEBRA

+ − + 
− + − .


 + − + 
Thus, attaching the appropriate sign to each element in the matrix of minors and completing Step 2 of finding the inverse we obtain:
 7 −5 −4 
 −5 −5 5  .


 −4 5 −2 
Now the determinant of A was found to be −15. Therefore, to complete the final step
in finding the inverse we simply divide the preceding matrix by −15, and the inverse
of A€is
 −7
 15

1
A −1 = 
 3

 4
 15

1
4
3 15 

1 −1 
.
3
3

−1 2 
3 15 

Again, we can check that this is indeed the inverse by multiplying it by A to see if the
result is the identity matrix.
Note that for the inverse of a matrix to exist, the determinant of the matrix must not
be equal to 0. This is because in obtaining the inverse each element is divided by the
determinant, and division by 0 is not defined. If the determinant of a matrix B€=€0, we
say B is singular. If |B| ≠ 0, we say B is nonsingular, and its inverse does exist.

2.6 SPSS MATRIX PROCEDURE
The SPSS matrix procedure was developed at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
It is described in some detail in SPSS Advanced Statistics 7.5. Various matrix operations can be performed using the procedure, including multiplying matrices, finding
the determinant of a matrix, finding the inverse of a matrix, and so on. To indicate a
matrix you must: (1) enclose the matrix in braces, (2) separate the elements of each
row by commas, and (3) separate the rows by semicolons.
The matrix procedure must be run from the syntax window. To get to the syntax window, click on FILE, then click on NEW, and finally click on SYNTAX. Every matrix
program must begin with MATRIX. and end with END MATRIX. The periods are crucial, as each command must end with a period. To create a matrix A, use the following
COMPUTE A€=€{2, 4, 1; 3, −2,€5}.

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Note that this is a 2 × 3 matrix. The use of the COMPUTE command to create a matrix
is not intuitive. However, at present, that is the way the procedure is set up. In the next
program we create matrices A, B, and E, multiply A and B, find the determinant and
inverse for E, and print out all matrices.
MATRIX.
COMPUTE A= {2, 4, 1; 3, −2,€5}.
COMPUTE B= {1, 2; 2, 1; 3,€4}.
COMPUTE C= A*B.
COMPUTE E= {1, −1, 2; −1, 3, 1; 2, 1,€10}.
COMPUTE DETE= DET(E).
COMPUTE EINV= INV(E).
PRINT€A.
PRINT€B.
PRINT€C.
PRINT€E.
PRINT€DETE.
PRINT€EINV.
END MATRIX.

The A, B, and E matrices are taken from the exercises at the end of the chapter. Note in
the preceding program that all commands in SPSS must end with a period. Also, note
that each matrix is enclosed in braces, and rows are separated by semicolons. Finally,
a separate PRINT command is required to print out each matrix.
To run (or EXECUTE) this program, click on RUN and then click on ALL from the
dropdown menu. When you do, the output shown in Table€2.1 is obtained.
 Table 2.1:╇ Output From SPSS Matrix Procedure
Matrix
Run Matrix procedure:
A
╇2
╇3
B
╇1
╇2
╇3
C
13
14

╇4
–2

1
5

╇2
╇1
╇4
12
24
(Continued )

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 Table 2.1:╇ (Continued)
Matrix
E
1
–1
2
DETE
3
EINV
╇9.666666667
╇4.000000000
–2.333333333
----End Matrix----

–1
3
1

2
1
10

╇4.000000000
╇2.000000000
–1.000000000

–2.333333333
–1.000000000
.666666667

2.7 SAS IML PROCEDURE
The SAS IML procedure replaced the older PROC MATRIX procedure that was used
in version 5 of SAS. SAS IML is documented thoroughly in SAS/IML: Usage and Reference, Version 6 (1990). There are several features that are very nice about SAS IML,
and these are described on pages 2 and 3 of the manual. We mention just three features:
1. SAS/IML is a programming language.
2. SAS/IML software uses operators that apply to entire matrices.
3. SAS/IML software is interactive.
IML is an acronym for Interactive Matrix Language. You can execute a command as
soon as you enter it. We do not illustrate this feature, as we wish to compare it with
the SPSS Matrix procedure. So, we collect the SAS IML commands in a file and run
it that€way.
To indicate a matrix, you (1) enclose the matrix in braces, (2) separate the elements of
each row by a blank(s), and (3) separate the rows by commas.
To illustrate use of the SAS IML procedure, we create the same matrices as we did
with the SPSS matrix procedure and do the same operations and print all matrices. The
syntax is shown here, and the output appears in Table€2.2.
proc€iml;
a= {2 4 1, 3–2 5} ;
b= {1 2, 2 1, 3 4} ;
c= a*b;
e= {1–1 2, −1 3 1, 2 1 10} ;
dete= det(e);
einv= inv(e);
print a b c e dete€einv;

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 Table 2.2:╇ Output From SAS IML Procedure
A

B

2
3

4
–2

1
5

E
1
–1
2

–1
3
1

2
1
10

1
2
3
DETE
3

C
2
1
4
EINV
9.6666667
4
–2.333333

13
14

12
24

4
2
–1

–2.333333
–1
0.6666667

2.8 SUMMARY
Matrix algebra is important in multivariate analysis for several reasons. For example,
data come in the form of a matrix when N participants are measured on p variables,
multivariate test statistics and effect size measures are computed using matrix operations, and statistics describing multivariate outliers also use matrix algebra. Although
addition and subtraction of matrices is easy, multiplication of matrices is more difficult and nonintuitive. Finding the determinant and inverse for 3 × 3 or larger square
matrices is quite tedious. Finding the determinant is important because the determinant
of a covariance matrix represents the generalized variance for a set of variables, that
is, the variance that remains in a set of variables after accounting for the associations
among the variables. Finding the inverse of a matrix is important since multiplying a
matrix by the inverse of a matrix is the analogue of division for numbers. Fortunately,
SPSS MATRIX and SAS IML will do various matrix operations, including finding the
determinant and inverse.
2.9 EXERCISES
1. Given:

1 2
1 3 5
 2 4 1
A=
B =  2 1  C = 


6 2 1
 3 −2 5 
 3 4
1
 1 −1 2 

4 2
 −1 3 1  X =  3
=
D=
E



4
2 6
 2 1 10 

5
2
u′ =(1, 3), v =  
7 

2
1 
6

7

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Find, where meaningful, each of the following:
(a) A +€C
(b) A +€B
(c) AB
(d) AC
(e) u’D€u
(f) u’v
(g)(A + C)’
(h)3€C
(i)|â•›
D|
(j) D−1
(k)|E|
(l) E−1
(m)u’D−1u
(n) BA (compare this result with [c])
(o) X’X
╛╛╛╛

2. In Chapter€3, we are interested in predicting each person’s score on a dependent variable y from a linear combination of their scores on several predictors
(xi’s). If there were two predictors, then the equations for N cases would look
like€this:
y1€=€e1 + b0 + b1x11 + b2x12
y2€=€e2 + b0 + b1x21 + b2x22
y3€=€e3 + b0 + b1x31 + b2x32

yN€=€eN + b0 + b1xN1 + b2xN2

Note: Each ei represents the portion of y not predicted by the xs, and each b
is a regression coefficient. Express this set of prediction equations as a single matrix equation. Hint: The right hand portion of the equation will be of
the€form:
vector + matrix times vector

3. Using the approach detailed in section€2.3, find the matrix of variances and
covariances for the following€data:

x1

x2

x3

4
5
8
9
10

3
2
6
6
8

10
11
15
9
5

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4. Consider the following two situations:
(a) s1€=€10, s2€=€7, r12€=€.80
(b) s1€=€9, s2€=€6, r12€=€.20

Compute the variance-covariance matrix for (a) and (b) and compute the determinant of each variance-covariance matrix. For which situation is the generalized variance larger? Does this surprise€you?

5. Calculate the determinant€for

9 2 1

A = 2 4 5  .
 1 5 3

Could A be a covariance matrix for a set of variables? Explain.

6. Using SPSS MATRIX or SAS IML, find the inverse for the following 4 × 4
�symmetric matrix:

6 8 7 6
8 9 2 3
7 2 5 2
6 3 2 1
7. Run the following SPSS MATRIX program and show that the output yields the
matrix, determinant, and inverse.
MATRIX.
COMPUTE A={6, 2, 4; 2, 3, 1; 4, 1,€5}.
COMPUTE DETA=DET(A).
COMPUTE AINV=INV(A).
PRINT€A.
PRINT€DETA.
PRINT€AINV.
END MATRIX.
8. Consider the following two matrices:

 2 3
A=

3 6

 1 0
B=

0 1

Calculate the following products: AB and€BA.

What do you get in each case? Do you see now why B is called the identity
matrix?

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MATRIX ALGEBRA

9. Consider the following covariance matrix:

4 3 1

S =  3 9 2
 1 2 1
(a) Use the SPSS MATRIX procedure to print S and find and print the determinant.
(b) Statistically, what does the determinant represent?

REFERENCES
SAS Institute. (1990). SAS/IML: Usage and Reference, Version 6. Cary, NC: Author.
SPSS, Inc. (1997). SPSS Advanced Statistics 7.5. Chicago: Author, pp.€469–512.

Chapter 3

MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR
PREDICTION
3.1╇INTRODUCTION
In multiple regression we are interested in predicting a dependent variable from a set
of predictors. In a previous course in statistics, you probably studied simple regression, predicting a dependent variable from a single predictor. An example would be
predicting college GPA from high school GPA. Because human behavior is complex
and influenced by many factors, such single-predictor studies are necessarily limited
in their predictive power. For example, in a college GPA study, we are able to improve
prediction of college GPA by considering other predictors such as scores on standardized tests (verbal, quantitative), and some noncognitive variables, such as study habits
and attitude toward education. That is, we look to other predictors (often test scores)
that tap other aspects of criterion behavior.
Consider two other examples of multiple regression studies:
1. Feshbach, Adelman, and Fuller (1977) conducted a study of 850 middle-class
children. The children were measured in kindergarten on a battery of variables: the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI), the
deHirsch–Jansky Index (assessing various linguistic and perceptual motor skills),
the Bender Motor Gestalt, and a Student Rating Scale developed by the authors
that measures various cognitive and affective behaviors and skills. These measures were used to predict reading achievement for these same children in grades 1,
2, and€3.
2. Crystal (1988) attempted to predict chief executive officer (CEO) pay for the top
100 of last year’s Fortune 500 and the 100 top entries from last year’s Service 500.
He used the following predictors: company size, company performance, company
risk, government regulation, tenure, location, directors, ownership, and age. He
found that only about 39% of the variance in CEO pay can be accounted for by
these factors.
In modeling the relationship between y and the xs, we are assuming that a linear model
is appropriate. Of course, it is possible that a more complex model (curvilinear) may

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MuLtIpLe reGreSSIon For predIctIon

be necessary to predict y accurately. Polynomial regression may be appropriate, or if
there is nonlinearity in the parameters, then nonlinear procedures in SPSS (e.g., NLR)
or SAS can be used to fit a model.
This is a long chapter with many sections, not all of which are equally important.
The three most fundamental sections are on model selection (3.8), checking assumptions underlying the linear regression model (3.10), and model validation (3.11).
The other sections should be thought of as supportive of these. We discuss several
ways of selecting a “good” set of predictors, and illustrate these with two computer
examples.
A theme throughout the book is determining whether the assumptions underlying a
given analysis are tenable. This chapter initiates that theme, and we can see that there
are various graphical plots available for assessing assumptions underlying the regression model. Another very important theme throughout this book is the mathematical
maximization nature of many advanced statistical procedures, and the concomitant
possibility of results looking very good on the sample on which they were derived
(because of capitalization on chance), but not generalizing to a population. Thus, it
becomes extremely important to validate the results on an independent sample(s) of
data, or at least to obtain an estimate of the generalizability of the results. Section€3.11
illustrates both of the aforementioned ways of checking the validity of a given regression model.
A final pedagogical point on reading this chapter: Section€3.14 deals with outliers and
influential data points. We already indicated in Chapter€1, with several examples, the
dramatic effect an outlier(s) can have on the results of any statistical analysis. Section€3.14 is rather lengthy, however, and the applied researcher may not want to plow
through all the details. Recognizing this, we begin that section with a brief overview
discussion of statistics for assessing outliers and influential data points, with prescriptive advice on how to flag such cases from computer output.
We wish to emphasize that our focus in this chapter is on the use of multiple regression for prediction. Another broad related area is the use of regression for explanation.
Cohen, Cohen, West, and Aiken (2003) and Pedhazur (1982) have excellent, extended
discussions of the use of regression for explanation. Note that Chapter€16 in this text
includes the use of structural equation models, which is a more comprehensive analysis approach for explanation.
There have been innumerable books written on regression analysis. In our opinion,
books by Cohen et€al. (2003), Pedhazur (1982), Myers (1990), Weisberg (1985), Belsley, Kuh, and Welsch (1980), and Draper and Smith (1981) are worthy of special attention. The first two books are written for individuals in the social sciences and have very
good narrative discussions. The Myers and Weisberg books are excellent in terms of
the modern approach to regression analysis, and have especially good treatments of

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regression diagnostics. The Draper and Smith book is one of the classic texts, generally used for a more mathematical treatment, with most of its examples geared toward
the physical sciences.
We start this chapter with a brief discussion of simple regression, which most readers
likely encountered in a previous statistics course.
3.2╇ SIMPLE REGRESSION
For one predictor, the simple linear regression model€is
yi = β0 + β1 x1 + ei

i = 1, 2, , n,

where β0 and β1 are parameters to be estimated. The ei are the errors of prediction,
and are assumed to be independent, with constant variance and normally distributed
with a mean of 0. If these assumptions are valid for a given set of data, then the sample
prediction errors (e^ i ) should have similar properties. For example, the e^ i should be
normally distributed, or at least approximately normally distributed. This is considered
further in section€3.9. The e^ i are called the residuals. How do we estimate the parameters? The least squares criterion is used; that is, the sum of the squared estimated errors
of prediction is minimized:
2

2

2

e^1 + e^ 2 +  + e^ n =

n

∑e

^2
i

= min

i =1

Of course, e^ i = yi − y^ i , where yi is the actual score on the dependent variable and y^ i
is the estimated score for the ith subject.
The scores for each subject ( xi , yi ) define a point in the plane. What the least squares
criterion does is find the line that best fits the points. Geometrically, this corresponds to
minimizing the sum of the squared vertical distances (e^ 2i ) of each person’s score from
their estimated y score. This is illustrated in Figure€3.1.
Example 3.1
To illustrate simple regression we use part of the Sesame Street database from Glasnapp
and Poggio (1985), who present data on many variables, including 12 background variables and 8 achievement variables for 240 participants. Sesame Street was developed
as a television series aimed mainly at teaching preschool skills to 3- to 5-year-old
children. Data were collected on many achievement variables both before (pretest) and
after (posttest) viewing of the series. We consider here only one of the achievement
variables, knowledge of body parts.
SPSS syntax for running the simple regression is given in Table€3.1, along with
annotation. Figure€3.2 presents a scatterplot of the variables, along with selected

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

 Figure 3.1:╇ Geometrical representation of least squares criterion.

6
4
1

3
2

5
1

Least squares minimizes the sum of
these squared vertical distances, i.e., it
finds the line that best fits the points.

1

 Table 3.1:╇ SPSS Syntax for Simple Regression
TITLE ‘SIMPLE LINEAR REGRESSION ON SESAMEâ•… DATA.’
DATA LIST FREE/PREBODY POSTBODY.
BEGIN DATA.
DATA LINES
END DATA.
LIST.
REGRESSION DESCRIPTIVES€=€DEFAULT/
VARIABLES€=€PREBODY POSTBODY/
DEPENDENT€=€POSTBODY/
(1) METHOD€=€ENTER/
(2) SCATTERPLOT (POSTBODY, PREBODY)/
(3) RESIDUALS€=€HISTOGRAM(ZRESID)/.
(1)╇ DESCRIPTIVES€=€DEFAULT subcommand yields the means, standard deviations and the correlation matrix for the variables.
(2)╇ This scatterplot subcommand yields a scatterplot for the variables.
(3)╇This RESIDUALS subcommand yields a histogram of the standardized
residuals.

output. Inspecting the scatterplot suggests there is a positive association between
the variables, reflecting a correlation of .65. Note that in the Model Summary table
of Figure€3.2, the multiple correlation (R) is also .65, since there is only one predictor in the equation. In the Coefficients table of Figure€3.2, the coefficients are
provided for the regression equation. The equation for the predicted outcome scores
is then POSTBODY€ =€ 13.475 + .551 PEABODY. Table€ 3.2 shows a histogram
of the standardized residuals, which suggests a fair approximation to a normal
distribution.

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 Figure 3.2:╇ Scatterplot and selected output for simple linear regression.
Scatterplot
Dependent Variable: POSTBODY
35

POSTBODY

30
25
20
15
10
5

10

15

20

PREBODY

25

30

35

Variables Entered/Removeda
Variables
Variables
Method
Entered
Removed
1
PREBODYb
Enter
a. Dependent Variable: POSTBODY
b. All requested variables entered.
Model

Model Summaryb
Model

R

R Square

0.423
1
0.650a
a. Predictors: (Constant), PREBODY

Adjusted R
Std. Error of the
Square
Estimate
0.421
4.119

Coefficientsa
Unstandardized Coefficients
Standardized
Coefficients
B
Std. Error
Beta
(Constant)
13.475
0.931
1
PREBODY
0.551
0.042
0.650
a. Dependent Variable: POSTBODY
Model

t
14.473
13.211

Sig.
0.000
0.000

3.3╇MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR TWO PREDICTORS: MATRIX
FORMULATION
The linear model for two predictors is a simple extension of what we had for one
predictor:
yi = β0 + β1 x1 + β 2 x2 + ei ,
where β0 (the regression constant), β1, and β2 are the parameters to be estimated,
and e is error of prediction. We consider a small data set to illustrate the estimation
process.

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

 Table 3.2:╇ Histogram of Standardized Residuals
Histogram
Dependent Variable: POSTBODY
Mean = 4.16E-16
Std. Dev. = 0.996
N = 240

30
Frequency

70

20

10

–4

–2
0
2
Regression Standardized Residual

y

x1

x2

3
2
4
5
8

2
3
5
7
8

1
5
3
6
7

4

We model each subject’s y score as a linear function of the€βs:
y1 =
y2 =
y3 =
y4 =
y5 =

1 × β 0 + 2 × β1 + 1 × β2
1 × β 0 + 3 × β1 + 5 × β2
1 × β 0 + 5 × β1 + 3 × β2
1 × β 0 + 7 × β1 + 6 × β2
1 × β 0 + 8 × β1 + 7 × β2

3=
2=
4=
5=
8=

+ e1
+ e2
+ e3
+ e4
+ e5

This series of equations can be expressed as a single matrix equation:
 3  1
 2  1
  
y =  4  = 1
  
 5  1
8  1

X

β

e

2
3
5
7
8

1  β 0 
5   β1  +
3  β 2 

6
7 

 e1 
e 
 2
 e3 
 
e4 
 e5 
 

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It is pretty clear that the y scores and the e define column vectors, while not so clear is
how the boxed-in area can be represented as the product of two matrices,€Xβ.
The first column of 1s is used to obtain the regression constant. The remaining two
columns contain the scores for the subjects on the two predictors. Thus, the classic
matrix equation for multiple regression€is:
y = Xβ + e

(1)

Now, it can be shown using the calculus that the least square estimates of the βs are
given€by:
^

−1
β = ( X ′X ) X ′y

(2)

Thus, for our data the estimated regression coefficients would€be:
X′


 1 1 1 1 1  1
  2 3 5 7 8  1
^
 
β = 

 1
1
5
3
6
7



1

1


X
2
3
5
7
8



1
5  

3 

6

7  

−1

X′

y

3
1 1 1 1 1   
2 3 5 7 8 2

 4
1 5 3 6 7   
5 
8 

Let us do this in pieces. First,
 22 
 5 25 22 


 
X′ X =  25 151 130 and X ′ y = 131 .
 22 130 120 
 11 
Furthermore, you should show€that
(X′ X)

−1

 1220
1 
=
− 140
1016 
 − 72

− 140
116
− 100

− 72 
− 100  ,
130 

where 1016 is the determinant of X′X. Thus, the estimated regression coefficients are
given€by
1220 −140 −72   22   .50 
  
1 

β=
 −140 116 −100  131 =  1  .
1016 
 −72 −100 130  111  −.25
^

Therefore, the regression (prediction) equation€is

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

y^ i = .50 + x1 − .25 x2 .
To illustrate the use of this equation, we find the predicted score for case 3 and the
residual for that€case:
y^ 3 = .5 + 5 − .25(3) = 4.75
e^ 3 = y3 − y^ 3 = 4 − 4.75 = −.75
Note that if you find yourself struggling with this matrix presentation, be assured that
you can still learn to use multiple regression properly and understand regression results.
3.4╇MATHEMATICAL MAXIMIZATION NATURE OF LEAST
SQUARES REGRESSION
In general, then, in multiple regression the linear combination of the xs that is maximally correlated with y is sought. Minimizing the sum of squared errors of prediction is equivalent to maximizing the correlation between the observed and predicted y
scores. This maximized Pearson correlation is called the multiple correlation, shown
as R = ryi y^ i . Nunnally (1978, p.€ 164) characterized the procedure as “wringing out
the last ounce of predictive power” (obtained from the linear combination of xs, that
is, from the regression equation). Because the correlation is maximum for the sample
from which it is derived, when the regression equation is applied to an independent
sample from the same population (i.e., cross-validated), the predictive power drops
off. If the predictive power drops off sharply, then the equation is of limited utility.
That is, it has no generalizability, and hence is of limited scientific value. After all, we
derive the prediction equation for the purpose of predicting with it on future (other)
samples. If the equation does not predict well on other samples, then it is not fulfilling
the purpose for which it was designed.
Sample size (n) and the number of predictors (k) are two crucial factors that determine
how well a given equation will cross-validate (i.e., generalize). In particular, the n/k
ratio is crucial. For small ratios (5:1 or less), the shrinkage in predictive power can
be substantial. A€study by Guttman (1941) illustrates this point. He had 136 subjects
and 84 predictors, and found the multiple correlation on the original sample to be .73.
However, when the prediction equation was applied to an independent sample, the
new correlation was only .04. In other words, the good predictive power on the original sample was due to capitalization on chance, and the prediction equation had no
generalizability.
We return to the cross-validation issue in more detail later in this chapter, where we
show that as a rough guide for social science research, about 15 subjects per predictor
are needed for a reliable equation, that is, for an equation that will cross-validate with
little loss in predictive power.

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3.5╇BREAKDOWN OF SUM OF SQUARES AND F TEST FOR
MULTIPLE CORRELATION
In analysis of variance we broke down variability around the grand mean into betweenand within-variability. In regression analysis, variability around the mean is broken
down into variability due to regression (i.e., variation of the predicted values) and
variability of the observed scores around the predicted values (i.e., variation of the
residuals). To get at the breakdown, we note that the variation of the residuals may be
expressed as the following identity:
yi − y^ i = ( yi − y ) − ( y^i − y )
Now we square both sides, obtaining
( yi − y^i )2 = [( yi − y ) − ( y^i − y )]2 .
Then we sum over the subjects, from 1 to€n:
n

( yi − y^i ) 2 =

i =1

n

∑ [( y − y ) − ( y − y )] .
^

i

2

i

i =1

By algebraic manipulation (see Draper€& Smith, 1981, pp.€17–18), this can be
rewritten€as:

∑( y − y )
i

2

=

∑( y − y )
i

^

i

2

+

∑( y − y )
^

i

2

sum of squares = sum of sq
quares + sum of squares
around the mean
of the residuals
due to regression
SStot

= SSres

+

df : n − 1

= (n − k − 1)

+ k (df = degrees of freedom) (3)

SSreg

This results in the following analysis of variance table and the F test for determining whether the population multiple correlation is different from€0.
Analysis of Variance Table for Regression
Source

SS

df

MS

F

Regression

SSreg

K

SSreg / k

MSreg

Residual (error)

SSres

n−k−1

SSres / (n − k − 1)

MSres

Recall that since the residual for each subject is e^ i = yi − y^ i , the mean square error
term can be written as MSres = Σe^i2 ( n − k − 1) . Now, R2 (squared multiple correlation)
is given€by

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

sum of squares
due to regression Σ ( y^ − y )2 SSreg
=
=
.
sum of squares
Σ ( yi − y )2 SStot
about the mean

R2 =

Thus, R2 measures the proportion of total variance on y that is accounted for by the
set of predictors. By simple algebra, then, we can rewrite the F test in terms of R2 as
follows:

F=

(

1 − R2

R2 / k

)

(n − k − 1)

with k and (n − k − 1) df

(4)

We feel this test is of limited utility when prediction is the research goal, because it
does not necessarily imply that the equation will cross-validate well, and this is the
crucial issue in regression analysis for prediction.
Example 3.2
An investigator obtains R2€=€.50 on a sample of 50 participants with 10 predictors. Do
we reject the null hypothesis that the population multiple correlation€=€0?
F=

.50 / 10
= 3.9 with 10 and 39 df
(1 − .50) / (50 − 10 − 1)

This is significant at the .01 level, since the critical value is 2.8.
However, because the n/k ratio is only 5/1, the prediction equation will probably not
predict well on other samples and is therefore of questionable utility.
Myers’ (1990) response to the question of what constitutes an acceptable value for R2
is illuminating:
This is a difficult question to answer, and, in truth, what is acceptable depends on
the scientific field from which the data were taken. A€chemist, charged with doing
a linear calibration on a high precision piece of equipment, certainly expects to
experience a very high R2 value (perhaps exceeding .99), while a behavioral scientist, dealing in data reflecting human behavior, may feel fortunate to observe
an R2 as high as .70. An experienced model fitter senses when the value of R2 is
large enough, given the situation confronted. Clearly, some scientific phenomena lend themselves to modeling with considerably more accuracy then others.
(p.€37)
His point is that how well one can predict depends on context. In the physical sciences,
generally quite accurate prediction is possible. In the social sciences, where we are
attempting to predict human behavior (which can be influenced by many systematic
and some idiosyncratic factors), prediction is much more difficult.

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3.6╇RELATIONSHIP OF SIMPLE CORRELATIONS TO MULTIPLE
CORRELATION
The ideal situation, in terms of obtaining a high R, would be to have each of the predictors significantly correlated with the dependent variable and for the predictors to be
uncorrelated with each other, so that they measure different constructs and are able to
predict different parts of the variance on y. Of course, in practice we will not find this,
because almost all variables are correlated to some degree. A€good situation in practice, then, would be one in which most of our predictors correlate significantly with
y and the predictors have relatively low correlations among themselves. To illustrate
these points further, consider the following three patterns of correlations among three
predictors and an outcome.

(1)

Y
X1
X2

X1

X2

X3

.20

.10
.50

.30
.40
.60

(2)

Y
X1
X2

X1

X2

X3

.60

.50
.20

.70
.30
.20

(3)

Y
X1
X2

X1

X2

X3

.60

.70
.70

.70
.60
.80

In which of these cases would you expect the multiple correlation to be the largest
and the smallest respectively? Here it is quite clear that R will be the smallest for 1
because the highest correlation of any of the predictors with y is .30, whereas for the
other two patterns at least one of the predictors has a correlation of .70 with y. Thus,
we know that R will be at least .70 for Cases 2 and 3, whereas for Case 1 we know
only that R will be at least .30. Furthermore, there is no chance that R for Case 1
might become larger than that for cases 2 and 3, because the intercorrelations among
the predictors for 1 are approximately as large or larger than those for the other two
cases.
We would expect R to be largest for Case 2 because each of the predictors is moderately to strongly tied to y and there are low intercorrelations (i.e., little redundancy)
among the predictors—exactly the kind of situation we would hope to find in practice. We would expect R to be greater in Case 2 than in Case 3, because in Case 3
there is considerable redundancy among the predictors. Although the correlations
of the predictors with y are slightly higher in Case 3 (.60, .70, .70) than in Case 2
(.60, .50, .70), the much higher intercorrelations among the predictors for Case 3
will severely limit the ability of X2 and X3 to predict additional variance beyond
that of X1 (and hence significantly increase R), whereas this will not be true for
Case€2.

3.7 MULTICOLLINEARITY
When there are moderate to high intercorrelations among the predictors, as is the case
when several cognitive measures are used as predictors, the problem is referred to as

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multicollinearity. Multicollinearity poses a real problem for the researcher using multiple regression for three reasons:
1. It severely limits the size of R, because the predictors are going after much of the
same variance on y. A€study by Dizney and Gromen (1967) illustrates very nicely
how multicollinearity among the predictors limits the size of R. They studied how
well reading proficiency (x1) and writing proficiency (x2) would predict course
grades in college German. The following correlation matrix resulted:

x1
x2
y

x1

x2

y

1.00

.58
1.00

.33
.45
1.00

Note the multicollinearity for x1 and x2 (rx1x2€=€.58), and also that x2 has a simple
correlation of .45 with y. The multiple correlation R was only .46. Thus, the relatively high correlation between reading and writing severely limited the ability of
reading to add anything (only .01) to the prediction of a German grade above and
beyond that of writing.
2. Multicollinearity makes determining the importance of a given predictor difficult because the effects of the predictors are confounded due to the correlations
among€them.
3. Multicollinearity increases the variances of the regression coefficients. The greater
these variances, the more unstable the prediction equation will€be.
The following are two methods for diagnosing multicollinearity:
1. Examine the simple correlations among the predictors from the correlation matrix.
These should be observed, and are easy to understand, but you need to be warned
that they do not always indicate the extent of multicollinearity. More subtle forms
of multicollinearity may exist. One such more subtle form is discussed€next.
2. Examine the variance inflation factors for the predictors.

(

)

The quantity 1 1 − R 2j is called the jth variance inflation factor, where R 2j is the
squared multiple correlation for predicting the jth predictor from all other predictors.
The variance inflation factor for a predictor indicates whether there is a strong linear
association between it and all the remaining predictors. It is distinctly possible for a
predictor to have only moderate or relatively weak associations with the other predictors in terms of simple correlations, and yet to have a quite high R when regressed on
all the other predictors. When is the value for a variance inflation factor large enough
to cause concern? Myers (1990) offered the following suggestion:
Though no rule of thumb on numerical values is foolproof, it is generally believed
that if any VIF exceeds 10, there is reason for at least some concern; then one

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should consider variable deletion or an alternative to least squares estimation to
combat the problem. (p.€369)
The variance inflation factors are easily obtained from SAS and SPSS (see Table€3.6
for SAS and exercise 10 for SPSS).
There are at least three ways of combating multicollinearity. One way is to combine
predictors that are highly correlated. For example, if there are three measures having
similar variability relating to a single construct that have intercorrelations of about .80
or larger, then add them to form a single measure.
A second way, if one has initially a fairly large set of predictors, is to consider doing a
principal components or factor analysis to reduce to a much smaller set of predictors.
For example, if there are 30 predictors, we are undoubtedly not measuring 30 different
constructs. A€factor analysis will suggest the number of constructs we are actually
measuring. The factors become the new predictors, and because the factors are uncorrelated by construction, we eliminate the multicollinearity problem. Principal components and factor analysis are discussed in Chapter€9. In that chapter we also show how
to use SAS and SPSS to obtain factor scores that can then be used to do subsequent
analysis, such as being used as predictors for multiple regression.
A third way of combating multicollinearity is to use a technique called ridge regression. This approach is beyond the scope of this text, although Myers (1990) has a nice
discussion for those who are interested.
3.8╇ MODEL SELECTION
Various methods are available for selecting a good set of predictors:
1. Substantive Knowledge. As Weisberg (1985) noted, “the single most important
tool in selecting a subset of variables for use in a model is the analyst’s knowledge
of the substantive area under study” (p.€210). It is important for the investigator to
be judicious in his or her selection of predictors. Far too many investigators have
abused multiple regression by throwing everything in the hopper, often merely
because the variables are available. Cohen (1990), among others, commented on
the indiscriminate use of variables: There have been too many studies with prodigious numbers of dependent variables, or with what seemed to be far too many
independent variables, or (heaven help us)€both.
It is generally better to work with a small number of predictors because it is consistent with the scientific principle of parsimony and improves the n/k ratio, which helps
cross-validation prospects. Further, note the following from Lord and Novick (1968):
Experience in psychology and in many other fields of application has shown that
it is seldom worthwhile to include very many predictor variables in a regression

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equation, for the incremental validity of new variables, after a certain point, is
usually very low. This is true because tests tend to overlap in content and consequently the addition of a fifth or sixth test may add little that is new to the battery
and still relevant to the criterion. (p.€274)
Or consider the following from Ramsey and Schafer (1997):
There are two good reasons for paring down a large number of exploratory variables to a smaller set. The first reason is somewhat philosophical: simplicity is
preferable to complexity. Thus, redundant and unnecessary variables should be
excluded on principle. The second reason is more concrete: unnecessary terms in
the model yield less precise inferences. (p.€325)
2. Sequential Methods. These are the forward, stepwise, and backward selection procedures that are popular with many researchers. All these procedures involve a
partialing-out process; that is, they look at the contribution of a predictor with the
effects of the other predictors partialed out, or held constant. Many of you may
have already encountered the notion of a partial correlation in a previous statistics
course, but a review is nevertheless in order.
The partial correlation between variables 1 and 2 with variable 3 partialed from both 1
and 2 is the correlation with variable 3 held constant, as you may recall. The formula
for the partial correlation is given€by:
r12 3 =

r12 − r13 r23
1 − r132 1 − r232

(5)

Let us put this in the context of multiple regression. Suppose we wish to know what
the partial correlation of y (dependent variable) is with predictor 2 with predictor 1
partialed out. The formula would be, following what we have earlier:
ry 2 1 =

ry 2 − ry1 r21
1 − ry21 1 − r212

(6)

We apply this formula to show how SPSS obtains the partial correlation of .528 for
INTEREST in Table€3.4 under EXCLUDED VARIABLES in the first upcoming computer example. In this example CLARITY (abbreviated as clr) entered first, having a correlation of .862 with dependent variable INSTEVAL (abbreviated as inst). The following
correlations are taken from the correlation matrix, given near the beginning of Table€3.4.
rinst int clr =

.435 − (.862)(.20)
1 − .8622 1 − .202

The correlation between the two predictors is .20, as shown.
We now give a brief description of the forward, stepwise, and backward selection
procedures.

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FORWARD—The first predictor that has an opportunity to enter the equation is the
one with the largest simple correlation with y. If this predictor is significant, then
the predictor with the largest partial correlation with y is considered, and so on.
At some stage a given predictor will not make a significant contribution and the
procedure terminates. It is important to remember that with this procedure, once a
predictor gets into the equation, it stays.
STEPWISE—This is basically a variation on the forward selection procedure.
However, at each stage of the procedure, a test is made of the least useful
predictor. The importance of each predictor is constantly reassessed. Thus,
a predictor that may have been the best entry candidate earlier may now be
superfluous.
BACKWARD—The steps are as follows: (1) An equation is computed with ALL
the predictors. (2) The partial F is calculated for every predictor, treated as though
it were the last predictor to enter the equation. (3) The smallest partial F value,
say F1, is compared with a preselected significance, say F0. If F1 < F0, remove
that predictor and reestimate the equation with the remaining variables. Reenter
stage€B.

3. Mallows’ Cp. Before we introduce Mallows’ Cp, it is important to consider the
consequences of under fitting (important variables are left out of the model) and
over fitting (having variables in the model that make essentially no contribution
or are marginal). Myers (1990, pp.€178–180) has an excellent discussion on the
impact of under fitting and over fitting, and notes that “a model that is too simple
may suffer from biased coefficients and biased prediction, while an overly complicated model can result in large variances, both in the coefficients and in the
prediction.”
This measure was introduced by C.â•›L. Mallows (1973) as a criterion for selecting a
model. It measures total squared error, and it was recommended by Mallows to choose
the model(s) where Cp ≈ p. For these models, the amount of under fitting or over fitting
is minimized. Mallows’ criterion may be written€as

Cp

(s
= p+

2

− σ^

2

)( N − p)

σ^ 2

where ( p = k + 1) ,

(7)

where s 2 is the residual variance for the model being evaluated, and σ^ 2 is an
estimate of the residual variance that is usually based on the full model. Note
that if the residual variance of the model being evaluated, s 2 , is much larger than
σ^ 2, C p increases, suggesting that important variables have been left out of the
model.
4. Use of MAXR Procedure from SAS. There are many methods of model selection
in the SAS REG program, MAXR being one of them. This procedure produces

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several models; the best one-variable model, the best two-variable model, and so
on. Here is the description of the procedure from the SAS/STAT manual:
The MAXR method begins by finding the one variable model producing the highest R2. Then another variable, the one that yields the greatest increase in R2, is
added. Once the two variable model is obtained, each of the variables in the model
is compared to each variable not in the model. For each comparison, MAXR determines if removing one variable and replacing it with the other variable increases
R2. After comparing all possible switches, MAXR makes the switch that produces
the largest increase in R2. Comparisons begin again, and the process continues
until MAXR finds that no switch could increase R2.€.€.€. Another variable is then
added to the model, and the comparing and switching process is repeated to find
the best three variable model. (p.€1398)
5. All Possible Regressions. If you wish to follow this route, then the SAS REG
program should be considered. The number of regressions increases quite sharply
as k increases, however, the program will efficiently identify good subsets. Good
subsets are those that have the smallest Mallows’ C value. We have illustrated this
in Table€3.6. This pool of candidate models can then be examined further using
regression diagnostics and cross-validity criteria to be mentioned later.
Use of one or more of these methods will often yield a number of models of roughly
equal efficacy. As Myers (1990) noted:
The successful model builder will eventually understand that with many data sets,
several models can be fit that would be of nearly equal effectiveness. Thus the
problem that one deals with is the selection of one model from a pool of candidate
models. (p.€164)
One of the problems with the stepwise methods, which are very frequently used, is
that they have led many investigators to conclude that they have found the best model,
when in fact there may be some better models or several other models that are about
as good. As Huberty (1989) noted, “and one or more of these subsets may be more
interesting or relevant in a substantive sense” (p.€46).
In addition to the procedures just described, there are three other important criteria to
consider when selecting a prediction equation. The criteria all relate to the generalizability of the equation, that is, how well will the equation predict on an independent
sample(s) of data. The three methods of model validation, which are discussed in detail
in section€3.11,€are:
1. Data splitting—Randomly split the data, obtain a prediction equation on one half
of the random split, and then check its predictive power (cross-validate) on the
other sample.
2
2. Use of the PRESS statistic ( RPress
), which is an external validation method particularly useful for small samples.

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3. Obtain an estimate of the average predictive power of the equation on many other
samples from the same population, using a formula due to Stein (Herzberg, 1969).
The SPSS application guides comment on over fitting and the use of several models. There is no one test to determine the dimensionality of the best submodel. Some
researchers find it tempting to include too many variables in the model, which is called
over fitting. Such a model will perform badly when applied to a new sample from the
same population (cross-validation). Automatic stepwise procedures cannot do all the
work for you. Use them as a tool to determine roughly the number of predictors needed
(for example, you might find three to five variables). If you try several methods of selection, you may identify candidate predictors that are not included by any method. Ignore
them, and fit models with, say, three to five variables, selecting alternative subsets from
among the better candidates. You may find several subsets that perform equally as well.
Then, knowledge of the subject matter, how accurately individual variables are measured, and what a variable “communicates” may guide selection of the model to report.
We don’t disagree with these comments; however, we would favor the model that
cross-validates best. If two models cross-validate about the same, then we would favor
the model that makes most substantive sense.
3.8.1 Semipartial Correlations
We consider a procedure that, for a given ordering of the predictors, will enable us to
determine the unique contribution each predictor is making in accounting for variance
on y. This procedure, which uses semipartial correlations, will disentangle the correlations among the predictors.
The partial correlation between variables 1 and 2 with variable 3 partialed from both 1
and 2 is the correlation with variable 3 held constant, as you may recall. The formula
for the partial correlation is given€by
r12 3 =

r12 − r13 r23
1 − r132 1 − r232

.

We presented the partial correlation first for two reasons: (1) the semipartial correlation
is a variant of the partial correlation, and (2) the partial correlation will be involved in
computing more complicated semipartial correlations.
For breaking down R2, we will want to work with the semipartial, sometimes called
part, correlation. The formula for the semipartial correlation€is
r12 3( s ) =

r12 − r13 r23
1 − r232

.

The only difference between this equation and the previous one is that the denominator
here doesn’t contain the standard deviation of the partialed scores for variable€1.

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

In multiple correlation we wish to partial the independent variables (the predictors)
from one another, but not from the dependent variable. We wish to leave the dependent
2
variable intact and not partial any variance attributable to the predictors. Let Ry12k

denote the squared multiple correlation for the k predictors, where the predictors
appear after the dot. Consider the case of one dependent variable and three predictors.
It can be shown€that:
Ry2 123 = ry21 + ry22 1( s ) + ry23 12( s ) ,

(8)

where
ry 2 1( s ) =

ry 2 − ry1r21
1 − r212

(9)

is the semipartial correlation between y and variable 2, with variable 1 partialed only
from variable 2, and ry 3 12( s ) is the semipartial correlation between y and variable 3
with variables 1 and 2 partialed only from variable€3:
ry 3 12( s ) =

ry 3 1( s ) − ry 2 1( s ) r23 1
1 − r232 1

(10)

Thus, through the use of semipartial correlations, we disentangle the correlations
among the predictors and determine how much unique variance on each predictor is
related to variance on€y.

3.9╇ TWO COMPUTER EXAMPLES
To illustrate the use of several of the aforementioned model selection methods, we
consider two computer examples. The first example illustrates the SPSS REGRESSION program, and uses data from Morrison (1983) on 32 students enrolled in an
MBA course. We predict instructor course evaluation from five predictors. The second
example illustrates SAS REG on quality ratings of 46 research doctorate programs in
psychology, where we are attempting to predict quality ratings from factors such as
number of program graduates, percentage of graduates who received fellowships or
grant support, and so on (Singer€& Willett, 1988).
Example 3.3: SPSS Regression on Morrison MBA€Data
The data for this problem are from Morrison (1983). The dependent variable is instructor course evaluation in an MBA course, with the five predictors being clarity, stimulation, knowledge, interest, and course evaluation. We illustrate two of the sequential
procedures, stepwise and backward selection, using SPSS. Syntax for running the
analyses, along with the correlation matrix, are given in Table€3.3.

 Table 3.3:╇ SPSS Syntax for Stepwise and Backward Selection Runs on the Morrison
MBA Data and the Correlation Matrix
TITLE ‘MORRISON MBA DATA’.
DATA LIST FREE/INSTEVAL CLARITY STIMUL KNOWLEDG INTEREST
COUEVAL.
BEGIN DATA.
1 1 2 1 1 2â•…â•… 1 2 2 1 1 1â•…â•… 1 1 1 1 1 2â•…â•… 1 1 2 1 1 2
2 1 3 2 2 2â•…â•… 2 2 4 1 1 2â•…â•… 2 3 3 1 1 2â•…â•… 2 3 4 1 2 3
2 2 3 1 3 3â•…â•… 2 2 2 2 2 2â•…â•… 2 2 3 2 1 2â•…â•… 2 2 2 3 3 2
2 2 2 1 1 2â•…â•… 2 2 4 2 2 2â•…â•… 2 3 3 1 1 3â•…â•… 2 3 4 1 1 2
2 3 2 1 1 2â•…â•… 3 4 4 3 2 2â•…â•… 3 4 3 1 1 4â•…â•… 3 4 3 1 2 3
3 4 3 2 2 3â•…â•… 3 3 4 2 3 3â•…â•… 3 3 4 2 3 3â•…â•… 3 4 3 1 1 2
3 4 5 1 1 3â•…â•… 3 3 5 1 2 3â•…â•… 3 4 4 1 2 3â•…â•… 3 4 4 1 1 3
3 3 3 2 1 3â•…â•… 3 3 5 1 1 2â•…â•… 4 5 5 2 3 4â•…â•… 4 4 5 2 3 4
END DATA.
REGRESSION DESCRIPTIVES€=€DEFAULT/
(1)
VARIABLES€=€INSTEVAL TO COUEVAL/
(2) STATISTICS€=€DEFAULTS TOL SELECTION/
DEPENDENT€=€INSTEVAL/
(3) METHOD€=€STEPWISE/
(4) SAVE COOK LEVER SRESID/
(5) SCATTERPLOT(*SRESID, *ZPRED).

CORRELATION MATRIX
INSTEVAL
CLARITY
STIMUL
KNOWLEDGE
INTEREST
COUEVAL

Insteval

Clarity

Stimul

Knowledge

Interest

Coueval

1.000
.862
.739
.282
.435
.738

.862
1.000
.617
.057
.200
.651

.739
.617
1.000
.078
.317
.523

.282
.057
.078
1.000
.583
.041

.435
.200
.317
.583
1.000
.448

.738
.651
.523
.041
.448
1.000

(1)╅The DESCRIPTIVES€=€DEFAULT subcommand yields the means, standard deviations, and the
correlation matrix for the variables.
(2)╅The DEFAULTS part of the STATISTICS subcommand yields, among other things, the �ANOVA
table for each step, R, R2, and adjusted R2.
(3)╅ To obtain the backward selection procedure, we would simply put METHOD€=€BACKWARD/.
(4)â•…The SAVE subcommand places into the data set Cook’s distance—for identifying influential data points,
centered leverage values—for identifying outliers on predictors, and studentized residuals—for identifying
outliers on y.
(5)â•…This SCATTERPLOT subcommand yields the plot of the studentized residuals vs. the standardized
predicted values, which is very useful for determining whether any of the assumptions underlying the linear
regression model may be violated.

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SPSS has “p values,” denoted by PIN and POUT, which govern whether a predictor will
enter the equation and whether it will be deleted. The default values are PIN€=€.05
and POUT€=€.10. In other words, a predictor must be “significant” at the .05 level to
enter, or must not be significant at the .10 level to be deleted.
First, we discuss the stepwise procedure results. Examination of the correlation matrix
in Table€3.3 reveals that three of the predictors (CLARITY, STIMUL, and COUEVAL)
are strongly related to INSTEVAL (simple correlations of .862, .739, and .738, respectively). Because clarity has the highest correlation, it will enter the equation first.
Superficially, it might appear that STIMUL or COUEVAL would enter next; however
we must take into account how these predictors are correlated with CLARITY, and
indeed both have fairly high correlations with CLARITY (.617 and .651 respectively).
Thus, they will not account for as much unique variance on INSTEVAL, above and
beyond that of CLARITY, as first appeared. On the other hand, INTEREST, which has
a considerably lower correlation with INSTEVAL (.44), is correlated only .20 with
CLARITY. Thus, the variance on INSTEVAL it accounts for is relatively independent
of the variance CLARITY accounted for. And, as seen in Table€3.4, it is INTEREST
that enters the regression equation second. STIMUL is the third and final predictor to
enter, because its p value (.0086) is less than the default value of .05. Finally, the other
predictors (KNOWLEDGE and COUEVAL) don’t enter because their p values (.0989
and .1288) are greater than .05.

 Table 3.4:╇ Selected Results SPSS Stepwise Regression Run on the Morrison MBA€Data
Descriptive Statistics
INSTEVAL
CLARITY
STIMUL
KNOWLEDG
INTEREST
COUEVAL

Mean

Std. Deviation

N

2.4063
2.8438
3.3125
1.4375
1.6563
2.5313

.7976
1.0809
1.0906
.6189
.7874
.7177

32
32
32
32
32
32

Correlations
INSTEVAL CLARITY STIMUL KNOWLEDG INTEREST COUEVAL
Pearson
INSTEVAL 1.000
Correlation CLARITY
.862
STIMUL
.739
KNOWLEDG .282
INTEREST
.435
COUEVAL
.738

.862
1.000
.617
.057
.200
.651

.739
.617
1.000
.078
.317
.523

.282
.057
.078
1.000
.583
.041

.435
.200
.317
.583
1.000
.448

.738
.651
.523
.041
.448
1.000

Variables Entered/Removeda
Model

Variables Variables
Entered Removed Method

1

CLARITY

2

INTEREST

3

STIMUL

a

Stepwise (Criteria:
Probability-of-F-to-enter
<= .050,
Probability-of-F-to-remove
>= .100).
Stepwise (Criteria:
Probability-of-F-to-enter
<= .050,
Probability-of-F-to-remove
>= .100).

Stepwise (Criteria:
Probability-of-F-to-enter
<= .050,
Probability-of-F-to-Remove
>= .100).

This predictor enters the equation first, since it
has the highest simple correlation (.862) with the dependent
variable INSTEVAL.
INTEREST has the opportunity
to enter the equation next
since it has the largest partial
correlation of .528 (see the box
with EXCLUDED VARIABLES),
and does enter since its p value
(.002) is less than the default
entry value of .05.
Since STIMULUS has the
strongest tie to INSTEVAL,
after the effects of CLARITY
and INTEREST are partialed
out, it gets the opportunity to
enter next. STIMULUS does
enter, since its p value (.009) is
less than .05.

Dependent Variable: INSTEVAL

Model Summaryd
Selection Criteria

Model R
1
2
3
a

Std. Error Akaike
Amemiya Mallows’ Schwarz
Adjusted of the
�Information Prediction Prediction Bayesian
R Square R Square Estimate Criterion
Criterion Criterion Criterion

.862a .743
.903b .815
.925c .856

.734
.802
.840

.4112
.3551
.3189

Predictors: (Constant), CLARITY
Predictors: (Constant), CLARITY, INTEREST
c
Predictors: (Constant), CLARITY, INTEREST, STIMUL
d
Dependent Variable: INSTEVAL
b

−54.936
−63.405
−69.426

.292
.224
.186

35.297
19.635
11.517

−52.004
−59.008
−63.563

With just CLARITY in the equation we account for 74.3%
of the variance; adding INTEREST increases the variance
accounted for to 81.5%, and finally with 3 predictors
(STIMUL added) we account for 85.6% of the variance in
this sample.

(Continued )

 Table€3.4:╇ (Continued)
ANOVAd
Model

Sum of Squares

df

Mean Square

F

Sig.

1â•…Regression
â•… Residual
╅╇Total
2â•…Regression
â•… Residual
╅╇Total
3â•…Regression
â•… Residual
╅╇Total

14.645
5.073
19.719
16.061
3.658
19.719
16.872
2.847
19.719

1
30
31
2
29
31
3
28
31

14.645
.169

86.602

.000a

8.031
.126

63.670

.000b

5.624
.102

55.316

.000c

Predictors: (Constant), CLARITY
Predictors: (Constant), CLARITY, INTEREST
c
Predictors: (Constant), CLARITY, INTEREST, STIMUL
d
Dependent Variable: INSTEVAL
a
b

Coefficienta
Unstandardized
Coefficients
Model
1
2

3

a

(Constant)
CLARITY
(Constant)
CLARITY
INTEREST
(Constant)
CLARITY
INTEREST
STIMUL

B

Std.
Error

.598
.636
.254
.596
.277
.021
.482
.223
.195

.207
.068
.207
.060
.083
.203
.067
.077
.069

Standardized
Coefficients

Collinearity
Statistics

Beta

t

Sig.

.862

2.882
9.306
1.230
9.887
3.350
.105
7.158
2.904
2.824

.007
.000
.229
.000
.002
.917
.000
.007
.009

.807
.273
.653
.220
.266

Tolerance

VIF

1.000

1.000

.960
.960

1.042
1.042

.619
.900
.580

1.616
1.112
1.724

Dependent Variable: INSTEVAL
These are the raw regression coefficients that define the prediction equation, i.e., INSTEVAL€=€.482 CLARITY
+ .223 INTEREST + .195 STIMUL + .021. The coefficient of .482 for CLARITY means that for every unit change
on CLARITY there is a predicted change of .482 units on INSTEVAL, holding the other predictors constant. The
coefficient of .223 for INTEREST means that for every unit change on INTEREST there is a predicted change of
.223 units on INSTEVAL, holding the other predictors constant. Note that the Beta column contains the estimates of the regression coefficients when all variables are in z score form. Thus, the value of .653 for CLARITY
means that for every standard deviation change in CLARITY there is a predicted change of .653 standard
deviations on INSTEVAL, holding constant the other predictors.

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Excluded Variablesd
Collinearity Statistics
Model

Beta In

T

Sig.

Partial
Correlation

Tolerance

VIF

Minimum
Tolerance

1

.335a
.233a
.273a
.307a
.266b
.116b
.191b
.148c
.161c

3.274
2.783
3.350
2.784
2.824
1.183
1.692
1.709
1.567

.003
.009
.002
.009
.009
.247
.102
.099
.129

.520
.459
.528
.459
.471
.218
.305
.312
.289

.619
.997
.960
.576
.580
.656
.471
.647
.466

1.616
1.003
1.042
1.736
1.724
1.524
2.122
1.546
2.148

.619
.997
.960
.576
.580
.632
.471
.572
.451

2

3

STIMUL
KNOWLEDG
INTEREST
COUEVAL
STIMUL
KNOWLEDG
COUEVAL
KNOWLEDG
COUEVAL

Predictors in the Model: (Constant), CLARITY
Predictors in the Model: (Constant), CLARITY, INTEREST
c
Predictors in the Model: (Constant), CLARITY, INTEREST, STIMUL
d
Dependent Variable: INSTEVAL
Since neither of these p values is less than .05, no other predictors can enter, and the procedure terminates.
a
b

Selected output from the backward selection procedure appears in Table€3.5. First,
all of the predictors are put into the equation. Then, the procedure determines which
of the predictors makes the least contribution when entered last in the equation. That
predictor is INTEREST, and since its p value is .9097, it is deleted from the equation.
None of the other predictors is further deleted because their p values are less than .10.
Interestingly, note that two different sets of predictors emerge from the two sequential
selection procedures. The stepwise procedure yields the set (CLARITY, INTEREST,
and STIMUL), where the backward procedure yields (COUEVAL, KNOWLEDGE,
STIMUL, and CLARITY). However, CLARITY and STIMUL are common to both
sets. On the grounds of parsimony, we might prefer the set (CLARITY, INTEREST,
and STIMUL), especially because the adjusted R2 values for the two sets are quite
close (.84 and .87). Note that the adjusted R2 is generally preferred over R2 as a measure of the proportion of y variability due to the model, although we will see later that
adjusted R2 does not work particularly well in assessing the cross-validity predictive
power of an equation.
Three other things should be checked out before settling on this as our chosen model:
1. We need to determine if the assumptions of the linear regression model are tenable.
2. We need an estimate of the cross-validity power of the equation.
3. We need to check for the existence of outliers and/or influential data points.

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 Table 3.5:╇ Selected Printout From SPSS Regression for Backward Selection on the
Morrison MBA€Data
Model Summaryc
Selection Criteria

Model R
1
2

Mallows’
Std. Error Akaike
Amemiya PreSchwarz
R
Adjusted of the
Information Prediction diction
Bayesian
Square R Square Estimate Criterion
Criterion
Criterion Criterion

.946a .894
.946b .894

.874
.879

.2831
.2779

−75.407
−77.391

.154
.145

6.000
4.013

−66.613
−70.062

Predictors: (Constant), COUEVAL, KNOWLEDG, STIMUL, INTEREST, CLARITY
Predictors: (Constant), COUEVAL, KNOWLEDG, STIMUL, CLARITY
c
Dependent Variable: INSTEVAL
a
b

Coefficientsa
Unstandardized
Coefficients
Model

B

Std. Error

1

−.443
.386
.197
.277
.011
.270
−.450
.384
.198
.285
.276

.235
.071
.062
.108
.097
.110
.222
.067
.059
.081
.094

2

a

(Constant)
CLARITY
STIMUL
KNOWLEDG
INTEREST
COUEVAL
(Constant)
CLARITY
STIMUL
KNOWLEDG
COUEVAL

Standardized
Coefficients
Beta
.523
.269
.215
.011
.243
.520
.271
.221
.249

Collinearity
Statistics
t

Sig.

−1.886
5.415
3.186
2.561
.115
2.459
−2.027
5.698
3.335
3.518
2.953

.070
.000
.004
.017
.910
.021
.053
.000
.002
.002
.006

Tolerance

VIF

.436
.569
.579
.441
.416

2.293
1.759
1.728
2.266
2.401

.471
.592
.994
.553

2.125
1.690
1.006
1.810

Dependent Variable: INSTEVAL

Figure€3.4 shows a plot of the studentized residuals versus the predicted values from
SPSS. This plot shows essentially random variation of the points about the horizontal
line of 0, indicating no violations of assumptions.
The issues of cross-validity power and outliers are considered later in this chapter, and
are applied to this problem in section€3.15, after both topics have been covered.
Example 3.4: SAS REG on Doctoral Programs in Psychology
The data for this example come from a National Academy of Sciences report (1982)
that, among other things, provided ratings on the quality of 46 research doctoral programs in psychology. The six variables used to predict quality€are:

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NFACULTY—number of faculty members in the program as of December€1980
NGRADS—number of program graduates from 1975 through€1980
PCTSUPP—percentage of program graduates from 1975–1979 who received fellowships or training grant support during their graduate education
PCTGRANT—percentage of faculty members holding research grants from the
Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, the National Institutes
of Health, or the National Science Foundation at any time during 1978–1980
NARTICLE—number of published articles attributed to program faculty members
from 1978–1980
PCTPUB—percentage of faculty with one or more published articles from
1978–1980
Both the stepwise and the MAXR procedures were used on this data to generate several regression models. SAS syntax for doing this, along with the correlation matrix,
are given in Table€3.6.
 Table 3.6:╇ SAS Syntax for Stepwise and MAXR Runs on the National Academy of
Sciences Data and the Correlation Matrix
DATA SINGER;
INPUT QUALITY NFACUL NGRADS PCTSUPP PCTGRT NARTIC PCTPUB; LINES;
DATA LINES

(1)â•… PROC REG SIMPLE CORR;

MODEL QUALITY€=€NFACUL NGRADS PCTSUPP PCTGRT NARTIC PCTPUB/
(2)â•…
SELECTION€=€STEPWISE VIF R INFLUENCE;

RUN;

ODEL QUALITY€=€NFACUL NGRADS PCTSUPP PCTGRT NARTIC PCTPUB/
M
SELECTION€=€MAXR VIF R INFLUENCE;

(1)â•… SIMPLE is needed to obtain descriptive statistics (means, variances, etc.) for all variables.
CORR is needed to obtain the correlation matrix for the variables.

(2)â•… In this MODEL statement, the dependent variable goes on the left and all predictors to the
right of the equals sign. SELECTION is where we indicate which of the procedures we wish to
use. There is a wide variety of other information we can get printed out. Here we have selected
VIF (variance inflation factors), R (analysis of residuals, hat elements, Cook’s D), and INFLUENCE (influence diagnostics).
Note that there are two separate MODEL statements for the two regression procedures being
requested. Although multiple procedures can be obtained in one run, you must have a separate
MODEL statement for each procedure.
CORRELATION MATRIX
NFACUL NCRADS
2
NFACUL

2

3

PCTSUPP PCTCRT NARTIC PCTPUB QUALITY
4

5

6

7

1

1.000
(Continued)

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 Table€3.6:╇ (Continued)
CORRELATION MATRIX
NFACUL NCRADS
NCRADS
PCTSUPP
PCTCRT
NARTIC
PCTPUB
QUALITY

3
4
S
6
7
I

0.692
0.395
0.162
0.755
0.205
0.622

1.000
0.337
0.071
0.646
0.171
0.418

PCTSUPP PCTCRT NARTIC PCTPUB QUALITY
1.000
0.351
0.366
0.347
0.582

1.000
0.436
0.490
0.700

1.000
0.593
0.762

1.000
0.585

1.000

One very nice feature of SAS REG is that Mallows’ Cp is given for each model. The
stepwise procedure terminated after four predictors entered. Here is the summary
table, exactly as it appears in the output:
Summary of Stepwise Procedure for Dependent Variable QUALITY
Variable
Step

Entered

1
2
3
4

NARTIC
PCTGRT
PCTSUPP
NFACUL

Removed

Partial

Model

R**2

R**2

C(p)

F

Prob > F

0.5809
0.1668
0.0569
0.0176

0.5809
0.7477
0.8045
0.8221

55.1185
18.4760
7.2970
5.2161

60.9861
28.4156
12.2197
4.0595

0.0001
0.0001
0.0011
0.0505

This four predictor model appears to be a reasonably good one. First, Mallows’ Cp is
very close to p (recall p€=€k + 1), that is, 5.216 ≈ 5, indicating that there is not much
bias in the model. Second, R2€=€.8221, indicating that we can predict quality quite well
from the four predictors. Although this R2 is not adjusted, the adjusted value will not
differ much because we have not selected from a large pool of predictors.
Selected output from the MAXR procedure run appears in Table€3.7. From Table€3.7
we can construct the following results:
BEST MODEL

VARIABLE(S)

MALLOWS Cp

for 1 variable
for 2 variables
for 3 variables
for 4 variables

NARTIC
PCTGRT, NFACUL
PCTPUB, PCTGRT, NFACUL
NFACUL, PCTSUPP, PCTGRT, NARTIC

55.118
16.859
9.147
5.216

In this case, the same four-predictor model is selected by the MAXR procedure that
was selected by the stepwise procedure.

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 Table 3.7:╇ Selected Results From the MAXR Run on the National Academy of
�Sciences€ Data
Maximum R-Square Improvement of Dependent Variable QUALITY
Step 1
Variable NARTIC Entered
R-square€=€0.5809
The above model is the best 1-variable model found.
Variable PGTGRT Entered
R-square€=€0.7477
Step 2
Variable NARTIC Removed
R-square€=€0.7546
Step 3
Variable NFACUL Entered
The above model is the best 2-variable model found.
Step 4
Variable PCTPUB Entered
R-square€=€0.7965
The above model is the best 3-variable model found.
Variable PCTSUPP Entered
R-square€=€0.8191
Step 5
Variable PCTPUB Removed
R-square€=€0.8221
Step 6
Variable NARTIC Entered

Regression
Error
Total

C(p)€=€55.1185
C(p)€=€18.4760
C(p)€=€16.8597

C(p)€=€9.1472
C(p)€=€5.9230
C(p)€=€5.2161

DF

Sum of Squares

Mean Square

F

Prob > f

4
41
45

3752.82299
811.894403
4564.71739

938.20575
19.80230

47.38

0.0001

F

Prob > F

30.35
4.06
8.53
31.17
7.79

0.0001
0.0505
0.0057
0.0001
0.0079

Variable

Parameter
Estimate

Standard
Error

Type II
Sum of
Squares

INTERCEP
NFACUL
PCTSUPP
PCTGRT
NARTIC

9.06133
0.13330
0.094530
0.24645
0.05455

1.64473
0.06616
0.03237
0.04414
0.01955

601.05272
80.38802
168.91498
617.20528
154.24692

3.9.1 Caveat on p Values for the “Significance” of Predictors
The p values that are given by SPSS and SAS for the “significance” of each predictor
at each step for stepwise or the forward selection procedures should be treated tenuously, especially if your initial pool of predictors is moderate (15) or large (30). The
reason is that the ordinary F distribution is not appropriate here, because the largest
F is being selected out of all Fs available. Thus, the appropriate critical value will be
larger (and can be considerably larger) than would be obtained from the ordinary null
F distribution. Draper and Smith (1981) noted, “studies have shown, for example, that
in some cases where an entry F test was made at the a level, the appropriate probability
was qa, where there were q entry candidates at that stage” (p.€311). This is saying, for
example, that an experimenter may think his or her probability of erroneously including a predictor is .05, when in fact the actual probability of erroneously including the
predictor is .50 (if there were 10 entry candidates at that point).

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

Thus, the F tests are positively biased, and the greater the number of predictors, the larger the bias. Hence, these F tests should be used only as rough guides
to the usefulness of the predictors chosen. The acid test is how well the predictors
do under cross-validation. It can be unwise to use any of the stepwise procedures
with 20 or 30 predictors and only 100 subjects, because capitalization on chance
is great, and the results may well not cross-validate. To find an equation that probably
will have generalizability, it is best to carefully select (using substantive knowledge or
any previous related literature) a small or relatively small set of predictors.
Ramsey and Schafer (1997) comment on this issue:
The cutoff value of 4 for the F-statistic (or 2 for the magnitude of the t-statistic)
corresponds roughly to a two-sided p-value of less than .05. The notion of “significance” cannot be taken seriously, however, because sequential variable selection
is a form of data snooping.
At step 1 of a forward selection, the cutoff of F€=€4 corresponds to a hypothesis
test for a single coefficient. But the actual statistic considered is the largest of
several F-statistics, whose sampling distribution under the null hypothesis differs
sharply from an F-distribution.
To demonstrate this, suppose that a model contained ten explanatory variables and
a single response, with a sample size of n€=€100. The F-statistic for a single variable
at step 1 would be compared to an F-distribution with 1 and 98 degrees of freedom,
where only 4.8% of the F-ratios exceed 4. But suppose further that all eleven variables were generated completely at random (and independently of each other), from
a standard normal distribution. What should be expected of the largest F-to-enter?
This random generation process was simulated 500 times on a computer. The following display shows a histogram of the largest among ten F-to-enter values, along
with the theoretical F-distribution. The two distributions are very different. At least
one F-to-enter was larger than 4 in 38% of the simulated trials, even though none of
the explanatory variables was associated with the response. (p.€93)
Simulated distribution of the largest of 10 F-statistics.

F-distribution with 1 and 98 df
(theoretical curve).
Largest of 10 F-to-enter values
(histogram from 500 simulations).

1

2

3

4

5

6

9
7
8
F-statistic

10

11

12

13

14

15

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3.10 CHECKING ASSUMPTIONS FOR THE REGRESSION€MODEL
Recall that in the linear regression model it is assumed that the errors are independent
and follow a normal distribution with constant variance. The normality assumption
can be checked through the use of the histogram of the standardized or studentized
residuals, as we did in Table€3.2 for the simple regression example. The independence assumption implies that the subjects are responding independently of one another.
This is an important assumption. We show in Chapter€6, in the context of analysis of
variance, that if independence is violated only mildly, then the probability of a type
I€error may be several times greater than the level the experimenter thinks he or she is
working at. Thus, instead of rejecting falsely 5% of the time, the experimenter may be
rejecting falsely 25% or 30% of the€time.
We now consider an example where this assumption was violated. Suppose researchers had asked each of 22 college freshmen to write four in-class essays in two 1-hour
sessions, separated by a span of several months. Then, suppose a subsequent regression analysis were conducted to predict quality of essay response using an n of 88.
Here, however, the responses for each subject on the four essays are obviously going
to be correlated, so that there are not 88 independent observations, but only€22.
3.10.1 Residual€Plots
Various types of plots are available for assessing potential problems with the regression model (Draper€& Smith, 1981; Weisberg, 1985). One of the most useful graphs
the studentized residuals (r) versus the predicted values ( y i ). If the assumptions of
the linear regression model are tenable, then these residuals should scatter randomly
about a horizontal line defined by ri€ =€ 0, as shown in Figure€ 3.3a. Any systematic
pattern or clustering of the residuals suggests a model violation(s). Three such systematic patterns are indicated in Figure€3.3. Figure€3.3b shows a systematic quadratic
(second-degree equation) clustering of the residuals. For Figure€3.3c, the variability
of the residuals increases systematically as the predicted values increase, suggesting a
violation of the constant variance assumption.
It is important to note that the plots in Figure€3.3 are somewhat idealized, constructed
to be clear violations. As Weisberg (1985) stated, “unfortunately, these idealized plots
cover up one very important point; in real data sets, the true state of affairs is rarely
this clear” (p.€131).
In Figure€3.4 we present residual plots for three real data sets. The first plot is for the
Morrison data (the first computer example), and shows essentially random scatter of
the residuals, suggesting no violations of assumptions. The remaining two plots are
from a study by a statistician who analyzed the salaries of over 260 major league baseball hitters, using predictors such as career batting average, career home runs per time
at bat, years in the major leagues, and so on. These plots are from Moore and McCabe
(1989) and are used with permission. Figure€ 3.4b, which plots the residuals versus

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

 Figure 3.3:╇ Residual plots of studentized residuals vs. predicted values.
ri

Plot when model
is correct

ri

Model violation:
nonlinearity

(a)

yˆi

(b)

Model violation:
nonconstant
variance

Model violation:
nonlinearity and
nonconstant variance

ri

ri

(c)

yˆi

yˆi

(d)

yˆi

predicted salaries, shows a clear violation of the constant variance assumption. For
lower predicted salaries there is little variability about 0, but for the high salaries there
is considerable variability of the residuals. The implication of this is that the model
will predict lower salaries quite accurately, but not so for the higher salaries.
Figure€3.4c plots the residuals versus number of years in the major leagues. This plot
shows a clear curvilinear clustering, that is, quadratic. The implication of this curvilinear trend is that the regression model will tend to overestimate the salaries of players
who have been in the majors only a few years or over 15€years, and it will underestimate the salaries of players who have been in the majors about five to nine years.
In concluding this section, note that if nonlinearity or nonconstant variance is found,
there are various remedies. For nonlinearity, perhaps a polynomial model is needed.
Or sometimes a transformation of the data will enable a nonlinear model to be approximated by a linear one. For nonconstant variance, weighted least squares is one possibility, or more commonly, a variance-stabilizing transformation (such as square root or
log) may be used. We refer you to Weisberg (1985, chapter€6) for an excellent discussion of remedies for regression model violations.

 Figure 3.4:╇ Residual plots for three real data sets suggesting no violations, heterogeneous
variance, and curvilinearity.
Scatterplot
Dependent Variable: INSTEVAL

Regression Studentized Residual

3
2
1
0
–1
–2
–3
–3

–2

–1
0
1
Regression Standardized Predicted Value

Legend:
A = 1 OBS
B = 2 OBS
C = 3 OBS

5
4

A

A

3

Residuals

1

A

0
–1
–2

A

A

A

3

A

A

2

2

A

A

A
A

A

A

A AA A
A
A A A
A
A A
A
A
A
A
B
AA
AA
A
B
A
B
A
B AAA B
AA
A
AA AA
A A A
AA
AA A AA
A
A
AA B A A A A
B AA
A A A AA A A
AA B A A
A BA
A A
B B AA
A A AAA A A A A A A AAAAB A
A
AA A
A
A
AB A
A
A
A
A
A
A
AA
C AAAAAA A A AAA
AA
A AA
A
A
A
CB
A
BAB B BA
B A
AA A A A
AA
AA
A
A B AAAAAA A
B
B
A A
A
AA
AA
A B A AA
A
A
A
A BA
A
A
A A
A
B A B A A
A
A
A
A A
A
A
A
A
A

A

A
A
B

A

A

–3
–4
–250 –150 –50

50

150 250 350 450 550 650 750 850
Predicted value
(b)

950 1050 1150 1250

A

A

A

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

 Figure 3.3:╇ (Continued)
4
3

–1
–2
–3

A

A
A

1
0

Legend:
A = 1 OBS D = 4 OBS
B = 2 OBS E = 5 OBS
C = 3 OBS F = 6 OBS

A

2
Residuals

96

A
A
C
B
B
B
B
A

B
A
D
B
E
B
B
B
B
A

A

B
E
C
E
C
A
A

D
D
A
B
C
A
A
E
B
B

A
A
C
B
C
B
D
A
A
A

A
A

A

C
B
C
B
A
B
E
D
B
A

C
D
C
B
A
C
B

A
A
B
A
A
B
B

A

A

A
D
D
A
A
A

A
C
A
C
A
A

A
A
A
A
A
B
A

A
B

A
A
C

A

A

C
A
A

A
C

A
A
B
B
A
B
C

A

B
B
A
A
A

A
A
B

A
A
B

A
B
A

A

A
A

A
A

A

A

A
A

–4
–5
1

2

3

4

5

6 7

8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Number of years
(c)

3.11 MODEL VALIDATION
We indicated earlier that it was crucial for the researcher to obtain some measure of
how well the regression equation will predict on an independent sample(s) of data.
That is, it was important to determine whether the equation had generalizability. We
discuss here three forms of model validation, two being empirical and the other involving an estimate of average predictive power on other samples. First, we give a brief
description of each form, and then elaborate on each form of validation.
1. Data splitting. Here the sample is randomly split in half. It does not have to be
split evenly, but we use this for illustration. The regression equation is found on
the so-called derivation sample (also called the screening sample, or the sample
that “gave birth” to the prediction equation by Tukey). This prediction equation is
then applied to the other sample (called validation or calibration) to see how well
it predicts the y scores there.
2. Compute an adjusted R2. There are various adjusted R2 measures, or measures of
shrinkage in predictive power, but they do not all estimate the same thing. The
one most commonly used, and that which is printed out by both major statistical packages, is due to Wherry (1931). It is very important to note here that the
Wherry formula estimates how much variance on y would be accounted for if we
had derived the prediction equation in the population from which the sample was
drawn. The Wherry formula does not indicate how well the derived equation will
predict on other samples from the same population. A€formula due to Stein (1960)
does estimate average cross-validation predictive power. As of this writing it is not

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printed out by any of the three major packages. The formulas due to Wherry and
Stein are presented shortly.
3. Use the PRESS statistic. As pointed out by several authors, in many instances one
does not have enough data to be randomly splitting it. One can obtain a good measure of external predictive power by use of the PRESS statistic. In this approach the
y value for each subject is set aside and a prediction equation derived on the remaining data. Thus, n prediction equations are derived and n true prediction errors are
found. To be very specific, the prediction error for subject 1 is computed from the
equation derived on the remaining (n − 1) data points, the prediction error for subject 2 is computed from the equation derived on the other (n − 1) data points, and so
on. As Myers (1990) put it, “PRESS is important in that one has information in the
form of n validations in which the fitting sample for each is of size n − 1” (p.€171).
3.11.1 Data Splitting
Recall that the sample is randomly split. The regression equation is found on the derivation
sample and then is applied to the other sample (validation) to determine how well it will
predict y there. Next, we give a hypothetical example, randomly splitting 100 subjects.
Derivation Sample
n€=€50
Prediction Equation

Validation Sample
n€=€50
y

^

yi = 4 + .3x1 + .7 x2
6
4.5
7

x1

x2

1
2
.€.€.
5

.5
.3
.2

Now, using this prediction equation, we predict the y scores in the validation sample:
y^ 1 = 4 + .3(1) + .7(.5) = 4.65
^

y 2 = 4 + .3(2) + .7(.3) = 4.81
.€.€.
y^ 50 = 4 + .3(5) + .7(.2) = 5.64
The cross-validated R then is the correlation for the following set of scores:
y

yˆi

6
4.5

4.65
4.81
.€.€.

7

5.64

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

Random splitting and cross-validation can be easily done using SPSS and the filter
case function.
3.11.2 Cross-Validation With€SPSS
To illustrate cross-validation with SPSS, we use the Agresti data that appears on this
book’s accompanying website. Recall that the sample size here was 93. First, we randomly
select a sample and do a stepwise regression on this random sample. We have selected an
approximate random sample of 60%. It turns out that n€=€60 in our random sample. This
is done by clicking on DATA, choosing SELECT CASES from the dropdown menu, then
choosing RANDOM SAMPLE and finally selecting a random sample of approximately
60%. When this is done a FILTER_$ variable is created, with value€=€1 for those cases
included in the sample and value€=€0 for those cases not included in the sample. When the
stepwise regression was done, the variables SIZE, NOBATH, and NEW were included as
predictors and the coefficients, and so on, are given here for that€run:
Coefficientsa
Unstandardized Coefficients
Model

B

Std. Error

1â•…(Constant)
â•… SIZE
2â•…(Constant)
â•… SIZE
â•… NOBATH
3â•…(Constant)
â•… SIZE
â•… NOBATH
â•… NEW

–28.948
78.353
–62.848
62.156
30.334
–62.519
59.931
29.436
17.146

8.209
4.692
10.939
5.701
7.322
9.976
5.237
6.682
4.842

a

Standardized
Coefficients
Beta
.910
.722
.274
.696
.266
.159

t

Sig.

–3.526
16.700
–5.745
10.902
4.143
–6.267
11.444
4.405
3.541

.001
.000
.000
.000
.000
.000
.000
.000
.001

Dependent Variable: PRICE

The next step in the cross-validation is to use the COMPUTE statement to compute the
predicted values for the dependent variable. This COMPUTE statement is obtained by
clicking on TRANSFORM and then selecting COMPUTE from the dropdown menu.
When this is done the screen in Figure€3.5 appears.
Using the coefficients obtained from the regression we€have:
PRED€= −62.519 + 59.931*SIZE + 29.436*NOBATH + 17.146*NEW
We wish to correlate the predicted values in the other part of the sample with the y
values there to obtain the cross-validated value. We click on DATA again, and use
SELECT IF FILTER_$€=€0. That is, we select those cases in the other part of the sample. There are 33 cases in the other part of the random sample. When this is done all

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 Figure 3.5:╇ SPSS screen that can be used to compute the predicted values for cross-validation.

the cases with FILTER_$€=€1 are selected, and a partial listing of the data appears as
follows:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Price

Size

nobed

nobath

new

filter_$

pred

48.50
55.00
68.00
137.00
309.40
17.50
19.60
24.50

1.10
1.01
1.45
2.40
3.30
.40
1.28
.74

3.00
3.00
3.00
3.00
4.00
1.00
3.00
3.00

1.00
2.00
2.00
3.00
3.00
1.00
1.00
1.00

.00
.00
.00
.00
1.00
.00
.00
.00

0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0

32.84
56.88
83.25
169.62
240.71
–9.11
43.63
11.27

Finally, we use the CORRELATION program to obtain the bivariate correlation between
PRED and PRICE (the dependent variable) in this sample of 33. That correlation is
.878, which is a drop from the maximized correlation of .944 in the derivation sample.
3.11.3 Adjusted€R 2
Herzberg (1969) presented a discussion of various formulas that have been used to
estimate the amount of shrinkage found in R2. As mentioned earlier, the one most commonly used, and due to Wherry, is given€by
ρ^ 2 = 1 −

(n − 1)

(n − k − 1) (

)

1 − R 2 , (11)

where ρ^ is the estimate of ρ, the population multiple correlation coefficient. This is the
adjusted R2 printed out by SAS and SPSS. Draper and Smith (1981) commented on
Equation€11:

( )

A related statistic .€.€. is the so called adjusted r Ra2 , the idea being that the statistic Ra2 can be used to compare equations fitted not only to a specific set of data

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but also to two or more entirely different sets of data. The value of this statistic for
the latter purpose is, in our opinion, not high. (p.€92)
Herzberg noted:
In applications, the population regression function can never be known and one is
more interested in how effective the sample regression function is in other samples. A€measure of this effectiveness is rc, the sample cross-validity. For any given
regression function rc will vary from validation sample to validation sample. The
average value of rc will be approximately equal to the correlation, in the population, of the sample regression function with the criterion. This correlation is the
population cross-validity, ρc. Wherry’s formula estimates ρ rather than ρc. (p.€4)
There are two possible models for the predictors: (1) regression—the values of the predictors are fixed, that is, we study y only for certain values of x, and (2) correlation—the
predictors are random variables—this is a much more reasonable model for social sci 2 under the
ence research. Herzberg presented the following formula for estimating ρ
c
correlation model:
2

ρ^ c = 1 −

(n − 1)

 n − 2   n + 1
2

 
 1 − R ,
n
k
n
k
n
1
2




(
)

(

)

(12)

where n is sample size and k is the number of predictors. It can be shown that ρc <€ρ.
If you are interested in cross-validity predictive power, then the Stein formula (Equation€12) should be used. As an example, suppose n€=€50, k = 10 and R2€=€.50. If you
used the Wherry formula (Equation€11), then your estimate€is
2

ρ^ = 1 − 49 / 39(.50) = .372,
whereas with the proper Stein formula you would obtain
ρ^ c = 1 − ( 49 / 39)( 48 / 38)(51 / 50)(.50) = .191.
2

In other words, use of the Wherry formula would give a misleadingly positive impression of the cross-validity predictive power of the equation. Table€3.8 shows how the
estimated predictive power drops off using the Stein formula (Equation€12) for small
to fairly large subject/variable ratios when R2€=€.50, .75, and .85.
3.11.4 PRESS Statistic
The PRESS approach is important in that one has n validations, each based on (n − 1)
observations. Thus, each validation is based on essentially the entire sample. This is
very important when one does not have large n, for in this situation data splitting is
really not practical. For example, if n€=€60 and we have six predictors, randomly splitting the sample involves obtaining a prediction equation on only 30 subjects.

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 Table 3.8:╇ Estimated Cross-Validity Predictive Power for Stein Formulaa
Small (5:1)

Subject/variable ratio

Stein estimate

N€=€50, k€=€10, R €=€.50
N€=€50, k€=€10, R 2€=€.75
N€=€50, k€=€10, R 2€=€.85
N€=€100, k€=€10, R 2€=€.50
N€=€100, k€=€10, R 2€=€.75
N€=€150, k€=€10, R 2€=€.50

.191b
.595
.757
.374
.690
.421

2

Moderate (10:1)
Fairly large (15:1)

a
If there is selection of predictors from a larger set, then the median should be used as the k. For example, if
four predictors were selected from 30 by say stepwise regression, then the median between 4 and 30 (i.e., 17)
should be the k used in the Stein formula.
b
If we were to apply the prediction equation to many other samples from the same population, then on the
average we would account for 19.1% of the variance on€y.

Recall that in deriving the prediction (via the least squares approach), the sum of the
squared errors is minimized. The PRESS residuals, on the other hand, are true prediction errors, because the y value for each subject was not simultaneously used for fit and
model assessment. Let us denote the predicted value for subject i, where that subject
^

was not used in developing the prediction equation, by y ( − i ) . Then the PRESS residual for each subject is given€by
^

^

e( − i ) = yi − y( − i )
and the PRESS sum of squared residuals is given€by
PRESS =

∑e(

^2
− i ) . (13)

Therefore, one might prefer the model with the smallest PRESS value. The preceding
PRESS value can be used to calculate an R2-like statistic that more accurately reflects
the generalizability of the model. It is given€by
2
RPress
= 1 − (PRESS) ∑( yi − y ) 2

(14)

Importantly, the SAS REG program routinely prints out PRESS, although it is called
PREDICTED RESID SS (PRESS). Given this value, it is a simple matter to calculate
the R2 PRESS statistic, because the variance of y is s 2y = ∑ ( yi − y )2 (n − 1).

3.12╇ IMPORTANCE OF THE ORDER OF THE PREDICTORS
The order in which the predictors enter a regression equation can make a great deal
of difference with respect to how much variance on y they account for, especially
for moderate or highly correlated predictors. Only for uncorrelated predictors (which

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would rarely occur in practice) does the order not make a difference. We give two
examples to illustrate.
Example 3.5
A dissertation by Crowder (1975) attempted to predict ratings of individuals having
trainably mental retardation (TMs) using IQ (x2) and scores from a Test of Social Inference (TSI). He was especially interested in showing that the TSI had incremental predictive validity. The criterion was the average ratings by two individuals in charge of
the TMs. The intercorrelations among the variables€were:
rx1x2 = .59, ryx2 − .54, ryx1 = .566
Now, consider two orderings for the predictors, one where TSI is entered first, and the
other ordering where IQ is entered first.
First ordering % of variance
TSI
IQ

32.04
6.52

Second ordering % of variance
IQ
TSI

29.16
9.40

The first ordering conveys an overly optimistic view of the utility of the TSI scale.
Because we know that IQ will predict ratings, it should be entered first in the equation
(as a control variable), and then TSI to see what its incremental validity is—that is,
how much it adds to predicting ratings above and beyond what IQ does. Because of
the moderate correlation between IQ and TSI, the amount of variance accounted for by
TSI differs considerably when entered first versus second (32.04 vs. 9.4).
The 9.4% of variance accounted for by TSI when entered second is obtained through
the use of the semipartial correlation previously introduced:
ry1 2( s ) =

.566 − .54(.59)
1 − .59 2

= .306 ⇒ ry21 2( s ) = .094

Example 3.6
Consider the following correlations among three predictors and an outcome:
x1

x2

x3

y .60 .70 .70
x1
.70 .60
x2
.80
Notice that the predictors are strongly intercorrelated.
How much variance in y will x3 account for if entered first? if entered€last?
If x3 is entered first, then it will account for (.7)2 × 100 or 49% of variance on y—a
sizable amount.

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To determine how much variance x3 will account for if entered last, we need to compute the following second-order semipartial correlation:
ry 3 12( s ) =

ry 3 1( s ) − ry 2 1( s ) r23 1
1 − r232 1

We show the details next for obtaining ry3 12(s):
ry 2 1( s ) =

ry 2 − ry1r21
1−

r212

=

.70 − (.6)(.7)
1 − .49

.28
= .392
.714
ry 3 − ry1r31 .7 − .6(6)
=
= .425
=
1 − r312
1 − .6 2

ry 2 1( s ) =
ry 3 1( s )
r23 1 =

r23 − r21r31
1−

ry 3 1( s ) =
ry23 12( s )

r212

1−

r312

=

.425 − .392(.665)
1 − .665

2

.80 − (.7)(.6)
= .665
1 − .49 1 − .36
=

.164
= .22
.746

= (.22)2 = .048

Thus, when x3 enters last it accounts for only 4.8% of the variance on y. This is a tremendous drop from the 49% it accounted for when entered first. Because the three predictors are so highly correlated, most of the variance on y that x3 could have accounted
for has already been accounted for by x1 and x2.
3.12.1 Controlling the Order of Predictors in the Equation
With the forward and stepwise selection procedures, the order of entry of predictors
into the regression equation is determined via a mathematical maximization procedure.
That is, the first predictor to enter is the one with the largest (maximized) correlation
with y, the second to enter is the predictor with the largest partial correlation, and so
on. However, there are situations where you may not want the mathematics to determine the order of entry of predictors. For example, suppose we have a five-predictor
problem, with two proven predictors from previous research. The other three predictors are included to see if they have any incremental validity. In this case we would
want to enter the two proven predictors in the equation first (as control variables), and
then let the remaining three predictors “fight it out” to determine whether any of them
add anything significant to predicting y above and beyond the proven predictors.
With SPSS REGRESSION or SAS REG we can control the order of predictors, and in
particular, we can force predictors into the equation. In Table€3.9 we illustrate how this
is done for SPSS and SAS for the five-predictor situation.

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 Table 3.9:╇ Controlling the Order of Predictors and Forcing Predictors Into the Equation
With SPSS Regression and SAS€Reg
SPSS REGRESSION
TITLE ‘FORCING X3 AND X4€& USING STEPWISE SELECTION FOR OTHERS’.
DATA LIST FREE/Y X1 X2 X3 X4 X5.
BEGIN DATA.
DATA LINES
END DATA.
LIST.
REGRESSION VARIABLES€=€Y X1 X2 X3 X4 X5
/DEPENDENT€=€Y
(1)
/METHOD€=€ENTER X3 X4
/METHOD€=€STEPWISE X1 X2 X5.

SAS REG
DATA FORCEPR;
INPUT Y X1 X2 X3 X4 X5;
LINES;
DATA LINES
PROC REG SIMPLE CORR;
(2) MODEL Y€=€X3 X4 X1 X2 X5/INCLUDE€=€2 SELECTION€=€STEPWISE;
(1)╇The METHOD€=€ENTER subcommand forces variables X3 and X4 into the equation, and the
METHOD€=€STEPWISE subcommand will determine whether any of the remaining predictors (X1, X2 or
X5) have semipartial correlations large enough to be “significant.” If we wished to force in predictors X1, X3,
and X4 and then use STEPWISE, the subcommands are /METHOD€=€ENTER X1 X3 X4/METHOD€=€STEPWISE X2€X5.
(2)╇The INCLUDE€=€2 forces the first 2 predictors listed in the MODEL statement into the prediction
equation. Thus, if we wish to force X3 and X4 we must list them first on the = statement.

3.13 OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
3.13.1 Preselection of Predictors
An industrial psychologist hears about the predictive power of multiple regression and
is excited. He wants to predict success on the job, and gathers data for 20 potential
predictors on 70 subjects. He obtains the correlation matrix for the variables and then
picks out six predictors that correlate significantly with success on the job and that
have low intercorrelations among themselves. The analysis is run, and the R2 is highly
significant. Furthermore, he is able to explain 52% of the variance on y (more than
other investigators have been able to do). Are these results generalizable? Probably
not, since what he did involves a double capitalization on chance:
1. In preselecting the predictors from a larger set, he is capitalizing on chance. Some
of these variables would have high correlations with y because of sampling error,
and consequently their correlations would tend to be lower in another sample.
2. The mathematical maximization involved in obtaining the multiple correlation
involves capitalizing on chance.

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Preselection of predictors is common among many researchers who are unaware of
the fact that this tends to make their results sample specific. Nunnally (1978) had a
nice discussion of the preselection problem, and Wilkinson (1979) showed the considerable positive bias preselection can have on the test of significance of R2 in forward
selection. The following example from his tables illustrates. The critical value for a
four-predictor problem (n€=€35) at .05 level is .26, and the appropriate critical value for
the same n and α level, when preselecting four predictors from a set of 20 predictors is
.51. Unawareness of the positive bias has led to many results in the literature that are
not replicable, for as Wilkinson noted:
A computer assisted search for articles in psychology using stepwise regression
from 1969 to 1977 located 71 articles. Out of these articles, 66 forward selections
analyses reported as significant by the usual F tests were found. Of these 66 analyses, 19 were not significant by [his] Table€1. (p.€172)
It is important to note that both the Wherry and Stein formulas do not take into account
preselection. Hence, the following from Cohen and Cohen (1983) should be seriously
considered: “A€more realistic estimate of the shrinkage is obtained by substituting for
k the total number of predictors from which the selection was made” (p.€107). In other
words, they are saying if four predictors were selected out of 15, use k€=€15 in the Stein
formula (Equation€12). While this may be conservative, using four will certainly lead
to a positive bias. Probably a median value between 4 and 15 would be closer to the
mark, although this needs further investigation.
3.13.2 Positive Bias of€R╛2
A study of California principals and superintendents illustrates how capitalization on
chance in multiple regression (if the researcher is unaware of it) can lead to misleading conclusions. Here, the interest was in validating a contingency theory of leadership, that is, that success in administering schools calls for different personality
styles depending on the social setting of the school. The theory seems plausible, and
in what follows we are not criticizing the theory per se, but the empirical validation
of it. The procedure that was used to validate the theory involved establishing a relationship between various personality attributes (24 predictors) and several measures
of administrative success in heterogeneous samples with respect to social setting
using multiple regression, that is, finding the multiple R for each measure of success
on 24 predictors. Then, it was shown that the magnitude of the relationships was
greater for subsamples homogeneous with respect to social setting. The problem
was that the sample size is much too low for a reliable prediction equation. Here
we present the total sample sizes and the subsamples homogeneous with respect to
social setting:

Total
Subsample(s)

Superintendents

Principals

n€=€77
n€=€29

n€=€147
n1€=€35, n2€=€61, n3€=€36

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Indeed, in the homogeneous samples, the Rs were on the average .34 greater than in
the total samples; however, this was an artifact of the multiple regression procedure in
this case. As one proceeds from the total to the subsamples the number of predictors
(k) approaches sample size (n). For this situation the multiple correlation increases to 1
regardless of whether there is any relationship between y and the set of predictors. And
in three of four subsamples the n/k ratios are very close to 1. In particular, it is the case
that E(R2)€=€k / (n − 1), when the population multiple correlation€=€0 (Morrison, 1976).
To dramatize this, consider Subsample 1 for the principals. Then E(R2)€=€24 / 34€=€.706,
even when there is no relationship between y and the set of predictors. The F critical value required just for statistical significance of R at .05 is 2.74, which implies
R2€ =€ .868, just to be confident that the population multiple correlation is different
from€0.
3.13.3Suppressor Variables
Lord and Novick (1968) stated the following two rules of thumb for the selection of
predictor variables:
1. Choose variables that correlate highly with the criterion but that have low
intercorrelations.
2. To these variables add other variables that have low correlations with the criterion
but that have high correlations with the other predictors. (p.€271)
At first blush, the second rule of thumb may not seem to make sense, but what they
are talking about is suppressor variables. To illustrate specifically why a suppressor
variable can help in prediction, we consider a hypothetical example.
Example 3.7
Consider a two-predictor problem with the following correlations among the variables:
ryx1 = .60, ryx2 = 0, and rx1x2 = .50.
Note that x1 by itself accounts for (.6)2€=€.36, or 36% of the variance on y. Now consider entering x2 into the regression equation first. It will of course account for no
variance on y, and it may seem like we have gained nothing. But, if we now enter x1
into the equation (after x2), its predictive power is enhanced. This is because there is
irrelevant variance on x1 (i.e., variance that does not relate to y), which is related to x2.
In this case that irrelevant variance is (.5)2€=€.25 or 25%. When this irrelevant variance
is partialed out (or suppressed), the remaining variance on x1 is more strongly tied to y.
Calculation of the semipartial correlation shows€this:
ry1 2( s ) =

ryx1 − ryx2 rx1x2
1−

rx21x2

=

.60 − 0
1 − .52

= .693

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Thus, ry21 2( s ) = .48, and the predictive power of x1 has increased from accounting for
36% to accounting for 48% of the variance on€y.
3.14 OUTLIERS AND INFLUENTIAL DATA POINTS
Because multiple regression is a mathematical maximization procedure, it can be very
sensitive to data points that “split off” or are different from the rest of the points, that
is, to outliers. Just one or two such points can affect the interpretation of results, and
it is certainly moot as to whether one or two points should be permitted to have such
a profound influence. Therefore, it is important to be able to detect outliers and influential points. There is a distinction between the two because a point that is an outlier
(either on y or for the predictors) will not necessarily be influential in affecting the
regression equation.
The fact that a simple examination of summary statistics can result in misleading
interpretations was illustrated by Anscombe (1973). He presented four data sets that
yielded the same summary statistics (i.e., regression coefficients and same r2€=€.667).
In one case, linear regression was perfectly appropriate. In the second case, however,
a scatterplot showed that curvilinear regression was appropriate. In the third case, linear regression was appropriate for 10 of 11 points, but the other point was an outlier
and possibly should have been excluded from the analysis. In the fourth data set, the
regression line was completely determined by one observation, which if removed,
would not allow for an estimate of the slope.
Two basic approaches can be used in dealing with outliers and influential points. We
consider the approach of having an arsenal of tools for isolating these important points
for further study, with the possibility of deleting some or all of the points from the
analysis. The other approach is to develop procedures that are relatively insensitive to
wild points (i.e., robust regression techniques). (Some pertinent references for robust
regression are Hogg, 1979; Huber, 1977; Mosteller€& Tukey, 1977). It is important to
note that even robust regression may be ineffective when there are outliers in the space
of the predictors (Huber, 1977). Thus, even in robust regression there is a need for case
analysis. Also, a modification of robust regression (bounded-influence regression) has
been developed by Krasker and Welsch (1979).
3.14.1 Data Editing
Outliers and influential cases can occur because of recording errors. Consequently,
researchers should give more consideration to the data editing phase of the data analysis process (i.e., always listing the data and examining the list for possible errors).
There are many possible sources of error from the initial data collection to the final
data entry. First, some of the data may have been recorded incorrectly. Second, even
if recorded correctly, when all of the data are transferred to a single sheet or a few
sheets in preparation for data entry, errors may be made. Finally, even if no errors are

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made in these first two steps, an error(s) could be made in entering the data into the
computer.
There are various statistics for identifying outliers on y and on the set of predictors, as
well as for identifying influential data points. We discuss first, in brief form, a statistic
for each, with advice on how to interpret that statistic. Equations for the statistics are
given later in the section, along with a more extensive and somewhat technical discussion for those who are interested.
3.14.2 Measuring Outliers on€y
For finding participants whose predicted scores are quite different from their actual y
scores (i.e., they do not fit the model well), the studentized residuals (ri) can be used.
If the model is correct, then they have a normal distribution with a mean of 0 and a
standard deviation of 1. Thus, about 95% of the ri should lie within two standard deviations of the mean and about 99% within three standard deviations. Therefore, any
studentized residual greater than about 3 in absolute value is unusual and should be
carefully examined.
3.14.3 Measuring Outliers on Set of Predictors
The hat elements (hii) or leverage values can be used here. It can be shown that the
hat elements lie between 0 and 1, and that the average hat element is p / n, where
p€=€k + 1. Because of this, Hoaglin and Welsch (1978) suggested that 2p / n may be
considered large. However, this can lead to more points than we really would want to
examine, and you should consider using 3p / n. For example, with six predictors and
100 subjects, any hat element, or leverage value, greater than 3(7) / 100€=€.21 should
be carefully examined. This is a very simple and useful rule for quickly identifying
participants who are very different from the rest of the sample on the set of predictors.
Note that instead of leverage SPSS reports a centered leverage value. For this statistic,
the earlier guidelines for identifying outlying values are now 2k / n (instead of 2p / n)
and 3k / n (instead of 3p /€n).
3.14.4 Measuring Influential Data Points
An influential data point is one that when deleted produces a substantial change in at
least one of the regression coefficients. That is, the prediction equations with and without the influential point are quite different. Cook’s distance (Cook, 1977) is very useful for identifying influential points. It measures the combined influence of the case’s
being an outlier on y and on the set of predictors. Cook and Weisberg (1982) indicated
that a Cook’s distance€=€1 would generally be considered large. This provides a “red
flag,” when examining computer output for identifying influential points.
All of these diagnostic measures are easily obtained from SPSS REGRESSION (see
Table€3.3) or SAS REG (see Table€3.6).

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3.14.5 Measuring Outliers on€y
The raw residuals, e^ i = yi − y^ i , in linear regression are assumed to be independent,
to have a mean of 0, to have constant variance, and to follow a normal distribution.
However, because the n residuals have only n − k degrees of freedom (k degrees of
freedom were lost in estimating the regression parameters), they can’t be independent.
If n is large relative to k, however, then the e^ i are essentially independent. Also, the
residuals have different variances. It can be shown (Draper€& Smith, 1981, p.€144) that
the variance for the ith residual is given€by:
2

2
s=
σ^ (1 − hii ),(15)
ei
2

where σ^ is the estimate of variance not predictable from the regression (MSres), and
hii is the ith diagonal element of the hat matrix X(X′X)−1X′. Recall that X is the score
matrix for the predictors. The hii play a key role in determining the predicted values for
the subjects. Recall€that
^

^

β = ( X ′X)−1 X ′Y and y^ = X β .

Therefore, ŷ = X(X′X)−1 X′y by simple substitution. Thus, the predicted values for
y are obtained by postmultiplying the hat matrix by the column vector of observed
scores on€y.
Because the predicted values (ŷi) and the residuals are related by e^ i = yi − y^ i , it should
not be surprising in view of the foregoing that the variability of the e^ i would be
affected by the hii.
Because the residuals have different variances, we need to properly scale the residuals
so that we can meaningfully compare them. This is completely analogous to what is
done in comparing raw scores from distributions with different variances and different
means. There, one means of standardizing was to convert to z scores, using zi€= €(xi − x) / s.
Here we also subtract off the mean (which is 0 and hence has no effect) and then
divide by the standard deviation, which is the square root of Equation€15. Thus, the
studentized residual is€then
ri =

e^ i − 0
σ^ 1 − hii

=

e^ i

.
σ^ 1 − hii (16)

Because the ri are assumed to have a normal distribution with a mean of 0 (if the
model is correct), then about 99% of the ri should lie within three standard deviations
of the€mean.
3.14.6 Measuring Outliers on the Predictors
The hii are one measure of the extent to which the ith observation is an outlier for the
predictors. The hii are important because they can play a key role in determining the
predicted values for the subjects. Recall€that

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^

^

β = ( X ′X)−1 X ′Y and y^ = X β .

Therefore, y=X(X′X)−1 X′y by simple substitution.
Thus, the predicted values for y are obtained by postmultiplying the hat matrix by the
column vector of observed scores on y. It can be shown that the hii lie between 0 and
1, and that the average value for hii€=€k / n. From Equation€15 it can be seen that when
hii is large (i.e., near 1), then the variance for the ith residual is near 0. This means
that y^ i ≈ y^ i . In other words, an observation may fit the linear model well and yet be
an influential data point. This second diagnostic, then, is “flagging” observations that
need to be examined carefully because they may have an unusually large influence on
the regression coefficients.
What is a significant value for the hii? Hoaglin and Welsch (1978) suggested that
2p / n may be considered large. Belsey et€al. (1980, pp.€67–68) showed that when the
set of predictors is multivariate normal, then (n − p)[hii − 1 / n] / (1 − hii)(p − 1) is distributed as F with (p − 1) and (n − p) degrees of freedom.
Rather than computing F and comparing against a critical value, Hoaglin and Welsch
suggested 2p / n as rough guide for a large hii.
An important point to remember concerning the hat elements is that the points they
identify will not necessarily be influential in affecting the regression coefficients.
A second measure for identifying outliers on the predictors is Mahalanobis’ (1936)
distance for case i ( Di2 ). This measure indicates how far a case is from the centroid of
all cases for the predictors. A€large distance indicates an observation that is an outlier
for the predictors. The Mahalanobis distance can be written in terms of the covariance
matrix S€as
Di2 = (xi − x )′S −1 (xi − x ),

(17)

where xi is the vector of the data for case i and x is the vector of means (centroid) for
the predictors.
2
For a better understanding of Di , consider two small data sets. The first set has two
predictors. In Table€3.10, the data are presented, as well as the Di2 and the descriptive
statistics (including S). The Di2 for cases 6 and 10 are large because the score for Case
6 on xi (150) was deviant, whereas for Case 10 the score on x2 (97) was very deviant.
The graphical split-off of Cases 6 and 10 is quite vivid and was displayed in Figure€1.2
in Chapter€1.

In the previous example, because the numbers of predictors and participants were
few, it would have been fairly easy to spot the outliers even without the Mahalanobis

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distance. However, in practical problems with 200 or 300 cases and 10 predictors,
outliers are not always easy to spot and can occur in more subtle ways. For example,
a case may have a large distance because there are moderate to fairly large differences
on many of the predictors. The second small data set with four predictors and N€=€15
2
in Table€3.10 illustrates this latter point. The Di for case 13 is quite large (7.97) even
though the scores for that subject do not split off in a striking fashion for any of the
predictors. Rather, it is a cumulative effect that produces the separation.

 Table 3.10:╇ Raw Data and Mahalanobis Distances for Two Small Data€Sets
Case

Y

X1

X2

X3

X4

Dâ•›2i

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Summary
Statistics
M
SD

476
457
540
551
575
698
545
574
645
556
634
637
390
562
560

111
92
90
107
98
150
118
110
117
94
130
118
91
118
109

68
46
50
59
50
66
54
51
59
97
57
51
44
61
66

17
28
19
25
13
20
11
26
18
12
16
19
14
20
13

81
67
83
71
92
90
101
82
87
69
97
78
64
103
88

0.30
1.55
1.47
0.01
0.76
5.48
0.47
0.38
0.23
7.24

561.70000
70.74846

108.70000
17.73289

60.00000
14.84737

(1)

314.455 19.483 
S= 

 10.483 220.944 
2

Note: Boxed-in entries are the first data set and corresponding Di . The 10 case numbers having the largest
2
Di for a four-predictor data set are: 10, 10.859; 13, 7.977; 6, 7.223; 2, 5.048; 14, 4.874; 7, 3.514; 5, 3.177; 3,
2.616; 8, 2.561; 4, 2.404.
2

(1)╇ Calculation of Di for Case€6:
D 6 = (41.3, 6)
2

S

−1

=

−1

314.455 19.483  41.3
 19.483 220.444   6 

 .00320 −.00029 
2
−.00029 .00456  → D6 = 5.484

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How large must Di2 be before you can say that case i is significantly separated from
the rest of the data? Johnson and Wichern (2007) note that these distances, if multivariate normality holds, approximately follow a chi-square distribution with degrees
of freedom equal to the number of predictors (k), with this approximation improving
for larger samples. A€common practice is to consider a multivariate outlier to be present when an obtained Mahalanobis distance exceeds a chi-square critical value at a
conservative alpha level (e.g., .001) with k degrees of freedom. Referring back to the
example with two predictors, if we assume multivariate normality, then neither case 6
( Di2 €=€5.48) nor case 10 ( Di2 €=€7.24) would be considered as a multivariate outlier at
the .001 level as the chi-square critical value is 13.815.
3.14.7 Measures for Influential Data Points
3.14.7.1 Cook’s Distance

Cook’s distance (CD) is a measure of the change in the regression coefficients that
would occur if this case were omitted, thus revealing which cases are most influential
in affecting the regression equation. It is affected by the case’s being an outlier both on
y and on the set of predictors. Cook’s distance is given€by
 ^ ^ ′
^ ^ 
CDi =  β− β( − i )  X ′X  β− β( − i )  ( k + 1) MSres , (18)




^

where β( −i ) is the vector of estimated regression coefficients with the ith data point
deleted, k is the number of predictors, and MSres is the residual (error) variance for the
full data€set.
^

^

Removing the ith data point should keep β( −i ) close to β unless the ith observation is
an outlier. Cook and Weisberg (1982, p.€118) indicated that a CDi > 1 would generally
be considered large. Cook’s distance can be written in an alternative revealing€form:
h
1
CDi =
ri2 ii ,
(19)
(k + 1) 1 − hii
where ri is the studentized residual and hii is the hat element. Thus, Cook’s distance
measures the joint (combined) influence of the case being an outlier on y and on the
set of predictors. A€case may be influential because it is a significant outlier only on y,
for example,
k€=€5, n€=€40, ri€=€4, hii€= .3: CDi >€1,
or because it is a significant outlier only on the set of predictors, for example,
k€=€5, n€=€40, ri€=€2, hii€= .7: CDi >€1.
Note, however, that a case may not be a significant outlier on either y or on the set of
predictors, but may still be influential, as in the following:

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k€=€3, n€=€20, hii€=€.4, r€= 2.5: CDi >€1
3.14.7.2 Dffits

This statistic (Belsley et al., 1980) indicates how much the ith fitted value will change
if the ith observation is deleted. It is given€by
DFFITSi =

y^ i − y^ i −1
.
s−1 h11

(20)

The numerator simply expresses the difference between the fitted values, with the ith
point in and with it deleted. The denominator provides a measure of variability since
s 2y = σ 2 hii . Therefore, DFFITS indicates the number of estimated standard errors that
the fitted value changes when the ith point is deleted.
3.14.7.3 Dfbetas

These are very useful in detecting how much each regression coefficient will change if
the ith observation is deleted. They are given€by
DFBETAi =

b j − b j −1
SE (b j −1 )

.

(21)

Each DFBETA therefore indicates the number of standard errors a given coefficient
changes when the ith point is deleted. DFBETAS are available on SAS and SPSS, with
SPSS referring to these as standardized DFBETAS. Any DFBETA with a value > |2|
indicates a sizable change and should be investigated. Thus, although Cook’s distance
is a composite measure of influence, the DFBETAS indicate which specific coefficients are being most affected.
It was mentioned earlier that a data point that is an outlier either on y or on the set of
predictors will not necessarily be an influential point. Figure€3.6 illustrates how this
can happen. In this simplified example with just one predictor, both points A and B are
outliers on x. Point B is influential, and to accommodate it, the least squares regression
line will be pulled downward toward the point. However, Point A is not influential
because this point closely follows the trend of the rest of the€data.
3.14.8 Summary
In summary, then, studentized residuals can be inspected to identify y outliers, and the
leverage values (or centered leverage values in SPSS) or the Mahalanobis distances
can be used to detect outliers on the predictors. Such outliers will not necessarily be
influential points. To determine which outliers are influential, find those whose Cook’s
distances are > 1. Those points that are flagged as influential by Cook’s distance need
to be examined carefully to determine whether they should be deleted from the analysis. If there is a reason to believe that these cases arise from a process different from

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

 Figure 3.6:╇ Examples of two outliers on the predictors: one influential and the other not
�influential.
Y
A

B

X

that for the rest of the data, then the cases should be deleted. For example, the failure
of a measuring instrument, a power failure, or the occurrence of an unusual event (perhaps inexplicable) would be instances of a different process.
If a point is a significant outlier on y, but its Cook’s distance is < 1, there is no real need
to delete the point because it does not have a large effect on the regression analysis.
However, one should still be interested in studying such points further to understand
why they did not fit the model. After all, the purpose of any study is to understand the
data. In particular, you would want to know if there are any communalities among the
cases corresponding to such outliers, suggesting that perhaps these cases come from
a different population. For an excellent, readable, and extended discussion of outliers,
influential points, identification of and remedies for, see Weisberg (1980, chapters€5
and€6).
In concluding this summary, the following from Belsley et€al. (1980) is appropriate:
A word of warning is in order here, for it is obvious that there is room for misuse of
the above procedures. High-influence data points could conceivably be removed
solely to effect a desired change in a particular estimated coefficient, its t value, or
some other regression output. While this danger exists, it is an unavoidable consequence of a procedure that successfully highlights such points .€.€. the benefits
obtained from information on influential points far outweigh any potential danger.
(pp.€15–16)
Example 3.8
We now consider the data in Table€3.10 with four predictors (n€=€15). This data was run
on SPSS REGRESSION. The regression with all four predictors is significant at the
.05 level (F€=€3.94, p < .0358). However, we wish to focus our attention on the outlier
analysis, a summary of which is given in Table€3.11. Examination of the studentized
residuals shows no significant outliers on y. To determine whether there are any significant outliers on the set of predictors, we examine the Mahalanobis distances. No cases

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are outliers on the xs since the estimated chi-square critical value (.001, 4) is 18.465.
However, note that Cook’s distances reveal that both Cases 10 and 13 are influential
data points, since the distances are > 1. Note that Cases 10 and 13 are influential observations even though they were not considered as outliers on either y or on the set of
predictors. We indicated that this is possible, and indeed it has occurred here. This is
the more subtle type of influential point that Cook’s distance brings to our attention.
In Table€3.12 we present the regression coefficients that resulted when Cases 10 and 13
were deleted. There is a fairly dramatic shift in the coefficients in each case. For Case
10 a dramatic shift occurs for x2, where the coefficient changes from 1.27 (for all data
points) to −1.48 (with Case 10 deleted). This is a shift of just over two standard errors
(standard error for x2 on the output is 1.34). For Case 13 the coefficients change in sign
for three of the four predictors (x2, x3, and x4).
 Table 3.11:╇ Selected Output for Sample Problem on Outliers and Influential Points
Case Summariesa

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Total
a

N

Studentized Residual

Mahalanobis Distance

Cook’s Distance

–1.69609
–.72075
.93397
.08216
1.19324
.09408
–.89911
.21033
1.09324
1.15951
.09041
1.39104
−1.73853
−1.26662
–.04619
15

.57237
5.04841
2.61611
2.40401
3.17728
7.22347
3.51446
2.56197
.17583
10.85912
1.89225
2.02284
7.97770
4.87493
1.07926
15

.06934
.07751
.05925
.00042
.11837
.00247
.07528
.00294
.02057
1.43639
.00041
.10359
1.05851
.22751
.00007
15

Limited to first 100 cases.

 Table 3.12:╇ Selected Output for Sample Problem on Outliers and Influential Points
Model Summary
Model

R

1

.782

a

a

R Square

Adjusted R
Square

Std. Error of the
Estimate

.612

.456

57.57994

Predictors: (Constant), X4, X2, X3, X1

(Continued)

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 Table 3.12:╇ (Continued)
ANOVA

a

Model
1

a
b

Regression
Residual
Total

Sum of
Squares

df

Mean Square

F

Sig.

52231.502
33154.498
85386.000

4
10
14

13057.876
3315.450

3.938

.036b

Dependent Variable: Y
Predictors: (Constant), X4, X2, X3, X1

Coefficientsa

Model
1

a

(Constant)
X1
X2
X3
X4

Unstandardized Coefficients

Standardized Coefficients

B

Std. Error

Beta

15.859

180.298

2.803
1.270
2.017
1.488

1.266
1.344
3.559
1.785

t

.586
.210
.134
.232

Sig.
.088

.932

2.215
.945
.567
.834

.051
.367
.583
.424

Dependent Variable: Y

Regression Coefficients With Case 10 Deleted

Regression Coefficients With Case 13 Deleted

Variable

B

Variable

B

(Constant)
X1
X2
X3
X4

23.362
3.529
–1.481
2.751
2.078

(Constant)
X1
X2
X3
X4

410.457
3.415
−.708
−3.456
−1.339

3.15╇FURTHER DISCUSSION OF THE TWO COMPUTER
EXAMPLES
3.15.1 Morrison€Data
Recall that for the Morrison data the stepwise procedure yielded the more parsimonious
model involving three predictors: CLARITY, INTEREST, and STIMUL. If we were
interested in an estimate of the predictive power in the population, then the Wherry
estimate given by Equation€ 11 is appropriate. This is given under STEP NUMBER
3 on the SPSS output in Table€3.4, which shows that the ADJUSTED R SQUARE is

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.840. Here the estimate is used in a descriptive sense: to describe the relationship in the
population. However, if we are interested in the cross-validity predictive power, then
the Stein estimate (Equation€12) should be used. The Stein adjusted R2 in this case€is
ρc2 = 1 − (31 / 28)(30 / 27)(33 / 32)(1 − .856) = .82.
This estimates that if we were to cross-validate the prediction equation on many other
samples from the same population, then on the average we would account for about
82% of the variance on the dependent variable. In this instance the estimated drop-off
in predictive power is very little from the maximized value of 85.6%. The reason is
that the association between the dependent variable and the set of predictors is very
strong. Thus, we can have confidence in the future predictive power of the equation.
It is also important to examine the regression diagnostics to check for any outliers or
influential data points. Table€3.13 presents the appropriate statistics, as discussed in
section€3.13, for identifying outliers on the dependent variable (studentized residuals),
outliers on the set of predictors (the centered leverage values), and influential data
points (Cook’s distance).
First, we would expect only about 5% of the studentized residuals to be > |2| if the linear model is appropriate. From Table€3.13 we see that two of the studentized residuals
are > |2|, and we would expect about 32(.05)€=€1.6, so nothing seems to be awry here.
Next, we check for outliers on the set of predictors. Since we have centered leverage
values, the rough “critical value” here is 3k / n€=€3(3) / 32€=€.281. Because no centered
leverage value in Table€3.13 exceeds this value, we have no outliers on the set of predictors. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we check for the existence of influential
data points using Cook’s distance. Recall that Cook and Weisberg (1982) suggested if
D > 1, then the point is influential. All the Cook’s distance values in Table€3.13 are far
less than 1, so we have no influential data points.
 Table 3.13:╇ Regression Diagnostics (Studentized Residuals, Centered Leverage
Â�Values, and Cook’s Distance) for Morrison MBA€Data
Case Summariesa

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Studentized Residual

Centered Leverage Value

Cook’s Distance

−.38956
−1.96017
.27488
−.38956
1.60373
.04353
−.88786
−2.22576
−.81838

.10214
.05411
.15413
.10214
.13489
.12181
.02794
.01798
.13807

.00584
.08965
.00430
.00584
.12811
.00009
.01240
.06413
.03413
(Continued )

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

 Table 3.13:╇ (Continued)
Case Summariesa

10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
Total
a

N

Studentized Residual

Centered Leverage Value

Cook’s Distance

.59436
.67575
−.15444
1.31912
−.70076
−.88786
−1.53907
−.26796
−.56629
.82049
.06913
.06913
.28668
.28668
.82049
−.50388
.38362
−.56629
.16113
2.34549
1.18159
−.26103
1.39951
32

.07080
.04119
.20318
.05411
.08630
.02794
.05409
.09531
.03889
.10392
.09329
.09329
.09755
.09755
.10392
.14084
.11157
.03889
.07561
.02794
.17378
.18595
.13088
32

.01004
.00892
.00183
.04060
.01635
.01240
.05525
.00260
.00605
.02630
.00017
.00017
.00304
.00304
.02630
.01319
.00613
.00605
.00078
.08652
.09002
.00473
.09475
32

Limited to first 100 cases.

In summary, then, the linear regression model is quite appropriate for the Morrison
data. The estimated cross-validity power is excellent, and there are no outliers or influential data points.
3.15.2 National Academy of Sciences€Data
Recall that both the stepwise procedure and the MAXR procedure yielded the same
“best” four-predictor set: NFACUL, PCTSUPP, PCTGRT, and NARTIC. The maximized R2€=€.8221, indicating that 82.21% of the variance in quality can be accounted
for by these four predictors in this sample. Now we obtain two measures of the
cross-validity power of the equation. First, SAS REG indicated for this example the
PREDICTED RESID SS (PRESS)€ =€ 1350.33. Furthermore, the sum of squares for
QUALITY is 4564.71. From these numbers we can use Equation€14 to compute

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↜渀屮

2
RPress
= 1 − (1350.33) / 4564.71 = .7042.

This is a good measure of the external predictive power of the equation, where we have
n validations, each based on (n − 1) observations.
The Stein estimate of how much variance on the average we would account for if the
equation were applied to many other samples€is
ρc2 = 1 − ( 45 / 41)( 44 / 40)( 47 / 46)(1 − .822) = .7804.
Now we turn to the regression diagnostics from SAS REG, which are presented in
Table€ 3.14. In terms of the studentized residuals for y (under the Student Residual
column), two stand out (−2.756 and 2.376 for observations 25 and 44). These are for
the University of Michigan and Virginia Polytech. In terms of outliers on the set of
predictors, using 3p / n to identify large leverage values [3(5) / 46€=€.326] suggests that
there is one unusual case: observation 25 (University of Michigan). Note that leverage
is referred to as Hat Diag H in€SAS.
 Table 3.14:╇ Regression Diagnostics (Studentized Residuals, Cook’s Distance, and Hat
Elements) for National Academy of Science€Data
Obs

Student residual

Cook’s D

Hat diag H

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21

−0.708
−0.0779
0.403
0.424
0.800
−1.447
1.085
−0.300
−0.460
1.694
−0.694
−0.870
−0.732
0.359
−0.942
1.282
0.424
0.227
0.877
0.643
−0.417

0.007
0.000
0.003
0.009
0.012
0.034
0.038
0.002
0.010
0.048
0.004
0.016
0.007
0.003
0.054
0.063
0.001
0.001
0.007
0.004
0.002

0.0684
0.1064
0.0807
0.1951
0.0870
0.0742
0.1386
0.1057
0.1865
0.0765
0.0433
0.0956
0.0652
0.0885
0.2328
0.1613
0.0297
0.1196
0.0464
0.0456
0.0429
(Continued )

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

 Table 3.14:╇ (Continued)
Obs

Student residual

Cook’s D

Hat diag H

22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46

0.193
0.490
0.357
−2.756
−1.370
−0.799
0.165
0.995
−1.786
−1.171
−0.994
1.394
1.568
−0.622
0.282
−0.831
1.516
1.492
0.314
−0.977
−0.581
0.0591
2.376
−0.508
−1.505

0.001
0.002
0.001
2.292
0.068
0.017
0.000
0.018
0.241
0.018
0.017
0.037
0.051
0.006
0.002
0.009
0.039
0.081
0.001
0.016
0.006
0.000
0.164
0.003
0.085

0.0696
0.0460
0.0503
0.6014
0.1533
0.1186
0.0573
0.0844
0.2737
0.0613
0.0796
0.0859
0.0937
0.0714
0.1066
0.0643
0.0789
0.1539
0.0638
0.0793
0.0847
0.0877
0.1265
0.0592
0.1583

Using the criterion of Cook’s D > 1, there is one influential data point, observation 25
(University of Michigan). Recall that whether a point will be influential is a joint function of being an outlier on y and on the set of predictors. In this case, the University
of Michigan definitely doesn’t fit the model and it differs dramatically from the other
psychology departments on the set of predictors. A€ check of the DFBETAS reveals
that it is very different in terms of number of faculty (DFBETA€=€−2.7653), and a scan
of the raw data shows the number of faculty at 111, whereas the average number of
faculty members for all the departments is only 29.5. The question needs to be raised
as to whether the University of Michigan is “counting” faculty members in a different
way from the rest of the schools. For example, are they including part-time and adjunct
faculty, and if so, is the number of these quite large?
For comparison purposes, the analysis was also run with the University of Michigan
deleted. Interestingly, the same four predictors emerge from the stepwise procedure,
although the results are better in some ways. For example, Mallows’ Ck is now 4.5248,

Chapter 3

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↜渀屮

whereas for the full data set it was 5.216. Also, the PRESS residual sum of squares is
now only 899.92, whereas for the full data set it was 1350.33.
3.16╇SAMPLE SIZE DETERMINATION FOR A RELIABLE
PREDICTION EQUATION
In power analysis, you are interested in determining a priori how many subjects are
needed per group to have, say, power€=€.80 at the .05 level. Thus, planning is done ahead
of time to ensure that one has a good chance of detecting an effect of a given magnitude.
Now, in multiple regression for prediction, the focus is different and the concern, or at
least one very important concern, is development of a prediction equation that has generalizability. A€study by Park and Dudycha (1974) provided several tables that, given certain
input parameters, enable one to determine how many subjects will be needed for a reliable
prediction equation. They considered from 3 to 25 random variable predictors, and found
that with about 15 subjects per predictor the amount of shrinkage is small (< .05) with high
probability (.90), if the squared population multiple correlation (ρ2) is .50. In Table€3.15
we present selected results from the Park and Dudycha study for 3, 4, 8, and 15 predictors.
 Table 3.15:╇ Sample Size Such That the Difference Between the Squared Multiple
Correlation and Squared Cross-Validated Correlation Is Arbitrarily Small With Given
Probability
Three predictors

Four predictors

γ

Γ

ρ2

ε

.99

.95

.90

.80

.60

.05

.01
.03
.01
.03
.05
.01
.03
.05
.10
.20
.01
.03
.05
.10
.20
.01
.03

858
269
825
271
159
693
232
140
70
34
464
157
96
50
27
235
85

554
166
535
174
100
451
151
91
46
22
304
104
64
34
19
155
55

421
123
410
133
75
347
117
71
36
17
234
80
50
27
15
120
43

290
79
285
91
51
243
81
50
25
12
165
57
36
20
12
85
31

158
39
160
50
27
139
48
29
15
8
96
34
22
13
9
50
20

.10

.25

.50

.40
81
18
88
27
14
79
27
17
7
6
55
21
14
9
7
30
13

ρ2

ε

.99

.95

.05 .01 1041 707
.03 312 201
.01 1006 691
.10 .03 326 220
.05 186 123
.01 853 587
.03 283 195
.25 .05 168 117
.10
84 58
.20
38 26
.01 573 396
.03 193 134
.50 .05 117 82
.10
60 43
.20
32 23
.01 290 201
.03 100 70

.90

.80

.60

.40

559
152
550
173
95
470
156
93
46
20
317
108
66
35
19
162
57

406
103
405
125
67
348
116
69
34
15
236
81
50
27
15
121
44

245
54
253
74
38
221
73
43
20
10
152
53
33
19
11
78
30

144
27
155
43
22
140
46
28
14
7
97
35
23
13
9
52
21

(Continued )

121

 Table 3.15:╇ (Continued)
Three predictors

Four predictors

γ
ρ2

ε

.99

.75

.05
.10
.20
.01
.03
.05
.10
.20

51
28
16
23
11
9
7
6

.98

.95
35
20
12
17
9
7
6
6

Γ

.90

.80

.60

.40

ρ2

ε

.99

28
16
10
14
8
7
6
5

21
13
9
11
7
6
6
5

14
9
7
9
6
6
5
5

10
7
6
7
6
5
5
5

.75

.05
.10
.20
.01
.03
.05
.10
.20

62
34
19
29
14
10
8
7

.98

Eight predictors

.95

ε

.99

.95

.90

.80

.60

.40

37
21
13
19
10
8
7
7

28
17
11
15
9
8
7
6

20
13
9
12
8
7
7
6

15
11
7
10
7
7
6
6

44
25
15
22
11
9
8
7

Fifteen �predictors

γ
ρ2

.90

Γ
.80

.60

.40

.05 .01 1640 1226 1031 821 585 418
.03 447
313 251 187 116 71
.01 1616 1220 1036 837 611 450
.10 .03 503
373 311 246 172 121
.05 281
202 166 128 85 55
.01 1376 1047 893 727 538 404
.03 453 344 292 237 174 129
.25 .05 267 202 171 138 101 74
.10 128
95
80 63 45 33
.20
52
37
30 24 17 12
.01 927 707 605 494 368 279
.03 312 238 204 167 125 96
.50 .05 188 144 124 103 77 59
.10
96
74
64 53 40 31
.20
49
38
33 28 22 18
.01 470 360 308 253 190 150
.03 162 125 108 90 69 54
.75 .05 100
78
68 57 44 35
.10
54
43
38 32 26 22
.20
31
25
23 20 17 15
.01
47
38
34 29 24 21
.03
22
19
18 16 15 14

ρ2

ε

.01
.05 .03
.01
.10 .03
.05
.01
.03
.25 .05
.10
.20
.01
.03
.50 .05
.10
.20
.01
.03
.75 .05
.10
.20
.01
.03

.99

.95

.90

.80

.60

.40

2523
640
2519
762
403
2163
705
413
191
76
1461
489
295
149
75
741
255
158
85
49
75
36

2007
474
2029
600
309
1754
569
331
151
58
1188
399
261
122
62
605
210
131
72
42
64
33

1760 1486 1161 918
398 316 222 156
1794 1532 1220 987
524 438 337 263
265 216 159 119
1557 1339 1079 884
504 431 345 280
292 249 198 159
132 111
87 69
49
40
30 24
1057 911 738 608
355 306 249 205
214 185 151 125
109
94
77 64
55
48
40 34
539 466 380 315
188 164 135 113
118 103
86 73
65
58
49 43
39
35
31 28
59
53
46 41
31
29
27 25

Chapter 3

ρ2 ε

â•…â•…Eight predictors

Fifteen predictors

γ

Γ
ε

.99

.95

.90

.80 .60

.40

ρ2

.98 .05 17
.10 14
.20 12

16
13
11

15
12
11

14
12
11

12
11
10

.98 .05
.10
.20

13
11
11

↜渀屮

.99

.95

.90

.80

.60

.40

28
23
20

26
21
19

25
21
19

24
20
19

23
20
18

22
19
18

2

↜渀屮

2

Note: Entries in the body of the table are the sample size such that Ρ (ρ − ρc < ε ) = γ , where ρ is population multiple correlation, ε is some tolerance, and γ is the probability.

To use Table€3.15 we need an estimate of ρ2, that is, the squared population multiple
correlation. Unless an investigator has a good estimate from a previous study that used
similar subjects and predictors, we feel taking ρ2€=€.50 is a reasonable guess for social
science research. In the physical sciences, estimates > .75 are quite reasonable. If we
set ρ2€=€.50 and want the loss in predictive power to be less than .05 with probability€=€.90, then the required sample sizes are as follows:

Number of predictors
ρ €=€.50, ε€=€.05
2

N
n/k ratio

3

4

50
16.7

66
16.5

8
124
15.5

15
214
14.3

The n/k ratios in all 4 cases are around 15/1.
We had indicated earlier that, as a rough guide, generally about 15 subjects per predictor are needed for a reliable regression equation in the social sciences, that is, an
equation that will cross-validate well. Three converging lines of evidence support this
conclusion:
1. The Stein formula for estimated shrinkage (see results in Table€3.8).
2. Personal experience.
3. The results just presented from the Park and Dudycha study.
However, the Park and Dudycha study (see Table€3.15) clearly shows that the magnitude of ρ (population multiple correlation) strongly affects how many subjects will be
needed for a reliable regression equation. For example, if ρ2€=€.75, then for three predictors only 28 subjects are needed (assuming ε =.05, with probability€=€.90), whereas
50 subjects are needed for the same case when ρ2€=€.50. Also, from the Stein formula
(Equation€12), you will see if you plug in .40 for R2 that more than 15 subjects per
predictor will be needed to keep the shrinkage fairly small, whereas if you insert .70
for R2, significantly fewer than 15 will be needed.

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

3.17 OTHER TYPES OF REGRESSION ANALYSIS
Least squares regression is only one (although the most prevalent) way of conducting
a regression analysis. The least squares estimator has two desirable statistical properties; that is, it is an unbiased, minimum variance estimator. Mathematically, unbiased
^
means that Ε(β) = β, the expected value of the vector of estimated regression coefficients, is the vector of population regression coefficients. To elaborate on this a bit,
unbiased means that the estimate of the population coefficients will not be consistently
high or low, but will “bounce around” the population values. And, if we were to average the estimates from many repeated samplings, the averages would be very close to
the population values.
The minimum variance notion can be misleading. It does not mean that the variance of
the coefficients for the least squares estimator is small per se, but that among the class
of unbiased estimators β has the minimum variance. The fact that the variance of β can
be quite large led Hoerl and Kenard (1970a, 1970b) to consider a biased estimator of
β, which has considerably less variance, and the development of their ridge regression
technique. Although ridge regression has been strongly endorsed by some, it has also
been criticized (Draper€& Smith, 1981; Morris, 1982; Smith€& Campbell, 1980). Morris, for example, found that ridge regression never cross-validated better than other
types of regression (least squares, equal weighting of predictors, reduced rank) for a
set of data situations.
Another class of estimators are the James-Stein (1961) estimators. Regarding the utility of these, the following from Weisberg (1980) is relevant: “The improvement over
least squares will be very small whenever the parameter β is well estimated, i.e., collinearity is not a problem and β is not too close to O” (p.€258).
Since, as we have indicated earlier, least squares regression can be quite sensitive to
outliers, some researchers prefer regression techniques that are relatively insensitive
to outliers, that is, robust regression techniques. Since the early 1970s, the literature
on these techniques has grown considerably (Hogg, 1979; Huber, 1977; Mosteller€&
Tukey, 1977). Although these techniques have merit, we believe that use of least
squares, along with the appropriate identification of outliers and influential points, is a
quite adequate procedure.

3.18 MULTIVARIATE REGRESSION
In multivariate regression we are interested in predicting several dependent variables
from a set of predictors. The dependent variables might be differentiated aspects of
some variable. For example, Finn (1974) broke grade point average (GPA) up into GPA
required and GPA elective, and considered predicting these two dependent variables

Chapter 3

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↜渀屮

from high school GPA, a general knowledge test score, and attitude toward education.
Or, one might measure “success as a professor” by considering various aspects of
success such as: rank (assistant, associate, full), rating of institution working at, salary,
rating by experts in the field, and number of articles published. These would constitute
the multiple dependent variables.

3.18.1 Mathematical€Model
In multiple regression (one dependent variable), the model€was
y€= Xβ +€e,
where y was the vector of scores for the subjects on the dependent variable, X was the
matrix with the scores for the subjects on the predictors, e was the vector of errors, and
β was vector of regression coefficients.
In multivariate regression the y, β, and e vectors become matrices, which we denote
by Y, B, and€E:
Y€=€XB +€E

 y11

 y21


 yn1

Y
B
E
X
y12  y1 p  
b  b1 p   e11 e12  e1 p 
1 x12  x1k  b01 02
 

 


y22  y2 p  1 x22  y2 k  b11 b12  b1 p   e21 e22  e2 p 


=

+

  
  
  



yn 2 ynp  1 xn 2 xnk  bk1 bk 2 bkp   en1 en 2  enp 

The first column of Y gives the scores for the subjects on the first dependent variable,
the second column the scores on the second dependent variable, and so on. The first
column of B gives the set of regression coefficients for the first dependent variable,
the second column the regression coefficients for the second dependent variable, and
so€on.
Example 3.11
As an example of multivariate regression, we consider part of a data set from Timm
(1975). The dependent variables are the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test score and
the Raven Progressive Matrices Test score. The predictors were scores from different types of paired associate learning tasks, called “named still (ns),” “named action
(na),” and “sentence still (ss).” SPSS syntax for running the analysis using the SPSS
MANOVA procedure are given in Table€3.16, along with annotation. Selected output

125

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

from the multivariate regression analysis run is given in Table€3.17. The multivariate
test determines whether there is a significant relationship between the two sets of
variables, that is, the two dependent variables and the three predictors. At this point,
you should focus on Wilks’ Λ, the most commonly used multivariate test statistic.
We have more to say about the other multivariate tests in Chapter€5. Wilks’ Λ here is
given€by:
Λ=

SSresid
SS tot

=

SSresid
SSreg + SSresid

,0 ≤ Λ ≤1

Recall from the matrix algebra chapter that the determinant of a matrix served as a multivariate generalization for the variance of a set of variables. Thus, |SSresid| indicates the
amount of variability for the set of two dependent variables that is not accounted for by

 Table 3.16:╇ SPSS Syntax for Multivariate Regression Analysis of Timm Data—Two
Dependent Variables and Three Predictors
(1)
(3)

(2)
(4)

TITLE ‘MULT. REGRESS. – 2 DEP. VARS AND 3 PREDS’.
DATA LIST FREE/PEVOCAB RAVEN NS NA SS.
BEGIN DATA.
48
8
6
12
16
76
13
14
30
40
13
21
16
16
52
9
5
17
63
15
11
26
17
82
14
21
34
71
21
20
23
18
68
8
10
19
74
11
7
16
13
70
15
21
26
70
15
15
35
24
61
11
7
15
54
12
13
27
21
55
13
12
20
54
10
20
26
22
40
14
5
14
66
13
21
35
27
54
10
6
14
64
14
19
27
26
47
16
15
18
48
16
9
14
18
52
14
20
26
74
19
14
23
23
57
12
4
11
57
10
16
15
17
80
11
18
28
78
13
19
34
23
70
16
9
23
47
14
7
12
8
94
19
28
32
63
11
5
25
14
76
16
18
29
59
11
10
23
24
55
8
14
19
74
14
10
18
18
71
17
23
31
54
14
6
15
14
END DATA.

LIST.

MANOVA PEVOCAB RAVEN WITH NS NA SS/
PRINT€=€CELLINFO(MEANS, COR).

(1)╇The variables are separated by blanks; they could also have been separated by commas.
(2)╇This LIST command is to get a listing of the€data.
(3)╇The data is preceded by the BEGIN DATA command and followed by the END DATA command.
(4)╇ The predictors follow the keyword WITH in the MANOVA command.

27
8
25
14
25
14
17
8
16
10
26
8
21
11
32
21
12
26

Chapter 3

↜渀屮

↜渀屮

Table 3.17:╇ Multivariate and Univariate Tests of Significance and Regression
Coefficients for Timm€Data
EFFECT.. WITHIN CELLS REGRESSION
MULTIVARIATE TESTS OF SIGNIFICANCE (S€=€2, M€=€0, N€=€15)
TEST NAME

VALUE

APPROX. F

PILLAIS
HOTELLINGS
WILKS
ROYS

.57254
1.00976
.47428
.47371

4.41203
5.21709
4.82197

HYPOTH. DF
6.00
6.00
6.00

ERROR DF

SIG. OF F

66.00
62.00
64.00

.001
.000
.000

This test indicates there is a significant (at α€=€.05) regression of the set of 2 dependent variables
on the three predictors.
UNIVARIATE F-TESTS WITH (3.33) D.F.
VARIABLE

SQ. MUL.â•›R.

MUL. R

ADJ. R-SQ

F

SIG. OF F

PEVOCAB
RAVEN

.46345
.19429

.68077
.44078

.41467
.12104

(1) 9.50121
2.65250

.000
.065

These results show there is a significant regression for PEVOCAB, but RAVEN is not significantly
related to the three predictors at .05, since .065 > .05.
DEPENDENT VARIABLE.. PEVOCAB
COVARIATE

B

BETA

STD. ERR.

T-VALUE

SIG. OF T.

NS
NAâ•…(2)
SS

–.2056372599
1.01272293634
.3977340740

–.1043054487
.5856100072
.2022598804

.40797
.37685
.47010

–.50405
2.68737
.84606

.618
.011
.404

DEPENDENT VARIABLE.. RAVEN
COVARIATE

B

BETA

STD. ERR.

T-VALUE

SIG. OF T.

NS
NA
SS

.2026184278
.0302663367
–.0174928333

.4159658338
.0708355423
–.0360039904

.12352
.11410
.14233

1.64038
.26527
–.12290

.110
.792
.903

(1)╅ Using Equation€4, F =

R2 k
2

(1- R ) (n - k - 1)

=

.46345 3
= 9.501.
.53655 (37 - 3 - 1)

(2)â•… These are the raw regression coefficients for predicting PEVOCAB from the three predictors, excluding
the regression constant.

regression, and |SStot| gives the total variability for the two dependent variables around
their means. The sampling distribution of Wilks’ Λ is quite complicated; however, there
is an excellent F approximation (due to Rao), which is what appears in Table€3.17.
Note that the multivariate F€=€4.82, p < .001, which indicates a significant relationship
between the dependent variables and the three predictors beyond the .01 level.

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

The univariate Fs are the tests for the significance of the regression of each dependent
variable separately. They indicate that PEVOCAB is significantly related to the set
of predictors at the .05 level (F€=€9.501, p < .000), while RAVEN is not significantly
related at the .05 level (F€=€2.652, p€=€.065). Thus, the overall multivariate significance
is primarily attributable to PEVOCAB’s relationship with the three predictors.
It is important for you to realize that, although the multivariate tests take into account
the correlations among the dependent variables, the regression equations that appear at
the bottom of Table€3.17 are those that would be obtained if each dependent variable
were regressed separately on the set of predictors. That is, in deriving the regression
equations, the correlations among the dependent variables are ignored, or not taken
into account. If you wished to take such correlations into account, multivariate multilevel modeling, described in Chapter€14, can be used. Note that taking these correlations into account is generally desired and may lead to different results than obtained
by using univariate regression analysis.
We indicated earlier in this chapter that an R2 value around .50 occurs quite often with
educational and psychological data, and this is precisely what has occurred here with
the PEVOCAB variable (R2€=€.463). Also, we can be fairly confident that the prediction equation for PEVOCAB will cross-validate, since the n/k ratio is 12.33, which is
close to the ratio we indicated is necessary.

3.19 SUMMARY
1. A particularly good situation for multiple regression is where each of the predictors is correlated with y and the predictors have low intercorrelations, for then each
of the predictors is accounting for a relatively distinct part of the variance on€y.
2. Moderate to high correlation among the predictors (multicollinearity) creates three
problems: (1) it severely limits the size of R, (2) it makes determining the importance of given predictor difficult, and (3) it increases the variance of regression coefficients, making for an unstable prediction equation. There are at least three ways
of combating this problem. One way is to combine into a single measure a set of
predictors that are highly correlated. A€second way is to consider the use of principal
components or factor analysis to reduce the number of predictors. Because such
components are uncorrelated, we have eliminated multicollinearity. A€third way is
through the use of ridge regression. This technique is beyond the scope of this€book.
3. Preselecting a small set of predictors by examining a correlation matrix from a
large initial set, or by using one of the stepwise procedures (forward, stepwise,
backward) to select a small set, is likely to produce an equation that is sample
specific. If one insists on doing this, and we do not recommend it, then the onus is
on the investigator to demonstrate that the equation has adequate predictive power
beyond the derivation sample.
4. Mallows’ Cp was presented as a measure that minimizes the effect of under fitting
(important predictors left out of the model) and over fitting (having predictors in

Chapter 3

5.
6.

7.

8.

9.

↜渀屮

↜渀屮

the model that make essentially no contribution or are marginal). This will be the
case if one chooses models for which Cp ≈€p.
With many data sets, more than one model will provide a good fit to the data. Thus,
one deals with selecting a model from a pool of candidate models.
There are various graphical plots for assessing how well the model fits the assumptions underlying linear regression. One of the most useful graphs plots the studentized residuals (y-axis) versus the predicted values (x-axis). If the assumptions
are tenable, then you should observe that the residuals appear to be approximately
normally distributed around their predicted values and have similar variance
across the range of the predicted values. Any systematic clustering of the residuals
indicates a model violation(s).
It is crucial to validate the model(s) by either randomly splitting the sample and
cross-validating, or using the PRESS statistic, or by obtaining the Stein estimate of
the average predictive power of the equation on other samples from the same population. Studies in the literature that have not cross-validated should be checked
with the Stein estimate to assess the generalizability of the prediction equation(s)
presented.
Results from the Park and Dudycha study indicate that the magnitude of the population multiple correlation strongly affects how many subjects will be needed for
a reliable prediction equation. If your estimate of the squared population value is
.50, then about 15 subjects per predictor are needed. On the other hand, if your
estimate of the squared population value is substantially larger than .50, then far
fewer than 15 subjects per predictor will be needed.
Influential data points, that is, points that strongly affect the prediction equation,
can be identified by finding those cases having Cook’s distances > 1. These points
need to be examined very carefully. If such a point is due to a recording error, then
one would simply correct it and redo the analysis. Or if it is found that the influential point is due to an instrumentation error or that the process that generated the
data for that subject was different, then it is legitimate to drop the case from the
analysis. If, however, none of these appears to be the case, then one strategy is to
perhaps report the results of several analyses: one analysis with all the data and an
additional analysis (or analyses) with the influential point(s) deleted.

3.20 EXERCISES
1. Consider this set of€data:

X

Y

2
3
4
6
7
8

3
6
8
4
10
14

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130

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

X

Y

9
10
11
12
13

8
12
14
12
16

(a) Run a regression analysis with these data in SPSS and request a plot of
the studentized residuals (SRESID) by the standardized predicted values
(ZPRED).
(b) Do you see any pattern in the plot of the residuals? What does this suggest?
Does your inspection of the plot suggest that there are any outliers on€Y╛?
(c) Interpret the slope.
(d) Interpret the adjusted R square.
2. Consider the following small set of€data:

PREDX

DEP

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

1
4
6
8
9
10
10
8
7
6
5

(a) Run a regression analysis with these data in SPSS and obtain a plot of the
residuals (SRESID by ZPRED).
(b) Do you see any pattern in the plot of the residuals? What does this suggest?
(c) Inspect a scatter plot of DEP by PREDX. What type of relationship exists
between the two variables?
3. Consider the following correlation matrix:

y
x1
x2

y

x1

x2

1.00
.60
.50

.60
1.00
.80

.50
.80
1.00

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(a)How much variance on y will x1 account for if entered first?
(b)How much variance on y will x1 account for if entered second?
(c) What, if anything, do these results have to do with the multicollinearity
problem?
4. A medical school admissions official has two proven predictors (x1 and x2) of
success in medical school. There are two other predictors under consideration
(x3 and x4), from which just one will be selected that will add the most (beyond
what x1 and x2 already predict) to predicting success. Here are the correlations
among the predictors and the outcome gathered on a sample of 100 medical
students:

y
x1
x2
x3

x1

x2

x3

x4

.60

.55
.70

.60
.60
.80

.46
.20
.30
.60

(a) What procedure would be used to determine which predictor has the
greater incremental validity? Do not go into any numerical details, just
indicate the general procedure. Also, what is your educated guess as to
which predictor (x3 or x4) will probably have the greater incremental validity?
(b) Suppose the investigator found the third predictor, runs the regression,
and finds R€=€.76. Apply the Stein formula, Equation€12 (using k€=€3), and
tell exactly what the resulting number represents.
5. This exercise has you calculate an F statistic to test the proportion of variance
explained by a set of predictors and also an F statistic to test the additional
proportion of variance explained by adding a set of predictors to a model that
already contains other predictors. Suppose we were interested in predicting
the IQs of 3-year-old children from four measures of socioeconomic status
(SES) and six environmental process variables (as assessed by a HOME inventory instrument) and had a total sample size of 105. Further, suppose we were
interested in determining whether the prediction varied depending on sex and
on race and that the following analyses were€done:

To examine the relations among SES, environmental process, and IQ, two
regression analyses were done for each of five samples: total group, males,
females, whites, and blacks. First, four SES variables were used in the regression analysis. Then, the six environmental process variables (the six HOME
inventory subscales) were added to the regression equation. For each analysis,
IQ was used as the criterion variable.

The following table reports 10 multiple correlations:

131

132

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

Multiple Correlations Between Measures of Environmental Quality and€IQ
Measure

Males
(n€=€57)

Females
(n€=€48)

Whites
(n€=€37)

Blacks
(n€=€68)

Total
(N€=€105)

SES (A)
SES and HOME (A and B)

.555
.682

.636
.825

.582
.683

.346
.614

.556
.765

(a) Suppose that all of the multiple correlations are statistically significant (.05
level) except for .346 obtained for blacks with the SES variables. Show
that .346 is not significant at the .05 level. Note that F critical with (.05; 4;
63)€=€2.52.
(b) For males, does the addition of the HOME inventory variables to the prediction equation significantly increase predictive power beyond that of the
SES variables? Note that F critical with (.05; 6; 46)€=€2.30.

Note that the following F statistic is appropriate for determining whether
a set of variables B significantly adds to the prediction beyond what set A
contributes:
F=

(R2y,AB - R2y.A ) / kB
(1- R2y.AB ) / (n - k A - kB - 1)

, with kB and (n - k A - kB - 1)df,

where kA and kB represent the number of predictors in sets A and B, respectively.

╇6.Plante and Goldfarb (1984) predicted social adjustment from Cattell’s 16 personality factors. There were 114 subjects, consisting of students and employees
from two large manufacturing companies. They stated in their RESULTS section:

Stepwise multiple regression was performed.€.€.€. The index of social adjustment
significantly correlated with 6 of the primary factors of the 16 PF.€.€.€. Multiple
regression analysis resulted in a multiple correlation of R€=€.41 accounting for
17% of the variance with these 6 factors. The multiple R obtained while utilizing
all 16 factors was R€=€.57, thus accounting for 33% of the variance. (p.€1217)
(a) Would you have much faith in the reliability of either of these regression
equations?
(b)Apply the Stein formula (Equation€12) for random predictors to the
16-variable equation to estimate how much variance on the average we
could expect to account for if the equation were cross-validated on many
other random samples.

╇7.Consider the following data for 15 subjects with two predictors. The dependent
variable, MARK, is the total score for a subject on an examination. The first
predictor, COMP, is the score for the subject on a so-called compulsory paper.
The other predictor, CERTIF, is the score for the subject on a previous€exam.

Chapter 3

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Candidate MARK

COMP

CERTIF

Candidate MARK

COMP

CERTIF

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

111
92
90
107
98
150
118
110

68
46
50
59
50
66
54
51

9
10
11
12
13
14
15

117
94
130
118
91
118
109

59
97
57
51
44
61
66

476
457
540
551
575
698
545
574

645
556
634
637
390
562
560

↜渀屮

(a) Run a stepwise regression on this€data.
(b) Does CERTIF add anything to predicting MARK, above and beyond that
of€COMP?
(c) Write out the prediction equation.

╇8.A statistician wishes to know the sample size needed in a multiple regression
study. She has four predictors and can tolerate at most a .10 drop-off in predictive power. But she wants this to be the case with .95 probability. From previous related research the estimated squared population multiple correlation is
.62. How many subjects are needed?
╇9.Recall in the chapter that we mentioned a study where each of 22 college freshmen wrote four essays and then a stepwise regression analysis was applied to
these data to predict quality of essay response. It has already been mentioned
that the n of 88 used in the study is incorrect, since there are only 22 independent responses. Now let us concentrate on a different aspect of the study.
Suppose there were 17 predictors and that found 5 of them were “significant,”
accounting for 42.3% of the variance in quality. Using a median value between
5 and 17 and the proper sample size of 22, apply the Stein formula to estimate
the cross-validity predictive power of the equation. What do you conclude?
10.A regression analysis was run on the Sesame Street (n€=€240) data set, predicting postbody from the following five pretest measures: prebody, prelet,
preform, prenumb, and prerelat. The SPSS syntax for conducting a stepwise
regression is given next. Note that this analysis obtains (in addition to other
output): (1) variance inflation factors, (2) a list of all cases having a studentized
residual greater than 2 in magnitude, (3) the smallest and largest values for the
studentized residuals, Cook’s distance and centered leverage, (4) a histogram
of the standardized residuals, and (5) a plot of the studentized residuals versus
the standardized predicted y values.
regression descriptives=default/
variables€=€prebody to prerelat postbody/
statistics€=€defaults€tol/
dependent€=€postbody/

133

134

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION

method€=€stepwise/
residuals€=€histogram(zresid) outliers(sresid, lever, cook)/
casewise plot(zresid) outliers(2)/
scatterplot (*sresid, *zpred).

Selected results from SPSS appear in Table€3.18. Answer the following
questions.

 Table 3.18:╇ SPSS Results for Exercise€10
Regression

Descriptive Statistics

PREBODY
PRELET
PREFORM
PRENUMG
PRERELAT
POSTBODY

Mean

Std. Deviation

N

21.40
15.94
9.92
20.90
9.94
25.26

6.391
8.536
3.737
10.685
3.074
5.412

240
240
240
240
240
240

Correlations
PREBODY
PREBODY 1.000
.453
PRELET
.680
PREFORM
.698
PRENUMG
.623
PRERELAT
POSTBODY .650

PRELET

PREFORM

PRENUMG

PRERELAT

POSTBODY

.453
1.000
.506
.717
.471
.371

.680
.506
1.000
.673
.596
.551

.698
.717
.673
1.000
.718
.527

.623
.471
.596
.718
1.000
.449

.650
.371
.551
.527
.449
1.000

Variables Entered/Removeda
Model

Variables Entered

Variables Removed

Method

1

PREBODY

.

2

PREFORM

.

Stepwise (Criteria:
Probability-of-F-to-enter <= .050,
Probability-of-F-to-remove >= .100).
Stepwise (Criteria:
Probability-of-F-to-enter <= .050,
Probability-of-F-to-remove >= .100).

a

Dependent Variable: POSTBODY

Model Summaryc
Model

R

R Square

Adjusted R Square

Std. Error of the Estimate

1
2

.650a
.667b

.423
.445

.421
.440

4.119
4.049

a

Predictors: (Constant), PREBODY
Predictors: (Constant), PREBODY, PREFORM
c
Dependent Variable: POSTBODY
b

ANOVAa
Model
1

Regression
Residual
Total
Regression
Residual
Total

2

Sum of Squares

df

Mean Square

F

Sig.

2961.602
4038.860
7000.462
3114.883
3885.580
7000.462

1
238
239
2
237
239

2961.602
16.970

174.520

.000b

1557.441
16.395

94.996

.000c

a

Dependent Variable: POSTBODY
Predictors: (Constant), PREBODY
c
Predictors: (Constant), PREBODY, PREFORM
b

Coefficientsa
Unstandardized
Coefficients
Model
1

(Constant) 13.475
PREBODY .551
(Constant) 13.062
PREBODY .435
PREFORM .292

2

a

B

Std.
Error
.931
.042
.925
.056
.096

Standardized
Coefficients
Beta
.650
.513
.202

Collinearity Statistics
t

Sig.

14.473
13.211
14.120
7.777
3.058

.000
.000 1.000
.000
.000 .538
.002 .538

Tolerance

VIF
1.000
1.860
1.860

Dependent Variable: POSTBODY

Excluded Variablesa
Collinearity Statistics
Model

Beta In T

1

.096b
.202b
.143b
.072b

PRELET
PREFORM
PRENUMG
PRERELAT

1.742
3.058
2.091
1.152

Sig.

Partial
�Correlation Tolerance VIF

Minimum
Tolerance

.083
.002
.038
.250

.112
.195
.135
.075

.795
.538
.513
.612

.795
.538
.513
.612

1.258
1.860
1.950
1.634

(Continued )

 Table 3.18:╇ (Continued)
Excluded Variablesa
Collinearity Statistics
Model

Beta In T

2

.050c
.075c
.017c

PRELET
PRENUMG
PRERELAT

.881
1.031
.264

Sig.

Partial
�Correlation Tolerance VIF

Minimum
Tolerance

.379
.304
.792

.057
.067
.017

.489
.432
.464

.722
.439
.557

1.385
2.277
1.796

a

Dependent Variable: POSTBODY
Predictors in the Model: (Constant), PREBODY
c
Predictors in the Model: (Constant), PREBODY, PREFORM
b

Casewise Diagnosticsa
Case Number

Stud. Residual

POSTBODY

Predicted Value

Residual

36
38
39
40
125
135
139
147
155
168
210
219

2.120
−2.115
−2.653
−2.322
−2.912
2.210
–3.068
2.506
–2.767
–2.106
–2.354
3.176

29
12
21
21
11
32
11
32
17
13
13
31

20.47
20.47
31.65
30.33
22.63
23.08
23.37
21.91
28.16
21.48
22.50
18.29

8.534
–8.473
–10.646
–9.335
–11.631
8.919
–12.373
10.088
–11.162
–8.477
–9.497
12.707

a

Dependent Variable: POSTBODY

Outlier Statisticsa (10 Cases Shown)

Stud. Residual

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Case Number

Statistic

219
139
125
155
39
147
210
40
135
36

3.176
–3.068
–2.912
–2.767
–2.653
2.506
–2.354
–2.322
2.210
2.120

Sig. F

Outlier Statisticsa (10 Cases Shown)

Cook’s Distance

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Centered
Leverage Value

Statistic

Sig. F

219
125
39
38
40
139
147
177
140
13
140
32
23
114
167
52
233
8
236
161

.081
.078
.042
.032
.025
.025
.025
.023
.022
.020
.047
.036
.030
.028
.026
.026
.025
.025
.023
.023

.970
.972
.988
.992
.995
.995
.995
.995
.996
.996

Dependent Variable: POSTBODY
Histogram
Dependent Variable: POSTBODY
Mean = 4.16E-16
Std. Dev. = 0.996
N = 240

30
Frequency

a

Case Number

20

10

–4

–2
0
2
Regression Standardized Residual

4

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MULTIPLE REGRESSION FOR PREDICTION
Scatterplot
Dependent Variable: POSTBODY
4

Regression Studentized Residual

138

2

–2

–4
–3

–2

–1
0
1
Regression Standardized Predicted Value

2

3

(a) Why did PREBODY enter the prediction equation first?
(b) Why did PREFORM enter the prediction equation second?
(c) Write the prediction equation, rounding off to three decimals.
(d) Is multicollinearity present? Explain.
(e) Compute the Stein estimate and indicate in words exactly what it represents.
(f) Show by using the appropriate correlations from the correlation matrix
how the R-square change of .0219 can be calculated.
(g) Refer to the studentized residuals. Is the number of these greater than
121 about what you would expect if the model is appropriate? Why, or
why€not?
(h)Are there any outliers on the set of predictors?
(i)Are there any influential data points? Explain.
(j) From examination of the residual plot, does it appear there may be some
model violation(s)? Why or why€not?
(k) From the histogram of residuals, does it appear that the normality assumption is reasonable?
(l) Interpret the regression coefficient for PREFORM.
11.Consider the following€data:

Chapter 3

X1

X2

14
17
36
32
25

21
23
10
18
12

↜渀屮

↜渀屮

Find the Mahalanobis distance for case€4.
12.Using SPSS, run backward selection on the National Academy of Sciences
data. What model is selected?
13.From one of the better journals in your content area within the last 5€years find
an article that used multiple regression. Answer the following questions:
(a) Did the authors discuss checking the assumptions for regression?
(b) Did the authors report an adjusted squared multiple correlation?
(c) Did the authors discuss checking for outliers and/or influential observations?
(d) Did the authors say anything about validating their equation?

REFERENCES
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data and sources of collinearity. New York, NY: Wiley.
Cohen, J. (1990). Things I€have learned (so far). American Psychologist, 45, 1304–1312.
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Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S.╛G.,€& Aiken, L.╛S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Cook, R.â•›D. (1977). Detection of influential observations in linear regression. Technometrics,
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Cook, R.╛D.,€& Weisberg, S. (1982). Residuals and influence in regression. New York, NY:
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Dizney, H.,€& Gromen, L. (1967). Predictive validity and differential achievement on three
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Draper, N.╛R.,€& Smith, H. (1981). Applied regression analysis. New York, NY: Wiley.
Feshbach, S., Adelman, H.,€& Fuller, W. (1977). Prediction of reading and related academic
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141

Chapter 4

TWO-GROUP MULTIVARIATE
ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE
4.1╇INTRODUCTION
In this chapter we consider the statistical analysis of two groups of participants on
several dependent variables simultaneously; focusing on cases where the variables
are correlated and share a common conceptual meaning. That is, the dependent variables considered together make sense as a group. For example, they may be different
dimensions of self-concept (physical, social, emotional, academic), teacher effectiveness, speaker credibility, or reading (blending, syllabication, comprehension, etc.).
We consider the multivariate tests along with their univariate counterparts and show
that the multivariate two-group test (Hotelling’s T2) is a natural generalization of the
univariate t test. We initially present the traditional analysis of variance approach for
the two-group multivariate problem, and then later briefly present and compare a
regression analysis of the same data. In the next chapter, studies with more than two
groups are considered, where multivariate tests are employed that are generalizations
of Fisher’s F found in a univariate one-way ANOVA. The last part of this chapter (sections€4.9–4.12) presents a fairly extensive discussion of power, including introduction
of a multivariate effect size measure and the use of SPSS MANOVA for estimating
power.
There are two reasons one should be interested in using more than one dependent variable when comparing two treatments:
1. Any treatment “worth its salt” will affect participants in more than one way—hence
the need for several criterion measures.
2. Through the use of several criterion measures we can obtain a more complete and
detailed description of the phenomenon under investigation, whether it is reading achievement, math achievement, self-concept, physiological stress, or teacher
effectiveness or counselor effectiveness.
If we were comparing two methods of teaching second-grade reading, we would obtain
a more detailed and informative breakdown of the differential effects of the methods

Chapter 4

↜渀屮

↜渀屮

if reading achievement were split into its subcomponents: syllabication, blending,
sound discrimination, vocabulary, comprehension, and reading rate. Comparing the
two methods only on total reading achievement might yield no significant difference;
however, the methods may be making a difference. The differences may be confined to
only the more basic elements of blending and syllabication. Similarly, if two methods
of teaching sixth-grade mathematics were being compared, it would be more informative to compare them on various levels of mathematics achievement (computations,
concepts, and applications).

4.2╇FOUR STATISTICAL REASONS FOR PREFERRING A
MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS
1. The use of fragmented univariate tests leads to a greatly inflated overall type I€error
rate, that is, the probability of at least one false rejection. Consider a two-group
problem with 10 dependent variables. What is the probability of one or more spurious results if we do 10 t tests, each at the .05 level of significance? If we assume
the tests are independent as an approximation (because the tests are not independent), then the probability of no type I€errors€is:
(.95)(.95) (.95) ≈ .60

10 times

because the probability of not making a type I€error for each test is .95, and with
the independence assumption we can multiply probabilities. Therefore, the probability of at least one false rejection is 1 − .60€=€.40, which is unacceptably high.
Thus, with the univariate approach, not only does overall α become too high, but
we can’t even accurately estimate€it.
2. The univariate tests ignore important information, namely, the correlations among
the variables. The multivariate test incorporates the correlations (via the covariance matrix) right into the test statistic, as is shown in the next section.
3. Although the groups may not be significantly different on any of the variables
individually, jointly the set of variables may reliably differentiate the groups.
That is, small differences on several of the variables may combine to produce a
reliable overall difference. Thus, the multivariate test will be more powerful in
this€case.
4. It is sometimes argued that the groups should be compared on total test score first
to see if there is a difference. If so, then compare the groups further on subtest
scores to locate the sources responsible for the global difference. On the other
hand, if there is no total test score difference, then stop. This procedure could
definitely be misleading. Suppose, for example, that the total test scores were not
significantly different, but that on subtest 1 group 1 was quite superior, on subtest
2 group 1 was somewhat superior, on subtest 3 there was no difference, and on
subtest 4 group 2 was quite superior. Then it would be clear why the univariate

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analysis of total test score found nothing—because of a canceling-out effect. But
the two groups do differ substantially on two of the four subsets, and to some
extent on a third. A€multivariate analysis of the subtests reflects these differences
and would show a significant difference.
Many investigators, especially when they first hear about multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), will lump all the dependent variables in a single analysis. This is
not necessarily a good idea. If several of the variables have been included without
any strong rationale (empirical or theoretical), then small or negligible differences on
these variables may obscure a real difference(s) on some of the other variables. That
is, the multivariate test statistic detects mainly error in the system (i.e., in the set of
variables), and therefore declares no reliable overall difference. In a situation such as
this, what is called for are two separate multivariate analyses, one for the variables for
which there is solid support, and a separate one for the variables that are being tested
on a heuristic basis.

4.3╇THE MULTIVARIATE TEST STATISTIC AS A GENERALIZATION
OF THE UNIVARIATE T€TEST
For the univariate t test the null hypothesis€is:
H0 : μ1€= μ2 (population means are equal)
In the multivariate case the null hypothesis€is:
 µ11   µ12 
µ  µ 
21
 =  22  (population mean vectors are equal)
H0 : 
    
µ  µ 
 p1   p 2 
Saying that the vectors are equal implies that the population means for the two groups
on variable 1 are equal (i.e., μ11 =μ12), population group means on variable 2 are equal
(μ21€=€μ22), and so on for each of the p dependent variables. The first part of the subscript refers to the variable and the second part to the group. Thus, μ21 refers to the
population mean for variable 2 in group€1.
Now, for the univariate t test, you may recall that there are three assumptions involved:
(1) independence of the observations, (2) normality, and (3) equality of the population
variances (homogeneity of variance). In testing the multivariate null hypothesis the
corresponding assumptions are: (1) independence of the observations, (2) multivariate
normality on the dependent variables in each population, and (3) equality of the covariance matrices. The latter two multivariate assumptions are much more stringent than
the corresponding univariate assumptions. For example, saying that two covariance
matrices are equal for four variables implies that the variances are equal for each of the

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variables and that the six covariances for each of the groups are equal. Consequences
of violating the multivariate assumptions are discussed in detail in Chapter€6.
We now show how the multivariate test statistic arises naturally from the univariate t
by replacing scalars (numbers) by vectors and matrices. The univariate t is given€by:

y1 − y2

t=

( n1 − 1) s12 + ( n2 − 1) s22  1 +

 n1

n1 + n2 − 2

2

1

n2 

, (1)

2

where s1 and s2 are the sample variances for groups 1 and 2, respectively. The quantity under the radical, excluding the sum of the reciprocals, is the pooled estimate of
the assumed common within population variance, call it s2. Now, replacing that quantity by s2 and squaring both sides, we obtain:
t2 =

( y1 − y2 )2
1 1
s2  + 
 n1 n2 

  1 1 
= ( y1 − y2 )  s 2  +  
  n1 n2  

−1

( y1 − y2 )

−1

  n + n 
= ( y1 − y2 )  s 2  1 2   ( y1 − y2 )
  n1n2  
−1
nn
t 2 = 1 2 ( y1 − y2 ) s 2 ( y1 − y2 )
n1 + n2

( )

Hotelling’s T╛↜2 is obtained by replacing the means on each variable by the vectors of
means in each group, and by replacing the univariate measure of within variability s2
by its multivariate generalization S (the estimate of the assumed common population
covariance matrix). Thus we obtain:
T2 =

n1n2
⋅ ( y1 − y2 )′ S −1 ( y1 − y2 ) (2)
n1 + n2

Recall that the matrix analogue of division is inversion; thus (s2)−1 is replaced by the
inverse of€S.
Hotelling (1931) showed that the following transformation of Tâ•›2 yields an exact F
distribution:
F=

n1 + n2 − p − 1 2 (3)
⋅T
( n1 + n2 − 2 ) p

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with p and (N − p − 1) degrees of freedom, where p is the number of dependent variables and N€=€n1 + n2, that is, the total number of subjects.
We can rewrite T╛2€as:
T 2 = kd′S −1d,
where k is a constant involving the group sizes, d is the vector of mean differences,
and S is the covariance matrix. Thus, what we have reflected in Tâ•›2 is a comparison of
between-variability (given by the d vectors) to within-variability (given by S). This
may not be obvious, because we are not literally dividing between by within as in the
univariate case (i.e., F€=€MSh / MSw). However, recall that inversion is the matrix analogue of division, so that multiplying by S−1 is in effect “dividing” by the multivariate
measure of within variability.
4.4 NUMERICAL CALCULATIONS FOR A TWO-GROUP PROBLEM
We now consider a small example to illustrate the calculations associated
with Hotelling’s Tâ•›2. The fictitious data shown next represent scores on two measures of counselor effectiveness, client satisfaction (SA) and client self-acceptance
(CSA). Six participants were originally randomly assigned to counselors who
used either a behavior modification or cognitive method; however, three in the
behavior modification group were unable to continue for reasons unrelated to the
treatment.
Behavior modification

Cognitive

SA

CSA

SA

CSA

1
3
2

3
7
2

y11 = 2

y21 = 4

4
6
6
5
5
4

6
8
8
10
10
6

y12 = 5

y22 = 8

Recall again that the first part of the subscript denotes the variable and the second part
the group, that is, y12 is the mean for variable 1 in group€2.
In words, our multivariate null hypothesis is: “There are no mean differences between
the behavior modification and cognitive groups when they are compared simultaneously on client satisfaction and client self-acceptance.” Let client satisfaction be

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variable 1 and client self-acceptance be variable 2. Then the multivariate null hypothesis in symbols€is:
 µ11   µ12 
H0 :   =  
 µ 21   µ 22 
That is, we wish to determine whether it is tenable that the population means are
equal for variable 1 (µ11€=€µ12) and that the population means for variable 2 are equal
(µ21€=€µ22). To test the multivariate null hypothesis we need to calculate F in Equation€3. But to obtain this we first need Tâ•›2, and the tedious part of calculating Tâ•›2 is in
obtaining S, which is our pooled estimate of within-group variability on the set of two
variables, that is, our estimate of error. Before we begin calculating S it will be helpful
to go back to the univariate t test (Equation€1) and recall how the estimate of error
variance was obtained there. The estimate of the assumed common within-population
variance (σ2) (i.e., error variance) is given€by
s2 =

(n1 − 1) s12 + (n2 − 1) s22 = ssg1 + ssg 2
n1 + n2 − 2


(cf. Equation 1)

n1 + n2 − 2

(4)

(from the definition of variance)

where ssg1 and ssg2 are the within sums of squares for groups 1 and 2. In the multivariate case (i.e., in obtaining S) we replace the univariate measures of within-group
variability (ssg1 and ssg2) by their matrix multivariate generalizations, which we call
W1 and W2.
W1 will be our estimate of within variability on the two dependent variables in group 1.
Because we have two variables, there is variability on each, which we denote by ss1 and
ss2, and covariability, which we denote by ss12. Thus, the matrix W1 will look as follows:
 ss
W1 =  1
 ss21

ss12 
ss2 

Similarly, W2 will be our estimate of within variability (error) on variables in group 2.
After W1 and W2 have been calculated, we will pool them (i.e., add them) and divide
by the degrees of freedom, as was done in the univariate case (see Equation€ 4), to
obtain our multivariate error term, the covariance matrix S. Table€4.1 shows schematically the procedure for obtaining the pooled error terms for both the univariate t test
and for Hotelling’s Tâ•›2.
4.4.1 Calculation of the Multivariate Error Term€S
First we calculate W1, the estimate of within variability for group 1. Now, ss1 and
ss2 are just the sum of the squared deviations about the means for variables 1 and 2,
respectively.€Thus,

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 Table 4.1:╇ Estimation of Error Term for t Test and Hotelling’s€T╛↜2
t test (univariate)

Tâ•›2 (multivariate)

Within-group population covariance
Within-group population vari2
2
matrices are equal, Σ1€=€Σ2
ances are equal, i.e., σ1 = σ 2
Call the common value σ2
Call the common value Σ
To estimate these assumed common population values we employ the
three steps indicated next:
ssg1 and ssg2
W1 and W2

Assumption

Calculate the
within-group measures of variability.
Pool these estimates.
Divide by the degrees
of freedom

ssg1 + ssg2

W1 + W2

SS g 1 + SS g 2
= σˆ 2
n1 + n2 − 2

n1 + n2 − 2

W1 + W2

=

∑=S

Note: The rationale for pooling is that if we are measuring the same variability in each group (which is the
assumption), then we obtain a better estimate of this variability by combining our estimates.

ss1 =

3

∑( y ( ) − y
i =1

1i

11 )

2

= (1 − 2) 2 + (3 − 2) 2 + ( 2 − 2) 2 = 2

(y1(i) denotes the score for the ith subject on variable€1)
and
ss2 =

3

∑( y ( ) − y
i =1

2i

21 )

2

= (3 − 4)2 + (7 − 4)2 + (2 − 4)2 = 14

Finally, ss12 is just the sum of deviation cross-products:
ss12 =

∑ ( y ( ) − 2) ( y ( ) − 4)
3

i =1

1i

2i

= (1 − 2) (3 − 4) + (3 − 2) (7 − 4) + (2 − 2) ( 2 − 4) = 4
Therefore, the within SSCP matrix for group 1€is
 2 4
W1 = 
.
 4 14 
Similarly, as we leave for you to show, the within matrix for group 2€is
 4 4
W2 = 
.
 4 16 

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Thus, the multivariate error term (i.e., the pooled within covariance matrix) is
calculated€as:
 2 4   4 4
 4 14  +  4 16 
W1 + W2
 = 6 / 7 8 / 7 .
 
=
S=
8 / 7 30 / 7 
n1 + n2 − 2
7


Note that 6/7 is just the sample variance for variable 1, 30/7 is the sample variance for
variable 2, and 8/7 is the sample covariance.
4.4.2 Calculation of the Multivariate Test Statistic
To obtain Hotelling’s Tâ•›2 we need the inverse of S as follows:
1.810 −.483
S −1 = 

 −.483 .362 
From Equation€2 then, Hotelling’s Tâ•›2€is
T2 =
T2 =
T2 =

n1n2
( y1 − y 2 ) 'S −1 ( y1 − y 2 )
n1 + n2
3(6)

3+6

1.810 −.483  2 − 5 


 −.483 .362   4 − 8 

( 2 − 5, 4 − 8) 

 −3.501
 = 21
 .001 

( −6, −8) 

The exact F transformation of T2 is€then
F=

n=
n1 + n2 − p − 1 2 9 − 2 − 1
1
T =
( 21) = 9,
7 ( 2)
( n1 + n2 − 2 ) p

where F has 2 and 6 degrees of freedom (cf. Equation€3).
If we were testing the multivariate null hypothesis at the .05 level, then we would
reject this hypothesis (because the critical value€ =€ 5.14) and conclude that the two
groups differ on the set of two variables.
After finding that the groups differ, we would like to determine which of the variables
are contributing to the overall difference; that is, a post hoc procedure is needed. This
is similar to the procedure followed in a one-way ANOVA, where first an overall F test
is done. If F is significant, then a post hoc technique (such as Tukey’s) is used to determine which specific groups differed, and thus contributed to the overall difference.
Here, instead of groups, we wish to know which variables contributed to the overall
multivariate significance.

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Now, multivariate significance implies there is a linear combination of the dependent
variables (the discriminant function) that is significantly separating the groups. We
defer presentation of discriminant analysis (DA) to Chapter€10. You may see discussions in the literature where DA is preferred over the much more commonly used procedures discussed in section€4.5 because the linear combinations in DA may suggest
new “constructs” that a researcher may not have expected, and that DA makes use of
the correlations among outcomes throughout the analysis procedure. While we agree
that discriminant analysis can be of value, there are at least three factors that can mitigate its usefulness in many instances:
1. There is no guarantee that the linear combination (the discriminant function) will
be a meaningful variate, that is, that it will make substantive or conceptual sense.
2. Sample size must be considerably larger than many investigators realize in order
to have the results of a discriminant analysis be reliable. More details on this later.
3. The investigator may be more interested in identifying if group differences are
present for each specific variable, rather than on some combination of€them.
4.5 THREE POST HOC PROCEDURES
We now consider three possible post hoc approaches. One approach is to use the
Roy–Bose simultaneous confidence intervals. These are a generalization of the Scheffé
intervals, and are illustrated in Morrison (1976) and in Johnson and Wichern (1982).
The intervals are nice in that we not only can determine whether a pair of means is
different, but in addition can obtain a range of values within which the population
mean differences probably lie. Unfortunately, however, the procedure is extremely
conservative (Hummel€& Sligo, 1971), and this will hurt power (sensitivity for detecting differences). Thus, we cannot recommend this procedure for general€use.
As Bock (1975) noted, “their [Roy–Bose intervals] use at the conventional 90% confidence level will lead the investigator to overlook many differences that should be
interpreted and defeat the purposes of an exploratory comparative study” (p.€422).
What Bock says applies with particularly great force to a very large number of studies
in social science research where the group or effect sizes are small or moderate. In
these studies, power will be poor or not adequate to begin with. To be more specific,
consider the power table from Cohen (1988) for a two-tailed t test at the .05 level of
significance. For group sizes ≤ 20 and small or medium effect sizes through .60 standard deviations, which is a quite common class of situations, the largest power is .45.
The use of the Roy–Bose intervals will dilute the power even further to extremely low
levels.
A second widely used but also potentially problematic post hoc procedure we consider
is to follow up a significant multivariate test at the .05 level with univariate tests, each
at the .05 level. On the positive side, this procedure has the greatest power of the three
methods considered here for detecting differences, and provides accurate type I€error

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control when two dependent variables are included in the design. However, the overall type I€error rate increases when more than two dependent variables appear in the
design. For example, this rate may be as high as .10 for three dependent variables, .15
with four dependent variables, and continues to increase with more dependent variables. As such, we cannot not recommend this procedure if more than three dependent
variables are included in your design. Further, if you plan to use confidence intervals
to estimate mean differences, this procedure cannot be recommended because confidence interval coverage (i.e., the proportion of intervals that are expected to capture
the true mean differences) is lower than desired and becomes worse as the number of
dependent variables increases.
The third and generally recommended post hoc procedure is to follow a significant multivariate result by univariate ts, but to do each t test at the α/p level of
significance. Thus, if there were five dependent variables and we wished to have
an overall α of .05, then, we would simply compare our obtained p value for the t
(or F) test to α of .05/5€=€.01. By this procedure, we are assured by the Bonferroni
inequality that the overall type I€error rate for the set of t tests will be less than α.
In addition, this Bonferroni procedure provides for generally accurate confidence
interval coverage for the set of mean differences, and so is the preferred procedure
when confidence intervals are used. One weakness of the Bonferroni-adjusted procedure is that power will be severely attenuated if the number of dependent variables is even moderately large (say > 7). For example, if p€=€15 and we wish to set
overall α€=€.05, then each univariate test would be done at the .05/15€=€.0033 level
of significance.
There are two things we may do to improve power for the t tests and yet provide reasonably good protection against type I€errors. First, there are several reasons (which
we detail in Chapter€5) for generally preferring to work with a relatively small number
of dependent variables (say ≤ 10). Second, in many cases, it may be possible to divide
the dependent variables up into two or three of the following categories: (1) those variables likely to show a difference, (2) those variables (based on past research) that may
show a difference, and (3) those variables that are being tested on a heuristic basis. To
illustrate, suppose we conduct a study limiting the number of variables to eight. There
is fairly solid evidence from the literature that three of the variables should show a
difference, while the other five are being tested on a heuristic basis. In this situation, as
indicated in section€4.2, two multivariate tests should be done. If the multivariate test is
significant for the fairly solid variables, then we would test each of the individual variables at the .05 level. Here we are not as concerned about type I€errors in the follow-up
phase, because there is prior reason to believe differences are present, and recall that
there is some type I€error protection provided by use of the multivariate test. Then, a
separate multivariate test is done for the five heuristic variables. If this is significant,
we can then use the Bonferroni-adjusted t test approach, but perhaps set overall α
somewhat higher for better power (especially if sample size is small or moderate). For
example, we could set overall α€=€.15, and thus test each variable for significance at the
.15/5€=€.03 level of significance.

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4.6╇SAS AND SPSS CONTROL LINES FOR SAMPLE PROBLEM
AND SELECTED OUTPUT
Table€4.2 presents SAS and SPSS commands for running the two-group sample
MANOVA problem. Table€4.3 and Table€4.4 show selected SAS output, and Table€4.4
shows selected output from SPSS. Note that both SAS and SPSS give all four multivariate test statistics, although in different orders. Recall from earlier in the chapter
that for two groups the various tests are equivalent, and therefore the multivariate F is
the same for all four test statistics.
 Table 4.2:╇ SAS and SPSS GLM Control Lines for Two-Group MANOVA Sample Problem

(1)

SAS

SPSS

TITLE ‘MANOVA’;
DATA twogp;
INPUT gp y1 y2 @@
LINES;
1 1 3 1 3 7 1 2 2
2 4 6 2 6 8 2 6 8
2 5 10 2 5 10 2 4 6

TITLE 'MANOVA'.
DATA LIST FREE/gp y1 y2.
BEGIN DATA.

PROC GLM;

(2)

CLASS gp;

(3)

MODEL y1 y2€=€gp;

(4)

MANOVA H€=€gp/PRINTE
PRINTH;

(5)

MEANS gp;
RUN;

(6)

1 1
2 4
2 5
END

3 1 3 7 1 2 2
6 2 6 8 2 6 8
10 2 5 10 2 4 6
DATA.

(7)

GLM y1 y2 BY gp

(8)

/PRINT=DESCRIPTIVE
TEST(SSCP)
â•… /DESIGN= gp.

ETASQ

(1) The GENERAL LINEAR MODEL procedure is called.
(2) The CLASS statement tells SAS which variable is the grouping variable (gp, here).
(3) In the MODEL statement the dependent variables are put on the left-hand side and the grouping variable(s)
on the right-hand€side.
(4) You need to identify the effect to be used as the hypothesis matrix, which here by default is gp. After
the slash a wide variety of optional output is available. We have selected PRINTE (prints the error SSCP
matrix) and PRINTH (prints the matrix associated with the effect, which here is group).
(5) MEANS gp requests the means and standard deviations for each group.
(6) The first number for each triplet is the group identification with the remaining two numbers the scores on
the dependent variables.
(7) The general form for the GLM command is dependent variables BY grouping variables.
(8) This PRINT subcommand yields descriptive statistics for the groups, that is, means and standard deviations, proportion of variance explained statistics via ETASQ, and the error and between group SSCP matrices.

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 Table 4.3:╇ SAS Output for the Two-Group MANOVA Showing SSCP Matrices and
Multivariate€Tests
E€=€Error SSCP Matrix
Y1

Y2

Y1

6

8

Y2

8

30

H€=€Type III SSCP Matrix for GP
Y1

Y2

Y1

18

24

Y2

24

32

In 4.4, under CALCULATING THE �MULIVARIATE ERROR
TERM, we �computed the separate W1 + W2 matrices (the
within sums of squares and cross products �matrices),
and then pooled or added them to obtain the covariance
matrix S. What SAS is outputting here is this pooled
W1€=€W2 matrix.
Note that the diagonal elements of this hypothesis or
between-group SSCP matrix are just the between-group
sum-of-squares for the univariate F tests.

MANOVA Test Criteria and Exact F Statistics for the Hypothesis of No Overall GP Effect
H€=€Type III SSCP Matrix for GP
E€=€Error SSCP Matrix
S=1€M=0 N=2
Statistic

Value

F Value

Num DF

Den DF

Pr > F

Wilks’ Lambda
Pillai’s Trace
Hotelling-Lawley
Trace
Roy’s Greatest Root

0.25000000
0.75000000
3.00000000

9.00
9.00
9.00

2
2
2

6
6
6

0.0156
0.0156
0.0156

3.00000000

9.00

2

6

0.0156

In Table€4.3, the within-group (or error) SSCP and between-group SSCP matrices
are shown along with the multivariate test results. Note that the multivariate F of 9
(which is equal to the F calculated in section€4.4.2) is statistically significant (p <
.05), suggesting that group differences are present for at least one dependent variable. The univariate F tests, shown in Table€4.4, using an unadjusted alpha of .05,
indicate that group differences are present for each outcome as each p value (.003,
029) is less than .05. Note that these Fs are equivalent to squared t values as F€=€t2
for two groups. Given the group means shown in Table€4.4, we can then conclude
that the population means for group 2 are greater than those for group 1 for both
outcomes. Note that if you wished to implement the Bonferroni approach for these
univariate tests (which is not necessary here for type I€error control, given that we

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 Table 4.4:╇ SAS Output for the Two-Group MANOVA Showing Univariate Results
Dependent Variable: Y2
Source

DF

Sum of Squares

Mean Square

F Value Pr > F

Model
Error
Corrected Total

1
7
8

18.00000000
6.00000000
24.00000000

18.00000000
0.85714286

21.00

R-Square

CoeffVar

Root MSE

Y2 Mean

0.750000

23.14550

0.925820

4.000000

0.0025

Dependent Variable: Y2
Source

DF

Sum of Squares

Mean Square

F Value Pr > F

Model
Error
Corrected Total

1
7
8

32.00000000
30.00000000
62.00000000

32.00000000
4.28571429

7.47

R-Square

CoeffVar

Root MSE

Y2 Mean

0.516129

31.05295

2.070197

6.666667

Y1

0.0292

Y2

Level of
GP

N

Mean

StdDev

Mean

StdDev

1

3

2.00000000

1.00000000

4.00000000

2.64575131

2

6

5.00000000

0.89442719

8.00000000

1.78885438

have 2 dependent variables), you would simply compare the obtained p values to an
alpha of .05/2 or .025. You can also see that Table€4.5, showing selected SPSS output,
provides similar information, with descriptive statistics, followed by the multivariate
test results, univariate test results, and then the between- and within-group SSCP
matrices. Note that a multivariate effect size measure (multivariate partial eta square)
appears in the Multivariate Tests output selection. This effect size measure is discussed in Chapter€5. Also, univariate partial eta squares are shown in the output table
Test of Between-Subject Effects. This effect size measure is discussed is section€4.8.
Although the results indicate that group difference are present for each dependent
variable, we emphasize that because the univariate Fs ignore how a given variable
is correlated with the others in the set, they do not give an indication of the relative importance of that variable to group differentiation. A€technique for determining
the relative importance of each variable to group separation is discriminant analysis,
which will be discussed in Chapter€10. To obtain reliable results with discriminant
analysis, however, a large subject-to-variable ratio is needed; that is, about 20 subjects
per variable are required.

 Table 4.5:╇ Selected SPSS Output for the Two-Group MANOVA
Descriptive Statistics

Y1

Y2

GP

Mean

Std. Deviation

N

1.00
2.00
Total
1.00
2.00
Total

2.0000
5.0000
4.0000
4.0000
8.0000
6.6667

1.00000
.89443
1.73205
2.64575
1.78885
2.78388

3
6
9
3
6
9

Multivariate Testsa
Effect
GP

a
b

F

Hypothesis df

Error df

Sig.

Partial Eta
Squared

.750

9.000b

2.000

6.000

.016

.750

.250

9.000b

2.000

6.000

.016

.750

3.000

9.000b

2.000

6.000

.016

.750

3.000

9.000b

2.000

6.000

.016

.750

Value
Pillai’s
Trace
Wilks’
Lambda
Hotelling’s
Trace
Roy’s Largest Root

Design: Intercept + GP
Exact statistic

Tests of Between-Subjects Effects
Source
GP

Dependent
Variable

Y1
Y2
Error
Y1
Y2
Corrected Y1
Total
Y2

Type III Sum
of Squares

Df

18.000
32.000
6.000
30.000
24.000
62.000

1
1
7
7
8
8

Mean
Square
18.000
32.000
.857
4.286

F

Sig.

Partial Eta
Squared

21.000
7.467

.003
.029

.750
.516

Between-Subjects SSCP Matrix

Hypothesis

GP

Error

Y1
Y2
Y1
Y2

Based on Type III Sum of Squares
Note: Some nonessential output has been removed from the SPSS tables.

Y1

Y2

18.000
24.000
6.000
8.000

24.000
32.000
8.000
30.000

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↜渀屮 TWO-GROUP MANOVA

4.7╇MULTIVARIATE SIGNIFICANCE BUT NO UNIVARIATE
SIGNIFICANCE
If the multivariate null hypothesis is rejected, then generally at least one of the univariate ts will be significant, as in our previous example. This will not always be the case.
It is possible to reject the multivariate null hypothesis and yet for none of the univariate ts to be significant. As Timm (1975) pointed out, “furthermore, rejection of the
multivariate test does not guarantee that there exists at least one significant univariate
F ratio. For a given set of data, the significant comparison may involve some linear
combination of the variables” (p.€166). This is analogous to what happens occasionally
in univariate analysis of variance.
The overall F is significant, but when, say, the Tukey procedure is used to determine
which pairs of groups are significantly different, none is found. Again, all that significant F guarantees is that there is at least one comparison among the group means that is
significant at or beyond the same α level: The particular comparison may be a complex
one, and may or may not be a meaningful€one.
One way of seeing that there will be no necessary relationship between multivariate
significance and univariate significance is to observe that the tests make use of different information. For example, the multivariate test takes into account the correlations
among the variables, whereas the univariate do not. Also, the multivariate test considers the differences on all variables jointly, whereas the univariate tests consider the
difference on each variable separately.

4.8╇MULTIVARIATE REGRESSION ANALYSIS FOR THE SAMPLE
PROBLEM
This section is presented to show that ANOVA and MANOVA are special cases of
regression analysis, that is, of the so-called general linear model. Cohen’s (1968)
seminal article was primarily responsible for bringing the general linear model to
the attention of social science researchers. The regression approach to MANOVA
is accomplished by dummy coding group membership. This can be done, for the
two-group problem, by coding the participants in group 1 as 1, and the participants
in group 2 as 0 (or vice versa). Thus, the data for our sample problem would look
like€this:
y1

y2

x

1
3
2

3
7
2

1

1
1

group€1

Chapter 4

4
4
5

6
6
10

5
6
6

10
8
8

0
0 
0

0
0

0 

↜渀屮

↜渀屮

group€2

In a typical regression problem, as considered in the previous chapters, the predictors
have been continuous variables. Here, for MANOVA, the predictor is a categorical or
nominal variable, and is used to determine how much of the variance in the dependent
variables is accounted for by group membership.
The setup of the two-group MANOVA as a multivariate regression may seem somewhat
strange since there are two dependent variables and only one predictor. In the previous
chapters there has been either one dependent variable and several predictors, or several
dependent variables and several predictors. However, the examination of the association
is done in the same way. Recall that Wilks’ Λ is the statistic for determining whether
there is a significant association between the dependent variables and the predictor(s):
Λ=

Se
Se + S r

,

where Se is the error SSCP matrix, that is, the sum of square and cross products not
due to regression (or the residual), and Sr is the regression SSCP matrix, that is, an
index of how much variability in the dependent variables is due to regression. In this
case, variability due to regression is variability in the dependent variables due to group
membership, because the predictor is group membership.
Part of the output from SPSS for the two-group MANOVA, set up and run as a regression, is presented in Table€4.6. The error matrix Se is called adjusted within-cells sum of
squares and cross products, and the regression SSCP matrix is called adjusted hypothesis sum of squares and cross products. Using these matrices, we can form Wilks’ Λ
(and see how the value of .25 is obtained):
6 8
Se
8 30
Λ=
=
6
8
Se + S r

 18 24 
8 30  +  24 32 

 

6 8
8 30
116
Λ=
=
= .25
24 32 464
32 62

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 Table 4.6:╇ Selected SPSS Output for Regression Analysis on Two-Group MANOVA
with Group Membership as Predictor
GP

Pillai’s Trace
Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest Root

Source
Corrected Model
Intercept
GP
Error

.750
.250
3.000
3.000

9.000a
9.000a
9.000a
9.000a

2.000
2.000
2.000
2.000

Dependent
Variable

Type III Sum of
Squares

df

Mean
Square

Y1
Y2
Y1
Y2
Y1
Y2
Y1
Y2

18.000a
32.000b
98.000
288.000
18.000
32.000
6.000
30.000

1
1
1
1
1
1
7
7

18.000
32.000
98.000
288.000
18.000
32.000
.857
4.286

6.000
6.000
6.000
6.000

.016
.016
.016
.016

F

Sig.

21.000
7.467
114.333
67.200
21.000
7.467

.003
.029
.000
.000
.003
.029

Between-Subjects SSCP Matrix
Hypothesis

Intercept
GP

Error

Y1
Y2
Y1
Y2
Y1
Y2

Y1
98.000
168.000
18.000
24.000
6.000
8.000

Y2
168.000
288.000
24.000
32.000
8.000
30.000

Based on Type III Sum of Squares

Note first that the multivariate Fs are identical for Table€4.5 and Table€4.6; thus, significant separation of the group mean vectors is equivalent to significant association
between group membership (dummy coded) and the set of dependent variables.
The univariate Fs are also the same for both analyses, although it may not be clear to
you why this is so. In traditional ANOVA, the total sum of squares (sst) is partitioned€as:
sst€= ssb +€ssw
whereas in regression analysis the total sum of squares is partitioned as follows:
sst€= ssreg + ssresid
The corresponding F ratios, for determining whether there is significant group separation and for determining whether there is a significant regression,€are:
=
F

SSreg / df reg
SSb / dfb
and F
=
SS w / df w
SSresid / df resid

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↜渀屮

To see that these F ratios are equivalent, note that because the predictor variable is
group membership, ssreg is just the amount of variability between groups or ssb, and
ssresid is just the amount of variability not accounted for by group membership, or the
variability of the scores within each group (i.e., ssw).
The regression output also gives information that was obtained by the commands
in Table€ 4.2 for traditional MANOVA: the squared multiple Rs for each dependent variable (labeled as partial eta square in Table€4.5). Because in this case there
is just one predictor, these multiple Rs are just squared Pearson correlations. In
particular, they are squared point-biserial correlations because one of the variables is dichotomous (dummy-coded group membership). The relationship between
the point-biserial correlation and the F statistic is given by Welkowitz, Ewen, and
Cohen (1982):
rpb =

2
rpb
=

F
F + df w
F
F + df w

Thus, for dependent variable 1, we€have
2
rpb
=

21
= .75.
21 + 7

This squared correlation (also known as eta square) has a very meaningful and important interpretation. It tells us that 75% of the variance in the dependent variable is
accounted for by group membership. Thus, we not only have a statistically significant
relationship, as indicated by the F ratio, but in addition, the relationship is very strong.
It should be recalled that it is important to have a measure of strength of relationship
along with a test of significance, as significance resulting from large sample size might
indicate a very weak relationship, and therefore one that may be of little practical
importance.
Various textbook authors have recommended measures of association or strength of
relationship measures (e.g., Cohen€& Cohen, 1975; Grissom€& Kim, 2012; Hays,
1981). We also believe that they can be useful, but you should be aware that they have
limitations.
For example, simply because a strength of relationship indicates that, say, only 10%
of variance is accounted for, does not necessarily imply that the result has no practical importance, as O’Grady (1982) indicated in an excellent review on measures of
association. There are several factors that affect such measures. One very important
factor is context: 10% of variance accounted for in certain research areas may indeed
be practically significant.

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A good example illustrating this point is provided by Rosenthal and Rosnow (1984).
They consider the comparison of a treatment and control group where the dependent
variable is dichotomous, whether the subjects survive or die. The following table is
presented:
Treatment outcome
Treatment
Control

Alive
66
34
100

Dead
34
66
100

100
100

Because both variables are dichotomous, the phi coefficient—a special case of the
Pearson correlation for two dichotomous variables (Glass€& Hopkins, 1984)—measures the relationship between€them:

φ=

342 − 662
100 (100 )(100 )(100 )

= −.32 φ 2 = .10

Thus, even though the treatment-control distinction accounts for “only” 10% of the
variance in the outcome, it increases the survival rate from 34% to 66%—far from
trivial. The same type of interpretation would hold if we considered some less dramatic type of outcome like improvement versus no improvement, where treatment
was a type of psychotherapy. Also, the interpretation is not confined to a dichotomous
outcome measure. Another factor to consider is the design of the study. As O’Grady
(1982) noted:
Thus, true experiments will frequently produce smaller measures of explained
variance than will correlational studies. At the least this implies that consideration
should be given to whether an investigation involves a true experiment or a correlational approach in deciding whether an effect is weak or strong. (p.€771)
Another point to keep in mind is that, because most behaviors have multiple causes,
it will be difficult in these cases to account for a large percent of variance with just a
single cause (say treatments). Still another factor is the homogeneity of the population
sampled. Because measures of association are correlational-type measures, the more
homogeneous the population, the smaller the correlation will tend to be, and therefore the smaller the percent of variance accounted for can potentially be (this is the
restriction-of-range phenomenon).
Finally, we focus on a topic that is important in the planning phase of a study: estimation of power for the overall multivariate test. We start at a basic level, reviewing what
power is, factors affecting power, and reasons that estimation of power is important.
Then the notion of effect size for the univariate t test is given, followed by the multivariate effect size concept for Hotelling’s T2

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↜渀屮

4.9 POWER ANALYSIS*
Type I€error, or the level of significance (α), is familiar to all readers. This is the
probability of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is true, that is, saying the groups
differ when in fact they do not. The α level set by the experimenter is a subjective decision, but is usually set at .05 or .01 by most researchers to minimize the
probability of making this kind of error. There is, however, another type of error
that one can make in conducting a statistical test, and this is called a type II error.
Type II error, denoted by β, is the probability of retaining H0 when it is false, that
is, saying the groups do not differ when they do. Now, not only can either of these
errors occur, but in addition they are inversely related. That is, when we hold effect
and group size constant, reducing our nominal type I€rate increases our type II error
rate. We illustrate this for a two-group problem with a group size of 30 and effect
size d€=€.5:
Α

β

1−β

.10
.05
.01

.37
.52
.78

.63
.48
.22

Notice that as we control the type I€error rate more severely (from .10 to .01), type II
error increases fairly sharply (from .37 to .78), holding sample and effect size constant. Therefore, the problem for the experimental planner is achieving an appropriate
balance between the two types of errors. Although we do not intend to minimize the
seriousness of making a type I€error, we hope to convince you that more attention
should be paid to type II error. Now, the quantity in the last column is the power of a
statistical test, which is the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is false.
Thus, power is the probability of making a correct decision when, for example, group
mean differences are present. In the preceding example, if we are willing to take a 10%
chance of rejecting H0 falsely, then we have a 63% chance of finding a difference of a
specified magnitude in the population (here, an effect size of .5 standard deviations).
On the other hand, if we insist on only a 1% chance of rejecting H0 falsely, then we
have only about 2 chances out of 10 of declaring a mean difference is present. This
example with small sample size suggests that in this case it might be prudent to abandon the traditional α levels of .01 or .05 to a more liberal α level to improve power
sharply. Of course, one does not get something for nothing. We are taking a greater
risk of rejecting falsely, but that increased risk is more than balanced by the increase
in power.
There are two types of power estimation, a priori and post hoc, and very good
reasons why each of them should be considered seriously. If a researcher is going
* Much of the material in this section is identical to that presented in 1.2; however, it was believed to be worth repeating in this more extensive discussion of power.

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to invest a great amount of time and money in carrying out a study, then he or
she would certainly want to have a 70% or 80% chance (i.e., power of .70 or
.80) of finding a difference if one is there. Thus, the a priori estimation of power
will alert the researcher to how many participants per group will be needed for
adequate power. Later on we consider an example of how this is done in the
multivariate€case.
The post hoc estimation of power is important in terms of how one interprets the
results of completed studies. Researchers not sufficiently sensitive to power may interpret nonsignificant results from studies as demonstrating that treatments made no difference. In fact, it may be that treatments did make a difference but that the researchers
had poor power for detecting the difference. The poor power may result from small
sample size or effect size. The following example shows how important an awareness
of power can be. Cronbach and Snow had written a report on aptitude-treatment interaction research, not being fully cognizant of power. By the publication of their text
Aptitudes and Instructional Methods (1977) on the same topic, they acknowledged
the importance of power, stating in the preface, “[we] .€.€. became aware of the critical relevance of statistical power, and consequently changed our interpretations of
individual studies and sometimes of whole bodies of literature” (p. ix). Why would
they change their interpretation of a whole body of literature? Because, prior to being
sensitive to power when they found most studies in a given body of literature had nonsignificant results, they concluded no effect existed. However, after being sensitized to
power, they took into account the sample sizes in the studies, and also the magnitude
of the effects. If the sample sizes were small in most of the studies with nonsignificant
results, then lack of significance is due to poor power. Or, in other words, several
low-power studies that report nonsignificant results of the same character are evidence
for an effect.
The power of a statistical test is dependent on three factors:
1. The α level set by the experimenter
2. Sample€size
3. Effect size—How much of a difference the treatments make, or the extent to which
the groups differ in the population on the dependent variable(s).
For the univariate independent samples t test, Cohen (1988) defined the population effect size, as we used earlier, d€ =€ (µ 1 − µ2)/σ, where σ is the assumed
common population standard deviation. Thus, in this situation, the effect size
measure simply indicates how many standard deviation units the group means are
separated€by.
Power is heavily dependent on sample size. Consider a two-tailed test at the .05 level
for the t test for independent samples. Suppose we have an effect size of .5 standard deviations. The next table shows how power changes dramatically as sample size
increases.

Chapter 4

n (Subjects per group)

Power

10
20
50
100

.18
.33
.70
.94

↜渀屮

↜渀屮

As this example suggests, when sample size is large (say 100 or more subjects per
group) power is not an issue. It is when you are conducting a study where group sizes
are small (n ≤ 20), or when you are evaluating a completed study that had a small
group size, that it is imperative to be very sensitive to the possibility of poor power (or
equivalently, a type II error).
We have indicated that power is also influenced by effect size. For the t test, Cohen
(1988) suggested as a rough guide that an effect size around .20 is small, an effect size
around .50 is medium, and an effect size > .80 is large. The difference in the mean IQs
between PhDs and the typical college freshmen is an example of a large effect size
(about .8 of a standard deviation).
Cohen and many others have noted that small and medium effect sizes are very common in social science research. Light and Pillemer (1984) commented on the fact that
most evaluations find small effects in reviews of the literature on programs of various
types (social, educational, etc.): “Review after review confirms it and drives it home.
Its importance comes from having managers understand that they should not expect
large, positive findings to emerge routinely from a single study of a new program”
(pp.€153–154). Results from Becker (1987) of effect sizes for three sets of studies (on
teacher expectancy, desegregation, and gender influenceability) showed only three large
effect sizes out of 40. Also, Light, Singer, and Willett (1990) noted that “meta-analyses
often reveal a sobering fact: Effect sizes are not nearly as large as we all might hope”
(p.€195). To illustrate, they present average effect sizes from six meta-analyses in different areas that yielded .13, .25, .27, .38, .43, and .49—all in the small to medium range.
4.10╇ WAYS OF IMPROVING€POWER
Given how poor power generally is with fewer than 20 subjects per group, the following four methods of improving power should be seriously considered:
1. Adopt a more lenient α level, perhaps α€=€.10 or α€=€.15.
2. Use one-tailed tests where the literature supports a directional hypothesis. This
option is not available for the multivariate tests because they are inherently
two-tailed.
3. Consider ways of reducing within-group variability, so that one has a more sensitive design. One way is through sample selection; more homogeneous subjects
tend to vary less on the dependent variable(s). For example, use just males, rather

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than males and females, or use only 6- and 7-year-old children rather than 6through 9-year-old children. A€second way is through the use of factorial designs,
which we consider in Chapter€7. A€third way of reducing within-group variability is through the use of analysis of covariance, which we consider in Chapter€8.
Covariates that have low correlations with each other are particularly helpful
because then each is removing a somewhat different part of the within-group
(error) variance. A€fourth means is through the use of repeated-measures designs.
These designs are particularly helpful because all individual difference due to the
average response of subjects is removed from the error term, and individual differences are the main reason for within-group variability.
4. Make sure there is a strong linkage between the treatments and the dependent
variable(s), and that the treatments extend over a long enough period of time to
produce a large—or at least fairly large—effect€size.
Using these methods in combination can make a considerable difference in effective
power. To illustrate, we consider a two-group situation with 18 participants per group
and one dependent variable. Suppose a two-tailed test was done at the .05 level, and
that the obtained effect size€was
d = ( x1 − x2 ) / s = (8 − 4) / 10 = .40,
^

where s is pooled within standard deviation. Then, from Cohen (1988), power€=€.21,
which is very€poor.
Now, suppose that through the use of two good covariates we are able to reduce pooled
within variability (s2) by 60%, from 100 (as earlier) to 40. This is a definite realistic
^
possibility in practice. Then our new estimated effect size would be d ≈ 4 / 40 = .63.
Suppose in addition that a one-tailed test was really appropriate, and that we also take
a somewhat greater risk of a type I€error, i.e., α€=€.10. Then, our new estimated power
changes dramatically to .69 (Cohen, 1988).
Before leaving this section, it needs to be emphasized that how far one “pushes” the
power issue depends on the consequences of making a type I€error. We give three
examples to illustrate. First, suppose that in a medical study examining the safety of a
drug we have the following null and alternative hypotheses:
H0 : The drug is unsafe.
H1 : The drug is€safe.
Here making a type I€error (rejecting H0 when true) is concluding that the drug is safe
when in fact it is unsafe. This is a situation where we would want a type I€error to be
very small, because making a type I€error could harm or possibly kill some people.
As a second example, suppose we are comparing two teaching methods, where method
A€is several times more expensive than method B to implement. If we conclude that

Chapter 4

↜渀屮

↜渀屮

method A€is more effective (when in fact it is not), this will be a very costly mistake
for a school district.
Finally, a classic example of the relative consequences of type I€and type II errors can
be taken from our judicial system, under which a defendant is innocent until proven
guilty. Thus, we could formulate the following null and alternative hypotheses:
H0 : The defendant is innocent.
H1 : The defendant is guilty.
If we make a type I€error, we conclude that the defendant is guilty when actually innocent. Concluding that the defendant is innocent when actually guilty is a type II error.
Most would probably agree that the type I€error is by far the more serious here, and
thus we would want a type I€error to be very small.

4.11╇
A PRIORI POWER ESTIMATION FOR A TWO-GROUP
MANOVA
Stevens (1980) discussed estimation of power in MANOVA at some length, and in
what follows we borrow heavily from his work. Next, we present the univariate and
multivariate measures of effect size for the two-group problem. Recall that the univariate measure was presented earlier.
Measures of effect size
Univariate
d=

µ1 − µ 2
σ

y −y
dˆ = 1 2
s

Multivariate
Dâ•›2€=€(μ1 − μ2)′Σ−1 (μ1 − μ2)
ˆ = ( y − y )′S−1 ( y − y )
D2
1
1
1
2

The first row gives the population measures, and the second row is used to estimate
ˆ 2 is Hotelling’s Tâ•›2
effect sizes for your study. Notice that the multivariate measure D
without the sample sizes (see Equation€2); that is, it is a measure of separation of the
groups that is independent of sample size. D2 is called in the literature the Mahalanobis
ˆ 2 is a natural squared generalizadistance. Note also that the multivariate measure D
tion of the univariate measure d, where the means have been replaced by mean vectors
and s (standard deviation) has been replaced by its squared multivariate generalization of within variability, the sample covariance matrix€S.
Table€4.7 from Stevens (1980) provides power values for two-group MANOVA for
two through seven variables, with group size varying from small (15) to large (100),

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↜渀屮 TWO-GROUP MANOVA

and with effect size varying from small (D2€=€.25) to very large (D2€=€2.25). Earlier,
we indicated that small or moderate group and effect sizes produce inadequate power
for the univariate t test. Inspection of Table€4.7 shows that a similar situation exists for
MANOVA. The following from Stevens (1980) provides a summary of the results in
Table€4.7:
For values of D2 ≤ .64 and n ≤ 25, .€.€. power is generally poor (< .45) and never
really adequate (i.e., > .70) for α€=€.05. Adequate power (at α€=€.10) for two through
seven variables at a moderate overall effect size of .64 would require about 30
subjects per group. When the overall effect size is large (D ≥ 1), then 15 or more
subjects per group is sufficient to yield power values ≥ .60 for two through seven
variables at α€=€.10. (p.€731)
In section€4.11.2, we show how you can use Table€4.7 to estimate the sample size
needed for a simple two-group MANOVA, but first we show how this table can be used
to estimate post hoc power.

 Table 4.7:╇ Power of Hotelling’s T╛╛2 at α€=€.05 and .10 for Small Through Large Overall
Effect and Group€Sizes
D2**

Number of
variables

n*

.25

2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
5
5
5
5
7
7
7
7

15
25
50
100
15
25
50
100
15
25
50
100
15
25
50
100

26
33
60
90
23
28
54
86
21
26
44
78
18
22
40
72

.64
(32)
(47)
(77)
(29)
(41)
(65)
(25)
(35)
(59)
(22)
(31)
(52)

44
66
95
1
37
58
93
1
32
42
88
1
27
38
82
1

1
(60)
(80)

(55)
(74)
(98)
(47)
(68)

(42)
(62)

65
86
1
1
58
80
1
1
42
72
1
1
37
64
97
1

2.25
(77)

(72)

(66)

(59)
(81)

95***
97
1
1
91
95
1
1
83
96
1
1
77
94
1
1

Note: Power values at α€=€.10 are in parentheses.
* Equal group sizes are assumed.
** Dâ•›2€=€(µ1 − µ2)´Σ−1(µ1 − µ2)
*** Decimal points have been omitted. Thus, 95 means a power of .95. Also, a value of 1 means the power is
approximately equal to€1.

Chapter 4

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↜渀屮

4.11.1 Post Hoc Estimation of€Power
Suppose you wish to evaluate the power of a two-group MANOVA that was completed
in a journal in your content area. Here, Table€4.7 can be used, assuming the number
of dependent variables in the study is between two and seven. Actually, with a slight
amount of extrapolation, the table will yield a reasonable approximation for eight or
nine variables. For example, for D2€=€.64, five variables, and n€=€25, power€=€.42 at the
.05 level. For the same situation, but with seven variables, power€=€.38. Therefore, a
reasonable estimate for power for nine variables is about .34.
Now, to use Table€4.7, the value of D2 is needed, and this almost certainly will not
be reported. Very probably then, a couple of steps will be required to obtain D2. The
investigator(s) will probably report the multivariate F. From this, one obtains Tâ•›2 by
reexpressing Equation€ 3, which we illustrate in Example 4.2. Then, D2 is obtained
using Equation€2. Because the right-hand side of Equation€2 without the sample sizes
is D2, it follows that T╛2€=€[n1n2/(n1 + n2)]D2, or D2€=€[(n1 + n2)/n1n2]T╛2.
We now consider two examples to illustrate how to use Table€4.7 to estimate power for
studies in the literature when (1) the number of dependent variables is not explicitly
given in Table€4.7, and (2) the group sizes are not equal.
Example 4.2
Consider a two-group study in the literature with 25 participants per group that used
four dependent variables and reports a multivariate F€=€2.81. What is the estimated
power at the .05 level? First, we convert F to the corresponding Tâ•›2 value:
F€=€[(N − p − 1)/(N − 2)p]Tâ•›2 or Tâ•›2€= (N − 2)pF/(N − p −€1)
Thus, T╛2€ =€ 48(4)2.81/45€ =€ 11.99. Now, because D2€ =€ (NT╛2)/n1n2, we have
D2€=€50(11.99)/625€=€.96. This is a large multivariate effect size. Table€4.7 does not
have power for four variables, but we can interpolate between three and five variables
to approximate power. Using D2€=€1 in the table we find€that:
Number of variables

n

D╛2€=€1

3
5

25
25

.80
.72

Thus, a good approximation to power is .76, which is adequate power for a large effect
size. Here, as in univariate analysis, with a large effect size, not many participants are
needed per group to have adequate power.
Example 4.3
Now consider an article in the literature that is a two-group MANOVA with five
dependent variables, having 22 participants in one group and 32 in the other. The

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investigators obtain a multivariate F€=€1.61, which is not significant at the .05 level
(critical value€=€2.42). Calculate power at the .05 level and comment on the size of the
multivariate effect measure. Here the number of dependent variables (five) is given in
the table, but the group sizes are unequal. Following Cohen (1988), we use the harmonic mean as the n with which to enter the table. The harmonic mean for two groups
is ñ€=€2n1n2/(n1 + n2). Thus, for this case we have ñ€=€2(22)(32)/54€=€26.07. Now, to
get D2 we first obtain Tâ•›2:
T2€=€(N − 2)pF/(N − p − 1)€=€52(5)1.61/48€= 8.72
Now, D2€ =€ N T╛2/n1n2€ =€ 54(8.72)/22(32)€ =€ .67. Using n€ =€ 25 and D2€ =€ .64 to enter
Table€4.7, we see that power€=€.42. Actually, power is slightly greater than .42 because
n€=€26 and D2€=€.67, but it would still not reach even .50. Thus, given this effect size,
power is definitely inadequate here, but a sample medium multivariate effect size was
obtained that may be practically important.
4.11.2 A Priori Estimation of Sample€Size
Suppose that from a pilot study or from a previous study that used the same kind of
participants, an investigator had obtained the following pooled within-group covariance matrix for three variables:
6 1.6 
16

9
.9
S= 6
 1.6 .9 1 
Recall that the elements on the main diagonal of S are the variances for the variables:
16 is the variance for variable 1, and so€on.
To complete the estimate of D2 the difference in the mean vectors must be estimated;
this amounts to estimating the mean difference expected for each variable. Suppose
that on the basis of previous literature, the investigator hypothesizes that the mean differences on variables 1 and 2 will be 2 and 1.5. Thus, they will correspond to moderate
effect sizes of .5 standard deviations. Why? (Use the variances on the within-group
covariance matrix to check this.) The investigator further expects the mean difference
on variable 3 will be .2, that is, .2 of a standard deviation, or a small effect size. What
is the minimum number of participants needed, at α€=€.10, to have a power of .70 for
the test of the multivariate null hypothesis?
To answer this question we first need to estimate D2:
 .0917 −.0511 −.1008   2.0
D = (2, 1.5, .2)  −.0511
.1505 −.0538  1.5  = .3347
 
 −.1008 −.0538 1.2100   .2 
^2

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The middle matrix is the inverse of S. Because moderate and small univariate effect
ˆ 2 value .3347, such a numerical value for D2 would probably
sizes produced this D
occur fairly frequently in social science research. To determine the n required for
power€=€.70, we enter Table€4.7 for three variables and use the values in parentheses.
For n€=€50 and three variables, note that power€=€.65 for D2€=€.25 and power€=€.98 for
D2€=€.64. Therefore, we€have
Power(D2€=€.33)€=€Power(D2 =.25) + [.08/.39](.33)€= .72.
4.12 SUMMARY
In this chapter we have considered the statistical analysis of two groups on several
dependent variables simultaneously. Among the reasons for preferring a MANOVA
over separate univariate analyses were (1) MANOVA takes into account important
information, that is, the intercorrelations among the variables, (2) MANOVA keeps the
overall α level under control, and (3) MANOVA has greater sensitivity for detecting
differences in certain situations. It was shown how the multivariate test (Hotelling’s
Tâ•›2) arises naturally from the univariate t by replacing the means with mean vectors
and by replacing the pooled within-variance by the covariance matrix. An example
indicated the numerical details associated with calculating T 2.
Three post hoc procedures for determining which of the variables contributed to the
overall multivariate significance were considered. The Roy–Bose simultaneous confidence interval approach cannot be recommended because it is extremely conservative, and hence has poor power for detecting differences. The Bonferroni approach
of testing each variable at the α/p level of significance is generally recommended,
especially if the number of variables is not too large. Another approach we considered that does not use any alpha adjustment for the post hoc tests is potentially problematic because the overall type I€error rate can become unacceptably high as the
number of dependent variables increases. As such, we recommend this unadjusted t
test procedure for analysis having two or three dependent variables. This relatively
small number of variables in the analysis may arise in designs where you have collected just that number of outcomes or when you have a larger set of outcomes but
where you have firm support for expecting group mean differences for two or three
dependent variables.
Group membership for a sample problem was dummy coded, and it was run as a
regression analysis. This yielded the same multivariate and univariate results as
when the problem was run as a traditional MANOVA. This was done to show that
MANOVA is a special case of regression analysis, that is, of the general linear model.
In this context, we also discussed the effect size measure R2 (equivalent to eta square
and partial eta square for the one-factor design). We advised against concluding

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that a result is of little practical importance simply because the R2 value is small
(say .10). Several reasons were given for this, one of the most important being context. Thus, 10% variance accounted for in some research areas may indeed be of
practical importance.
Power analysis was considered in some detail. It was noted that small and medium
effect sizes are very common in social science research. The Mahalanobis D2 was presented as a two-group multivariate effect size measure, with the following guidelines
for interpretation: D2€ =€ .25 small effect, D2€ =€ .50 medium effect, and D2 > 1 large
effect. We showed how you can compute D2 using data from a previous study to determine a priori the sample size needed for a two-group MANOVA, using a table from
Stevens (1980).

4.13 EXERCISES
1. Which of the following are multivariate studies, that is, involve several correlated dependent variables?
(a)An investigator classifies high school freshmen by sex, socioeconomic
status, and teaching method, and then compares them on total test score
on the Lankton algebra€test.
(b)A treatment and control group are compared on measures of reading
speed and reading comprehension.
(c)An investigator is predicting success on the job from high school GPA and
a battery of personality variables.
2. An investigator has a 50-item scale and wishes to compare two groups of participants on the item scores. He has heard about MANOVA, and realizes that
the items will be correlated. Therefore, he decides to do a two-group MANOVA
with each item serving as a dependent variable. The scale is administered to 45
participants, and the investigator attempts to conduct the analysis. However,
the computer software aborts the analysis. Why? What might the investigator
consider doing before running the analysis?
3. Suppose you come across a journal article where the investigators have a
three-way design and five correlated dependent variables. They report the
results in five tables, having done a univariate analysis on each of the five
variables. They find four significant results at the .05 level. Would you be
impressed with these results? Why or why not? Would you have more confidence if the significant results had been hypothesized a priori? What else could
they have done that would have given you more confidence in their significant
results?
4. Consider the following data for a two-group, two-dependent-variable
problem:

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T1

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T2

y1

y2

y1

y2

1
2
3
5
2

9
3
4
4
5

4
5
6

8
6
7

(a)Compute W, the pooled within-SSCP matrix.
(b) Find the pooled within-covariance matrix, and indicate what each of the
elements in the matrix represents.
(c) Find Hotelling’s T2.
(d) What is the multivariate null hypothesis in symbolic€form?
(e)Test the null hypothesis at the .05 level. What is your decision?
5. An investigator has an estimate of D╛2€=€.61 from a previous study that used the
same four dependent variables on a similar group of participants. How many
subjects per group are needed to have power€=€.70 at €=€.10?
6. From a pilot study, a researcher has the following pooled within-covariance
matrix for two variables:

 8.6 10.4 
S=

10.4 21.3

From previous research a moderate effect size of .5 standard deviations on
variable 1 and a small effect size of 1/3 standard deviations on variable 2 are
anticipated. For the researcher’s main study, how many participants per group
are needed for power€=€.70 at the .05 level? At the .10 level?

7. Ambrose (1985) compared elementary school children who received instruction on the clarinet via programmed instruction (experimental group) versus
those who received instruction via traditional classroom instruction on the
following six performance aspects: interpretation (interp), tone, rhythm, intonation (inton), tempo (tem), and articulation (artic). The data, representing the
average of two judges’ ratings, are listed here, with GPID€=€1 referring to the
experimental group and GPID€=€2 referring to the control group:
(a)Run the two-group MANOVA on these data using SAS or SPSS. Is the
multivariate null hypothesis rejected at the .05 level?
(b) What is the value of the Mahalanobis D 2? How would you characterize the
magnitude of this effect size? Given this, is it surprising that the null hypothesis was rejected?
(c) Setting overall α€=€.05 and using the Bonferroni inequality approach, which
of the individual variables are significant, and hence contributing to the
overall multivariate significance?

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GP

INT

TONE

RHY

INTON

TEM

ARTIC

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2

4.2
4.1
4.9
4.4
3.7
3.9
3.8
4.2
3.6
2.6
3.0
2.9
2.1
4.8
4.2
3.7
3.7
3.8
2.1
2.2
3.3
2.6
2.5

4.1
4.1
4.7
4.1
2.0
3.2
3.5
4.1
3.8
3.2
2.5
3.3
1.8
4.0
2.9
1.9
2.1
2.1
2.0
1.9
3.6
1.5
1.7

3.2
3.7
4.7
4.1
2.4
2.7
3.4
4.1
4.2
1.9
2.9
3.5
1.7
3.5
4.0
1.7
2.2
3.0
2.2
2.2
2.3
1.3
1.7

4.2
3.9
5.0
3.5
3.4
3.1
4.0
4.2
3.4
3.5
3.2
3.1
1.7
1.8
1.8
1.6
3.1
3.3
1.8
3.4
4.3
2.5
2.8

2.8
3.1
2.9
2.8
2.8
2.7
2.7
3.7
4.2
3.7
3.3
3.6
2.8
3.1
3.1
3.1
2.8
3.0
2.6
4.2
4.0
3.5
3.3

3.5
3.2
4.5
4.0
2.3
3.6
3.2
2.8
3.0
3.1
3.1
3.4
1.5
2.2
2.2
1.6
1.7
1.7
1.5
2.7
3.8
1.9
3.1

8. We consider the Pope, Lehrer, and Stevens (1980) data. Children in kindergarten were measured on various instruments to determine whether they could
be classified as low risk or high risk with respect to having reading problems
later on in school. The variables considered are word identification (WI), word
comprehension (WC), and passage comprehension (PC).

╇1
╇2
╇3
╇4
╇5
╇6
╇7
╇8
╇9
10
11

GP

WI

WC

PC

1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00

5.80
10.60
8.60
4.80
8.30
4.60
4.80
6.70
6.90
5.60
4.80

9.70
10.90
7.20
4.60
10.60
3.30
3.70
6.00
9.70
4.10
3.80

8.90
11.00
8.70
6.20
7.80
4.70
6.40
7.20
7.20
4.30
5.30

Chapter 4

12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24

GP

WI

WC

PC

1.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00

2.90
2.40
3.50
6.70
5.30
5.20
3.20
4.50
3.90
4.00
5.70
2.40
2.70

3.70
2.10
1.80
3.60
3.30
4.10
2.70
4.90
4.70
3.60
5.50
2.90
2.60

4.20
2.40
3.90
5.90
6.10
6.40
4.00
5.70
4.70
2.90
6.20
3.20
4.10

↜渀屮

↜渀屮

(a)Run the two group MANOVA on computer software. Is the multivariate test
significant at the .05 level?
(b)Are any of the univariate Fâ•›s significant at the .05 level?
9. The correlations among the dependent variables are embedded in the covariance matrix S. Why is this€true?

REFERENCES
Ambrose, A. (1985). The development and experimental application of programmed materials for teaching clarinet performance skills in college woodwind techniques courses.
Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati,€OH.
Becker, B. (1987). Applying tests of combined significance in meta-analysis. Psychological
Bulletin, 102, 164–171.
Bock, R.â•›D. (1975). Multivariate statistical methods in behavioral research. New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill.
Cohen, J. (1968). Multiple regression as a general data-analytic system. Psychological Bulletin, 70, 426–443.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the social sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Cohen, J.,€& Cohen, P. (1975). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Cronbach, L.,€& Snow, R. (1977). Aptitudes and instructional methods: A€handbook for
research on interactions. New York, NY: Irvington.
Glass, G.╛C.,€& Hopkins, K. (1984). Statistical methods in education and psychology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

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↜渀屮 TWO-GROUP MANOVA

Grissom, R.╛J.,€& Kim, J.╛J. (2012). Effect sizes for research: Univariate and multivariate applications (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Hays, W.╛L. (1981). Statistics (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart€& Winston.
Hotelling, H. (1931). The generalization of student’s ratio. Annals of Mathematical Statistics,
2(3), 360–378.
Hummel, T.â•›J.,€& Sligo, J. (1971). Empirical comparison of univariate and multivariate analysis of variance procedures. Psychological Bulletin, 76, 49–57.
Johnson, N.,€& Wichern, D. (1982). Applied multivariate statistical analysis. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice€Hall.
Light, R.,€& Pillemer, D. (1984). Summing up: The science of reviewing research. Cambridge,
MA: Harvard University Press.
Light, R., Singer, J.,€& Willett, J. (1990). By design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Morrison, D.â•›F. (1976). Multivariate statistical methods. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
O’Grady, K. (1982). Measures of explained variation: Cautions and limitations. Psychological
Bulletin, 92, 766–777.
Pope, J., Lehrer, B.,€& Stevens, J.â•›P. (1980). A€multiphasic reading screening procedure. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 13, 98–102.
Rosenthal, R.,€& Rosnow, R. (1984). Essentials of behavioral research. New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill.
Stevens, J.â•›P. (1980). Power of the multivariate analysis of variance tests. Psychological Bulletin, 88, 728–737.
Timm, N.â•›H. (1975). Multivariate analysis with applications in education and psychology.
Monterey, CA: Brooks-Cole.
Welkowitz, J., Ewen, R.╛B.,€& Cohen, J. (1982). Introductory statistics for the behavioral
sciences. New York: Academic Press.

Chapter 5

K-GROUP MANOVA

A Priori and Post Hoc Procedures
5.1╇INTRODUCTION
In this chapter we consider the case where more than two groups of participants are
being compared on several dependent variables simultaneously. We first briefly show
how the MANOVA can be done within the regression model by dummy-coding group
membership for a small sample problem and using it as a nominal predictor. In doing
this, we build on the multivariate regression analysis of two-group MANOVA that
was presented in the last chapter. (Note that section€5.2 can be skipped if you prefer
a traditional presentation of MANOVA). Then we consider traditional multivariate
analysis of variance, or MANOVA, introducing the most familiar multivariate test statistic Wilks’ Λ. Two fairly similar post hoc procedures for examining group differences
for the dependent variables are discussed next. Each procedure employs univariate
ANOVAs for each outcome and applies the Tukey procedure for pairwise �comparisons.
The procedures differ in that one provides for more strict type I€error control and better
confidence interval coverage while the other seeks to strike a balance between type
I€error and power. This latter approach is most suitable for designs having a small
number of outcomes and groups (i.e., 2 or 3).
Next, we consider a different approach to the k-group problem, that of using planned
comparisons rather than an omnibus F test. Hays (1981) gave an excellent discussion
of this approach for univariate ANOVA. Our discussion of multivariate planned comparisons is extensive and is made quite concrete through the use of several examples,
including two studies from the literature. The setup of multivariate contrasts on SPSS
MANOVA is illustrated and selected output is discussed.
We then consider the important problem of a priori determination of sample size for 3-,
4-, 5-, and 6-group MANOVA for the number of dependent variables ranging from 2 to
15, using extensive tables developed by Lauter (1978). Finally, the chapter concludes
with a discussion of some considerations that mitigate generally against the use of a
large number of criterion variables in MANOVA.

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K-GROUP MANOVA

5.2╇MULTIVARIATE REGRESSION ANALYSIS FOR A SAMPLE
PROBLEM
In the previous chapter we indicated how analysis of variance can be incorporated
within the regression model by dummy-coding group membership and using it as a
nominal predictor. For the two-group case, just one dummy variable (predictor) was
needed, which took on a value of 1 for participants in group 1 and 0 for the participants in the other group. For our three-group example, we need two dummy variables
(predictors) to identify group membership. The first dummy variable (x1) is 1 for all
subjects in Group 1 and 0 for all other subjects. The other dummy variable (x2) is 1
for all subjects in Group 2 and 0 for all other subjects. A€third dummy variable is not
needed because the participants in Group 3 are identified by 0’s on x1 and x2, that is, not
in Group 1 or Group 2. Therefore, by default, those participants must be in Group 3. In
general, for k groups, the number of dummy variables needed is (k − 1), corresponding
to the between degrees of freedom.
The data for our two-dependent-variable, three-group problem are presented here:
y1

y2

x1

x2

2
3
5
2

3
4
4
5

1
1
1
1

0
0 
 Group1
0
0 

4
5
6

8
6
7

0
0
0

1

1  Group 2
1 

7
8

6
7

0
0

10
9
7

8
5
6

0
0
0

0
0 

0  Group 3
0

0 

Thus, cast in a regression mold, we are relating two sets of variables, the two dependent variables, and the two predictors (dummy variables). The regression analysis will
then determine how much of the variance on the dependent variables is accounted for
by the predictors, that is, by group membership.
In Table€5.1 we present the control lines for running the sample problem as a multivariate regression on SPSS MANOVA, and the lines for running the problem as a
traditional MANOVA (using GLM). By running both analyses, you can verify that
the multivariate Fs for the regression analysis are identical to those obtained from the
MANOVA run.

Chapter 5

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 Table 5.1:╇ SPSS Syntax for Running Sample Problem as Multivariate Regression and
as MANOVA

(1)

(2)

TITLE ‘THREE GROUP MANOVA RUN AS MULTIVARIATE REGRESSION’.
DATA LIST FREE/x1 x2 y1 y2.
BEGIN DATA.
1 0 2 3
1 0 3 4
1 0 5 4
1 0 2 5
0 1 4 8
0 1 5 6
0 1 6 7
0 0 7 6
0 0 8 7
0 0 10 8
0 0 9 5
0 0 7 6
END DATA.
LIST.
MANOVA y1 y2 WITH x1 x2.
TITLE ‘MANOVA RUN ON SAMPLE PROBLEM’.
DATA LIST FREE/gps y1 y2.
BEGIN DATA.
1 2 3
1 3 4
1 5 4
1 2 5
2 4 8
2 5 6
2 6 7
3 7 6
3 8 7
3 10 8
3 9 5
3 7 6
END DATA.
LIST.
GLM y1 y2 BY gps
/PRINT=DESCRIPTIVE
/DESIGN= gps.

(1) The first two columns of data are for the dummy variables x1 and x2, which identify group membership (cf.
the data display in section€5.2).
(2) The first column of data identifies group membership—again compare the data display in section€5.2.

5.3╇ TRADITIONAL MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE
In the k-group MANOVA case we are comparing the groups on p dependent variables
simultaneously. For the univariate case, the null hypothesis is:
H0 : µ1€=€µ2€=€·Â€·Â€·Â€= µk (population means are equal)
whereas for MANOVA the null hypothesis is
H0 : µ1€=€µ2€=€·Â€·Â€·Â€= µk (population mean vectors are equal)
For univariate analysis of variance the F statistic (F€=€MSb / MSw) is used for testing the
tenability of H0. What statistic do we use for testing the multivariate null hypothesis?
There is no single answer, as several test statistics are available. The one that is most
widely known is Wilks’ Λ, where Λ is given by:
Λ=

W
T

=

W
B+W

, where 0 ≤ Λ ≤ 1

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K-GROUP MANOVA

|W| and |T| are the determinants of the within-group and total sum of squares and
cross-products matrices. W has already been defined for the two-group case, where
the observations in each group are deviated about the individual group means. Thus
W is a measure of within-group variability and is a multivariate generalization of the
univariate sum of squares within (SSw). In T the observations in each group are deviated about the grand mean for each variable. B is the between-group sum of squares
and cross-products matrix, and is the multivariate generalization of the univariate sum
of squares between (SSb). Thus, B is a measure of how differential the effect of treatments has been on a set of dependent variables. We define the elements of B shortly.
We need matrices to define within, between, and total variability in the multivariate
case because there is variability on each variable (these variabilities will appear on the
main diagonals of the W, B, and T matrices) as well as covariability for each pair of
variables (these will be the off diagonal elements of the matrices).
Because Wilks’ Λ is defined in terms of the determinants of W and T, it is important to
recall from the matrix algebra chapter (Chapter€2) that the determinant of a covariance
matrix is called the generalized variance for a set of variables. Now, because W and T
differ from their corresponding covariance matrices only by a scalar, we can think of
|W| and |T| in the same basic way. Thus, the determinant neatly characterizes within
and total variability in terms of single numbers. It may also be helpful for you to recall
that the generalized variance may be thought of as the variation in a set of outcomes
that is unique to the set, that is, the variance that is not shared by the variables in the
set. Also, for one variable, variance indicates how much scatter there is about the mean
on a line, that is, in one dimension. For two variables, the scores for each participant on
the variables defines a point in the plane, and thus generalized variance indicates how
much the points (participants) scatter in the plane in two dimensions. For three variables, the scores for the participants define points in three-dimensional space, and hence
generalized variance shows how much the subjects scatter (vary) in three dimensions.
An excellent extended discussion of generalized variance for the more mathematically
inclined is provided in Johnson and Wichern (1982, pp.€103–112).
For univariate ANOVA you may recall that
SSt€= SSb + SSw,
where SSt is the total sum of squares.
For MANOVA the corresponding matrix analogue holds:
T=B+W
Total SSCP€=€ Between SSCP + Within SSCP
Matrix
Matrix
Matrix
Notice that Wilks’ Λ is an inverse criterion: the smaller the value of Λ, the more evidence for treatment effects (between-group association). If there were no treatment

Chapter 5

effect, then B€=€0 and Λ =

W
0+W

↜渀屮

↜渀屮

= 1, whereas if B were very large relative to W then

Λ would approach 0.
The sampling distribution of Λ is somewhat complicated, and generally an approximation is necessary. Two approximations are available: (1) Bartlett’s χ2 and (2) Rao’s F.
Bartlett’s χ2 is given by:
χ2€= −[(N − 1) − .5(p + k)] 1n Λ p(k − 1)df,
where N is total sample size, p is the number of dependent variables, and k is the number of groups. Bartlett’s χ2 is a good approximation for moderate to large sample sizes.
For smaller sample size, Rao’s F is a better approximation (Lohnes, 1961), although
generally the two statistics will lead to the same decision on H0. The multivariate F
given on SPSS is the Rao F. The formula for Rao’s F is complicated and is presented
later. We point out now, however, that the degrees of freedom for error with Rao’s F
can be noninteger, so that you should not be alarmed if this happens on the computer
printout.
As alluded to earlier, there are certain values of p and k for which a function of Λ is
exactly distributed as an F ratio (for example, k€=€2 or 3 and any p; see Tatsuoka, 1971,
p.€89).
5.4╇MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE FOR
SAMPLE DATA
We now consider the MANOVA of the data given earlier. For convenience, we present
the data again here, with the means for the participants on the two dependent variables
in each group:

y1

G1

y2

y1

2
3
5
2

3
4
4
5

y 11 = 3

y 21 = 4

G2

G3

y2

y1

y2

4
5
6

8
6
7

y 12 = 5

y 22 = 7

╇7
╇8
10
╇9
╇7

6
7
8
5
6

y 13 = 8.2

y 23 = 6.4

We wish to test the multivariate null hypothesis with the χ2 approximation for Wilks’
Λ. Recall that Λ€=€|W| / |T|, so that W and T are needed. W is the pooled estimate of
within variability on the set of variables, that is, our multivariate error term.

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5.4.1╇ Calculation of W
Calculation of W proceeds in exactly the same way as we obtained W for Hotelling’s
T╛2 in the two-group MANOVA case in Chapter€4. That is, we determine how much the
participants’ scores vary on the dependent variables within each group, and then pool
(add) these together. Symbolically, then,
W€= W1 + W2 + W3,
where W1, W2, and W3 are the within sums of squares and cross-products matrices
for Groups 1, 2, and 3. As in Chapter€4, we denote the elements of W1 by ss1 and ss2
(measuring the variability on the variables within Group 1) and ss12 (measuring the
covariability of the variables in Group 1).
 ss
W1 =  1
 ss21

ss12 
ss2 

Then, for Group 1, we have
ss1 =

4

∑( y ( ) − y
j =1

11 )

1 j

2

= (2 − 3) 2 + (3 − 3) 2 + (5 − 3) 2 + (2 − 3) 2 = 6
ss2 =

4

∑( y ( ) − y
j =1

2 j

21 )

2

= (3 − 4) 2 + ( 4 − 4) 2 + ( 4 − 4) 2 + (5 − 4) 2 = 2
ss12 = ss21

∑(y ( ) − y
4

j =1

1 j

11

)( y ( ) − y )
2 j

21

= (2 − 3) (3 − 4) + (3 − 3) (4 − 4) + (5 − 3) (4 − 4) + (2 − 3) (5 − 4) = 0
Thus, the matrix that measures within variability on the two variables in Group 1 is
given by:
6 0 
W1 = 

0 2
In exactly the same way the within SSCP matrices for groups 2 and 3 can be shown
to be:
 2 −1
6.8 2.6 
W2 = 
W3 = 


 −1 2 
 2.6 5.2 

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Therefore, the pooled estimate of within variability on the set of variables is given by:
14.8 1.6 
W = W1 + W2 + W3 = 

 1.6 9.2
5.4.2╇ Calculation of T
Recall, from earlier in this chapter, that T€=€B + W. We find the B (between) matrix,
and then obtain the elements of T by adding the elements of B to the elements of W.
The diagonal elements of B are defined as follows:
bii =

k

∑n ( y
j

ij

− yi ) 2 ,

j =1

where nj is the number of subjects in group j, yij is the mean for variable i in group
j, and yi is the grand mean for variable i. Notice that for any particular variable, say
variable 1, b11 is simply the between-group sum of squares for a univariate analysis of
variance on that variable.
The off-diagonal elements of B are defined as follows:
k

∑n ( y

bmi = bim

j

ij

− yi

j =1

)( y

mj

− ym

)

To find the elements of B we need the grand means on the two variables. These are
obtained by simply adding up all the scores on each variable and then dividing by the
total number of scores. Thus y1 = 68 / 12€=€5.67, and y2€=€69 / 12€=€5.75.
Now we find the elements of the B (between) matrix:
b11 =

3

∑n ( y
j

1j

− y1 )2 , where y1 j is the mean of variable 1 in group j.

j =1

= 4(3 − 5.67) 2 + 3(5 − 5.67) 2 + 5(8.2 − 5.67) 2 = 61.87
b22 =

3

∑n ( y
j =1

j

2j

− y2 ) 2

= 4(4 − 5.75)2 + 3(7 − 5.75)2 + 5(6.4 − 5.75)2 = 19.05
b12 = b21

3

∑n ( y
j

j =1

1j

)(

− y1 y2 j − y2

)

= 4 (3 − 5.67) ( 4 − 5.75) + 3 (5 − 5.67 ) (7 − 5.75) + 5 (8.2 − 5.67 ) (6.4 − 5.75) = 24.4

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K-GROUP MANOVA

Therefore, the B matrix is
61.87 24.40 
B=

 24.40 19.05 
and the diagonal elements 61.87 and 19.05 represent the between-group sum of squares
that would be obtained if separate univariate analyses had been done on variables 1
and 2.
Because T€=€B + W, we have
 61.87 24.40  14.80 1.6  76.72 26.000 
T=
+
=

 24.40 19.05   1.6 9.2   26.00 28.25 
5.4.3 Calculation of Wilks Λ and the Chi-Square Approximation
Now we can obtain Wilks’ Λ:
14.8
W
1.6
Λ=
=
76.72
T
26

1.6
14.8 (9.2) − 1.62
9.2
=
= .0897
26
76.72 ( 28.25) − 262
28.25

Finally, we can compute the chi-square test statistic:
χ2€=€−[(N − 1) − .5(p + k)] ln Λ, with p (k − 1) df
χ2€=€−[(12 − 1) − .5(2 + 3)] ln (.0897)
χ2€=€−8.5(−2.4116)€=€20.4987, with 2(3 − 1)€=€4 df
The multivariate null hypothesis here is:
 µ11   µ12   µ13 
 µ  =  µ  =  µ 
23
21
22
That is, that the population means in the three groups on variable 1 are equal, and
similarly that the population means on variable 2 are equal. Because the critical
value at .05 is 9.49, we reject the multivariate null hypothesis and conclude that
the three groups differ overall on the set of two variables. Table€5.2 gives the multivariate Fs and the univariate Fs from the SPSS run on the sample problem and
presents the formula for Rao’s F approximation and also relates some of the output
from the univariate Fs to the B and W matrices that we computed. After overall
multivariate significance is attained, one often would like to find out which of the
outcome variables differed across groups. When such a difference is found, we
would then like to describe how the groups differed on the given variable. This is
considered next.

Chapter 5

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 Table 5.2:╇ Multivariate Fâ•›s and Univariate Fâ•›s for Sample Problem From SPSS MANOVA
Multivariate Tests
Effect
gps

Pillai’s Trace
Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest Root

Value

F

Hypothesis df

Error df

Sig.

1.302
.090
5.786
4.894

8.390
9.358
10.126
22.024

4.000
4.000
4.000
2.000

18.000
16.000
14.000
9.000

.001
.000
.000
.000

1 − Λ1/s ms − p (k − 1) / 2 + 1
, where m = N − 1 − (p − k ) / 2 and
Λ1/s
p (k − 1)
s=

p 2 (k − 1)2 − 4
p 2 + (k − 1)2 − 5

is approximately distributed as F with p(k − 1) and ms − p(k − 1) / 2 + 1 degrees of freedom. Here
Wilks’ Λ€=€.08967, p€=€2, k€=€3, and N€=€12. Thus, we have m€=€12 − 1€− (2 + 3) / 2€=€8.5 and
s = {4(3 − 1)2 − 4} / {4 + (2)2 − 5} = 12 / 3 = 2,
and
F=

1 − .08967 8.5 (2) − 2 (2) / 2 + 1 1 − .29945 16

=
⋅ = 9.357
2 (3 − 1)
.29945 4
.08967

as given on the printout, within rounding. The pair of degrees of freedom is p(k€−€1)€=€2(3 − 1)€=€4 and
ms − p(k − 1) / 2 + 1€=€8.5(2) − 2(3 − 1) / 2 + 1€=€16.

Tests of Between-Subjects Effects
Source Dependent Variable Type III Sum of Squares df Mean Square F
gps
Error

y1
y2
y1
y2

(1)╇61.867
19.050
(2)╇14.800
9.200

2
2
9
9

30.933
9.525
1.644
1.022

Sig.

18.811 .001
9.318 .006

(1) These are the diagonal elements of the B (between) matrix we computed in the example:

61.87 24.40 

24.40 19.05 

B=

(2) Recall that the pooled within matrix computed in the example was

14.8 1.6 
W=

 1.6 9.2 
(Continued )

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 Table€5.2:╇ (Continued)
a nd these are the diagonal elements of W. The univariate F ratios are formed from the elements on the
main diagonals of B and W. Dividing the elements of B by hypothesis degrees of freedom gives the
hypothesis mean squares, while dividing the elements of W by error degrees of freedom gives the error
mean squares. Then, dividing hypothesis mean squares by error mean squares yields the F ratios. Thus, for
Y1 we have
F =

30.933
1.644

= 18.81.

5.5╇ POST HOC PROCEDURES
In general, when the multivariate null hypothesis is rejected, several follow-up procedures can be used. By far, the most commonly used method in practice is to conduct
a series of one-way ANOVAs for each outcome to identify whether group differences
are present for a given dependent variable. This analysis implies that you are interested
in identifying if there are group differences present for each of the correlated but distinct outcomes. The purpose of using the Wilks’ Λ prior to conducting these univariate
tests is to provide for accurate type I€error control. Note that if one were interested in
learning whether linear combinations of dependent variables (instead of individual
dependent variables) distinguish groups, discriminant analysis (see Chapter€10) would
be used instead of these procedures.
In addition, another procedure that may be used following rejection of the overall multivariate null hypothesis is step down analysis. This analysis requires that you establish
an a priori ordering of the dependent variables (from most important to least) based
on theory, empirical evidence, and/or reasoning. In many investigations, this may be
difficult to do, and study results depend on this ordering. As such, it is difficult to find
applications of this procedure in the literature. Previous editions of this text contained
a chapter on step down analysis. However, given its limited utility, this chapter has
been removed from the text, although it is available on the web.
Another analysis procedure that may be used when the focus is on individual dependent
variables (and not linear combinations) is multivariate multilevel modeling (MVMM).
This technique is covered in Chapter€14, which includes a discussion of the benefits
of this procedure. Most relevant for the follow-up procedures are that MVMM can
be used to test whether group differences are the same or differ across multiple outcomes, when the outcomes are similarly scaled. Thus, instead of finding, as with the
use of more traditional procedures, that an intervention impacts, for example, three
outcomes, investigators may find that the effects of an intervention are stronger for
some outcomes than others. In addition, this procedure offers improved treatment of
missing data over the traditional approach discussed here.
The focus for the remainder of this section and the next is on the use of a series of
ANOVAs as follow-up tests given a significant overall multivariate test result. There

Chapter 5

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are different variations of this procedure that can be used, depending on the balance
of the type I€error rate and power desired, as well as confidence interval accuracy. We
present two such procedures here. SAS and SPSS commands for the follow-up procedures are shown in section€5.6 as we work through an applied example. Note also that
one may not wish to conduct pairwise comparisons as we do here, but instead focus
on a more limited number of meaningful comparisons as suggested by theory and/or
empirical work. Such planned comparisons are discussed in sections€5.7–5.11.
5.5.1╇ P
rocedure 1—ANOVAS and Tukey Comparisons
With Alpha Adjustment
With this procedure, a significant multivariate test result is followed up with one-way
ANOVAs for each outcome with a Bonferroni-adjusted alpha used for the univariate tests. So if there are p outcomes, the alpha used for each ANOVA is the experiment-wise nominal alpha divided by p, or a / p. You can implement this procedure by
simply comparing the p value obtained for the ANOVA F test to this adjusted alpha
level. For example, if the experiment-wise type I€ error rate were set at .05 and if 5
dependent variables were included, the alpha used for each one-way ANOVA would be
.05 / 5€=€.01. And, if the p value for an ANOVA F test were smaller than .01, this indicates that group differences are present for that dependent variable. If group differences
are found for a given dependent variable and the design includes three or more groups,
then pairwise comparisons can be made for that variable using the Tukey procedure, as
described in the next section, with this same alpha level (e.g., .01 for the five dependent
variable example). This generally recommended procedure then provides strict control of the experiment-wise type I€error rate for all possible pairwise comparisons and
also provides good confidence interval coverage. That is, with this procedure, we can
be 95% confident that all intervals capture the true difference in means for the set of
pairwise comparisons. While this procedure has good type I€error control and confidence interval coverage, its potential weakness is statistical power, which may drop to
low levels, particularly for the pairwise comparisons, especially when the number of
dependent variables increases. One possibility, then, is to select a higher level than .05
(e.g., .10) for the experiment-wise error rate. In this case, with five dependent variables,
the alpha level used for each of the ANOVAs is .10 / 5 or .02, with this same alpha level
also used for the pairwise comparisons. Also, when the number of dependent variables
and groups is small (i.e., two or perhaps three), procedure 2 can be considered.
5.5.2╇Procedure 2—ANOVAS With No Alpha Adjustment
and Tukey Comparisons
With this procedure, a significant overall multivariate test result is followed up with
separate ANOVAs for each outcome with no alpha adjustment (e.g., a€=€.05). Again,
if group differences are present for a given dependent variable, the Tukey procedure
is used for pairwise comparisons using this same alpha level (i.e., .05). As such, this
procedure relies more heavily on the use of Wilks’ Λ as a protected test. That is, the
one-way ANOVAs will be considered only if Wilks’ Λ indicates that group differences

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K-GROUP MANOVA

are present on the set of outcomes. Given no alpha adjustment, this procedure is more
powerful than the previous procedure but can provide for poor control of the experiment-wise type I€error rate when the number of outcomes is greater than two or three
and/or when the number of groups increase (thus increasing the number of pairwise
comparisons). As such, we would generally not recommend this procedure with more
than three outcomes and more than three groups. Similarly, this procedure does not
maintain proper confidence interval coverage for the entire set of pairwise comparisons. Thus, if you wish to have, for example, 95% coverage for this entire set of comparisons or strict control of the family-wise error rate throughout the testing procedure,
the procedure in section€5.5.1 should be used.
You may wonder why this procedure may work well when the number of outcomes
and groups is small. In section€4.2, we mentioned that use of univariate ANOVAs
with no alpha adjustment for each of several dependent variables is not a good idea
because the experiment-wise type I€error rate can increase to unacceptable levels.
The same applies here, except that the use of Wilks’ Λ provides us with some protection that is not present when we proceed directly to univariate ANOVAs. To illustrate, when the study design has just two dependent variables and two groups, the use
of Wilks’ Λ provides for strict control of the experiment-wise type I€error rate even
when no alpha adjustment is used for the univariate ANOVAs, as noted by Levin,
Serlin, and Seaman (1994). Here is how this works. Given two outcomes, there are
three possibilities that may be present for the univariate ANOVAs. One possibility
is that there are no group differences for any of the two dependent variables. If that
is the case, use of Wilks’ Λ at an alpha of .05 provides for strict type I€error control.
That is, if we reject the multivariate null hypothesis when no group differences are
present, we have made a type I€error, and the expected rate of doing this is .05. So,
for this case, use of the Wilks’ Λ provides for proper control of the experiment-wise
type I€error rate.
We now consider a second possibility. That is, here, the overall multivariate null
hypothesis is false and there is a group difference for just one of the outcomes. In this
case, we cannot make a type I€error with the use of Wilks’ Λ since the multivariate null
hypothesis is false. However, we can certainly make a type I€error when we consider
the univariate tests. In this case, with only one true null hypothesis, we can make a
type I€error for only one of the univariate F tests. Thus, if we use an unadjusted alpha
for these tests (i.e., .05), then the probability of making a type I€error in the set of univariate tests (i.e., the two separate ANOVAs) is .05. Again, the experiment-wise type
I€error rate is properly controlled for the univariate ANOVAs. The third possibility is
that there are group differences present on each outcome. In this case, it is not possible to make a type I€error for the multivariate test or the univariate F tests. Of course,
even in this latter case, when you have more than two groups, making type I€errors
is possible for the pairwise comparisons, where some null group differences may be
present. The use of the Tukey procedure, then, provides some type I€error protection
for the pairwise tests, but as noted, this protection generally weakens as the number of
groups increases.

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Thus, similar to our discussion in Chapter€4, we recommend use of this procedure for
analysis involving up to three dependent variables and three groups. Note that with
three dependent variables, the maximum type I€error rate for the ANOVA F tests is
expected to be .10. In addition, this situation, three or fewer outcomes and groups,
may be encountered more frequently than you may at first think. It may come about
because, in the most obvious case, your research design includes three variables with
three groups. However, it is also possible that you collected data for eight outcome
variables from participants in each of three groups. Suppose, though, as discussed in
Chapter€4, that there is fairly solid evidence from the literature that group mean differences are expected for two or perhaps three of the variables, while the others are being
tested on a heuristic basis. In this case, a separate multivariate test could be used for the
variables that are expected to show a difference. If the multivariate test is significant,
procedure 2, with no alpha adjustment for the univariate F tests, can be used. For the
more exploratory set of variables, then, a separate significant multivariate test would
be followed up by use of procedure 1, which uses the Bonferroni-adjusted F tests.
The point we are making here is that you may not wish to treat all dependent variables
the same in the analysis. Substantive knowledge and previous empirical research suggesting group mean differences can and should be taken into account in the analysis.
This may help you strike a reasonable balance between type I€error control and power.
As Keppel and Wickens (2004) state, the “heedless choice of the most stringent error
correction can exact unacceptable costs in power” (p.€264). They advise that you need
to be flexible when selecting a strategy to control type I€ error so that power is not
sacrificed.
5.6╇ THE TUKEY PROCEDURE
As used in the procedures just mentioned, the Tukey procedure enables us to examine
all pairwise group differences on a variable with experiment-wise error rate held in
check. The studentized range statistic (which we denote by q) is used in the procedure,
and the critical values for it are in Table A.4 of the statistical tables in Appendix A.
If there are k groups and the total sample size is N, then any two means are declared
significantly different at the .05 level if the following inequality holds:
y − y > q 05, k , N − k
i
j

MSW
,
n

where MSw is the error term for a one-way ANOVA, and n is the common group size.
Alternatively, one could compute a standard t test for a pairwise difference but compare that t ratio to a Tukey-based critical value of q / 2 , which allows for direct comparison to the t test. Equivalently, and somewhat more informatively, we can infer
that population means for groups i and j (μi and μj) differ if the following confidence
interval does not include 0:
yi − y j ± q 05;k , N − k

MSW
n

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K-GROUP MANOVA

that is,
yi − y j − q 05;k , N − k

MSW
MSW
< µ − µ < yi − y j + q 05;k , N − k
i
j
n
n

If the confidence interval includes 0, we conclude that the population means are not
significantly different. Why? Because if the interval includes 0 that suggests 0 is a
likely value for the true difference in means, which is to say it is reasonable to act as
if ui€=€uj.
The Tukey procedure assumes that the variances are homogenous and it also assumes
equal group sizes. If group sizes are unequal, even very sharply unequal, then various
studies (e.g., Dunnett, 1980; Keselman, Murray,€& Rogan, 1976) indicate that the procedure is still appropriate provided that n is replaced by the harmonic mean for each
pair of groups and provided that the variances are homogenous. Thus, for groups i and
j with sample sizes ni and nj, we replace n by
2

1 + 1
ni n j
The studies cited earlier showed that under the conditions given, the type I€error rate
for the Tukey procedure is kept very close to the nominal alpha, and always less than
nominal alpha (within .01 for alpha€=€.05 from the Dunnett study). Later we show how
the Tukey procedure may be obtained via SAS and SPSS and also show a hand calculation for one of the confidence intervals.
Example 5.1 Using SAS and SPSS for Post Hoc Procedures
The selection and use of a post hoc procedure is illustrated with data collected by
Novince (1977). She was interested in improving the social skills of college females
and reducing their anxiety in heterosexual encounters. There were three groups in
the study: control group, behavioral rehearsal, and a behavioral rehearsal + cognitive
restructuring group. We consider the analysis on the following set of dependent variables: (1) anxiety—physiological anxiety in a series of heterosexual encounters, (2) a
measure of social skills in social interactions, and (3) assertiveness.
Given the outcomes are considered to be conceptually distinct (i.e., not measures of
an single underlying construct), use of MANOVA is a reasonable choice. Because we
do not have strong support to expect group mean differences and wish to have strict
control of the family-wise error rate, we use procedure 1. Thus, for the separate ANOVAs, we will use a / p or .05 / 3€=€.0167 to test for group differences for each outcome.
This corresponds to a confidence level of 1 − .0167 or 98.33. Use of this confidence
level along with the Tukey procedure means that there is a 95% probability that all of
the confidence intervals in the set will capture the respective true difference in means.
Table€5.3 shows the raw data and the SAS and SPSS commands needed to obtain the
results of interest. Tables€5.4 and 5.5 show the results for the multivariate test (i.e.,

TUKEY;

3 4 5 5
3 4 6 5

2 6 2 2
2 5 2 3

1 4 5 4
1 4 4 4

TITLE ‘SPSS with novince data’.
DATA LIST FREE/gpid anx socskls assert.
BEGIN DATA.
1 5 3 3
1 5 4 3
1 4 5 4
1 4
1 3 5 5
1 4 5 4
1 4 5 5
1 4
1 5 4 3
1 5 4 3
1 4 4 4
2 6 2 1
2 6 2 2
2 5 2 3
2 6
2 4 4 4
2 7 1 1
2 5 4 3
2 5
2 5 3 3
2 5 4 3
2 6 2 3
3 4 4 4
3 4 3 3
3 4 4 4
3 4
3 4 5 5
3 4 4 4
3 4 5 4
3 4
3 4 4 4
3 5 3 3
3 4 4 4
END DATA.
LIST.
GLM anx socskls assert BY gpid
(2)/POSTHOC=gpid(TUKEY)
/PRINT=DESCRIPTIVE
(3)/CRITERIA=ALPHA(.0167)
/DESIGN= gpid.

SPSS

5 5
6 5

2 2
2 3

5 4
4 4

(1) CLDIFF requests confidence intervals for the pairwise comparisons, TUKEY requests use of the Tukey procedure, and ALPHA directs that these comparisons be made at the a / p
or .05 / 3€=€.0167 level. If desired, the pairwise comparisons for Procedure 2 can be implemented by specifying the desired alpha (e.g., .05).
(2) Requests the use of the Tukey procedure for the pairwise comparisons.
(3) The alpha used for the pairwise comparisons is a / p or .05 / 3€=€.0167. If desired, the pairwise comparisons for Procedure 2 can be implemented by specifying the desired alpha
(e.g., .05).

1 5 3 3
1 5 4 3
1 4 5 4
1 3 5 5
1 4 5 4
1 4 5 5
1 5 4 3
1 5 4 3
1 4 4 4
2 6 2 1
2 6 2 2
2 5 2 3
2 4 4 4
2 7 1 1
2 5 4 3
2 5 3 3
2 5 4 3
2 6 2 3
3 4 4 4
3 4 3 3
3 4 4 4
3 4 5 5
3 4 4 4
3 4 5 4
3 4 4 4
3 5 3 3
3 4 4 4
PROC PRINT;
PROC GLM;
CLASS gpid;
MODEL anx socskls assert=gpid;
MANOVA H€=€gpid;
(1) MEANS gpid/ ALPHA€=€.0167 CLDIFF

LINES;

DATA novince;
INPUT gpid anx socskls assert @@;

SAS

 Table 5.3:╇ SAS and SPSS Control Lines for MANOVA, Univariate F Tests, and Pairwise Comparisons Using the Tukey Procedure

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 Table 5.4:╇ SAS Output for Procedure 1
SAS RESULTS
MANOVA Test Criteria and F Approximations for the Hypothesis of No Overall gpid Effect
H = Type III SSCP Matrix for gpid
E = Error SSCP Matrix
S=2 M=0 N=13
Statistic

Value

Wilks’ Lambda
Pillai’s Trace
Hotelling-Lawley
Trace
Roy’s Greatest Root

0.41825036
0.62208904
1.29446446
1.21508924

F Value

Num DF

Den DF

Pr> F

5.10
4.36
5.94

6
6
6

56
58
35.61

0.0003
0.0011
0.0002

11.75

3

29

<.0001

Note: F Statistic for Roy’s Greatest Root is an upper bound.
Note: F Statistic for Wilks’ Lambda is exact.

Dependent Variable: anx
Source

DF

Sum of Squares

Mean Square

F Value

Pr> F

Model
Error
Corrected Total

╇2
30
32

12.06060606
11.81818182
23.87878788

6.03030303
0.39393939

15.31

<.0001

Dependent Variable: socskls
Source

DF

Sum of Squares

Mean Square

F Value

Pr> F

Model
Error
Corrected Total

╇2
30
32

23.09090909
23.45454545
46.54545455

11.54545455
╇0.78181818

14.77

<.0001

Dependent Variable: assert
Source

DF

Sum of Squares

Mean Square

F Value

Pr> F

Model
Error
Corrected Total

╇2
30
32

14.96969697
19.27272727
34.24242424

7.48484848
0.64242424

11.65

0.0002

Wilks’ Λ) and the follow-up ANOVAs for SAS and SPSS, respectively, but do not
show the results for the pairwise comparisons (although the results are produced by
the commands). To ease reading, we present results for the pairwise comparisons in
Table€5.6.
The outputs in Tables€5.4 and 5.5 indicate that the overall multivariate null hypothesis
of no group differences on all outcomes is to be rejected (Wilks’ Λ€=€.418, F€=€5.10,

 Table 5.5:╇ SPSS Output for Procedure 1
SPSS RESULTS

1

Multivariate Testsa
Effect
Gpid

Pillai’s Trace
Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest Root

Value

F

.622
.418
1.294
1.215

4.364
5.098b
5.825
11.746c

Hypothesis df

Error df

Sig.

6.000
6.000
6.000
3.000

58.000
56.000
54.000
29.000

.001
.000
.000
.000

Design: Intercept + gpid
Exact statistic
c
The statistic is an upper bound on F that yields a lower bound on the significance level.
a
b

Tests of Between-Subjects Effects
Source

Dependent Variable

Type III Sum
of Squares

Df

Gpid

Anx
Socskls
Assert
Anx
Socskls
Assert

12.061
23.091
14.970
11.818
23.455
19.273

2
2
2
30
30
30

Error

1

Mean Square
6.030
11.545
7.485
.394
.782
.642

F

Sig.

15.308
14.767
11.651

.000
.000
.000

Non-essential rows were removed from the SPSS tables.

 Table 5.6:╇ Pairwise Comparisons for Each Outcome Using the Tukey Procedure
Contrast

Estimate

SE

98.33% confidence interval
for the mean difference

Anxiety
Rehearsal vs. Cognitive
Rehearsal vs. Control
Cognitive vs. Control

0.18
−1.18*
−1.36*

0.27
0.27
0.27

−.61, .97
−1.97, −.39
−2.15, −.58

Social Skills
Rehearsal vs. Cognitive
Rehearsal vs. Control
Cognitive vs. Control

0.09
1.82*
1.73*

0.38
0.38
0.38

−1.20, 1.02
.71, 2.93
.62, 2.84

Assertiveness
Rehearsal vs. Cognitive
Rehearsal vs. Control
Cognitive vs. Control

− .27
1.27*
1.55*

0.34
0.34
0.34

* Significant at the .0167 level using the Tukey HSD procedure.

−1.28, .73
.27, 2.28
.54, 2.55

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p€<€.05). Further, inspection of the ANOVAs indicates that there are mean differences
for anxiety (F€=€15.31, p < .0167), social skills (F€ =€ 14.77, p < .0167), and assertiveness (F€=€11.65, p < .0167). Table€5.6 indicates that at posttest each of the treatment groups had, on average, reduced anxiety compared to the control group (as the
respective intervals do not include zero). Further, each of the treatment groups had
greater mean social skills and assertiveness scores than the control group. The results
in Table€5.6 do not suggest mean differences are present for the two treatment groups
for any dependent variable (as each such interval includes zero). Note that in addition
to using confidence intervals to merely indicate the presence or absence of a mean difference in the population, we can also use them to describe the size of the difference,
which we do in the next section.
Example 5.2 Illustrating Hand Calculation of the Tukey-Based Confidence
Interval
To illustrate numerically the Tukey procedure as well as an assessment of the importance of a group difference, we obtain a confidence interval for the anxiety (ANX)
variable for the data shown in Table€5.3. In particular, we compute an interval with the
Tukey procedure using the 1 − .05 / 3 level or a 98.33% confidence interval for groups
1 (Behavioral Rehearsal) and 2 (Control). With this 98.33% confidence level, this
procedure provides us with 95% confidence that all the intervals in the set will include
the respective population mean difference. The sample mean difference, as shown in
Table€5.6, is −1.18. Recall that the common group size in this study is n€=€11. The
MSW, the mean square error, as shown in the outputs in Tables€5.4 and 5.5, is .394 for
ANX. While Table A.4 provides critical values for this procedure, it does not do so
for the 98.33rd (1 − .0167) percentile. Here, we simply indicate that the critical value
for the studentized range statistic at q 0167,3,30 = 4.16. Thus, the confidence interval is
given by
.394
.394
< µ − µ < −1.18 + 4.16
1
2
11
11
−1.97 < µ − µ < −.39.
1
2
−1.18 − 4.16

Because this interval does not include 0, we conclude, as before, that the rehearsal
group population mean for anxiety is different from (i.e., lower than) the control population mean. Why is the confidence interval approach more informative, as indicated
earlier, than simply testing whether the means are different? Because the confidence
interval not only tells us whether the means differ, but it also gives us a range of values
within which the mean difference is likely contained. This tells us the precision with
which we have captured the mean difference and can be used in judging the practical importance of the difference. For example, given this interval, it is reasonable to
believe that the mean difference for the two groups in the population lies in the range
from −1.97 to −.39. If an investigator had decided on some grounds that a difference
of at least 1 point indicated a meaningful difference between groups, the investigator,
while concluding that group means differ in the population (i.e., the interval does not

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include zero), would not be confident that an important difference is present (because
the entire interval does not exceed a magnitude of 1).
5.7╇ PLANNED COMPARISONS
One approach to the analysis of data is to first demonstrate overall significance, and
then follow this up to assess the subsources of variation (i.e., which dependent variables
have group differences). Two procedures using ANOVAs and pairwise comparisons
have been presented. That approach is appropriate in exploratory studies where the
investigator first has to establish that an effect exists. However, in many instances, there
is more of an empirical or theoretical base and the investigator is conducting a confirmatory study. Here the existence of an effect can be taken for granted, and the investigator
has specific questions he or she wishes to ask of the data. Thus, rather than examining
all 10 pairwise comparisons for a five-group problem, there may be only three or four
comparisons (that may or may not be paired comparisons) of interest. It is important
to use planned comparisons when the situation justifies them, because performing a
small number of statistical tests cuts down on the probability of spurious results (type
I€errors), which can occur much more readily when a large number of tests are done.
Hays (1981) showed in univariate ANOVA that more powerful tests can be conducted
when comparisons are planned. This would carry over to MANOVA. This is a very
important factor weighing in favor of planned comparisons. Many studies in educational research have only 10 to 20 participants per group. With these sample sizes,
power is generally going to be poor unless the treatment effect is large (Cohen, 1988). If
we plan a small or moderate number of contrasts that we wish to test, then power can be
improved considerably, whereas control on overall α can be maintained through the use
of the Bonferroni Inequality. Recall this inequality states that if k hypotheses, k planned
comparisons here, are tested separately with type I€error rates of α1, α2, .€.€., αk, then
overall α ≤ α1 + α2 + ··· + αk,
where overall α is the probability of one or more type I€errors when all the hypotheses
are true. Therefore, if three planned comparisons were tested each at α€=€.01, then the
probability of one or more spurious results can be no greater than .03 for the set of
three tests.
Let us now consider two situations where planned comparisons would be appropriate:
1. Suppose an investigator wishes to determine whether each of two drugs produces
a differential effect on three measures of task performance over a placebo. Then, if
we denote the placebo as group 2, the following set of planned comparisons would
answer the investigator’s questions:
ψ1€=€µ1 − µ2 and ψ2€= µ2 − µ3

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2. Second, consider the following four-group schematic design:
Groups
Control

T1€& T2 combined

T1

T2

µ1

µ2

µ3

µ4

Note: T1 and T2 represent two treatments.

As outlined, this could represent the format for a variety of studies (e.g., if T1 and T2
were two methods of teaching reading, or if T1 and T2 were two counseling approaches).
Then the three most relevant questions the investigator wishes to answer are given by
the following planned and so-called Helmert contrasts:
1. Do the treatments as a set make a difference?
ψ1 = µ1 −

µ2 + µ2 + µ4
3

2. Is the combination of treatments more effective than either treatment alone?
ψ 2 = µ2 −

µ3 + µ 4
2

3. Is one treatment more effective than the other treatment?
ψ 3 = µ3 − µ 4
Assuming equal n per group, these two situations represent dependent versus independent planned comparisons. Two comparisons among means are independent if the
sum of the products of the coefficients is 0. We represent the contrasts for Situation 1
as follows:
Groups
Ψ1
Ψ2

1

2

3

1
0

−1
1

0
−1

These contrasts are dependent because the sum of products of the coefficients ≠ 0 as
shown:
Sum of products€=€1(0) + (−1)(1) + 0(−1)€= −1

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Now consider the contrasts from Situation 2:
Groups
1

2
1
3

Ψ1

1

Ψ2

1

Ψ3

3

4
1
3
1

2

1
3
1

2

1

−1

Next we show that these contrasts are pairwise independent by demonstrating that the
sum of the products of the coefficients in each case€=€0:
 1
 1  1   1  1 
ψ and ψ : 1(0) +  −  (1) +  −   −  +  −   −  = 0
1
2
 3
 3  2   3  2 
 1
 1
 1
ψ and ψ : 1(0) +  −  (0) +  −  (1) +  −  ( −1) = 0
1
3
 3
 3
 3
 1
 1
ψ and ψ : 0 (0) + (1)(0) +  −  (1) +  −  ( −1) = 0
2
3
 2
 2
Now consider two general contrasts for k groups:
Ψ1€=€c11μ1 + c12μ2+ ··· + c1kμk
Ψ2€=€c21μ1 + c22μ2 + ··· +c2kμk
The first part of the c subscript refers to the contrast number and the second part to the
group. The condition for independence in symbols then is:
c11c21 + c12 c22 +  + c1k c2k =

k

∑c

1 j c2 j

=0

j =1

If the sample sizes are not equal, then the condition for independence is more complicated and becomes:
c11c21 c12 c22
c c
+
+  + 1k 2 k = 0
n1
n2
nk
It is desirable, both statistically and substantively, to have orthogonal multivariate
planned comparisons. Because the comparisons are uncorrelated, we obtain a nice additive partitioning of the total between-group association (Stevens, 1972). You may recall
that in univariate ANOVA the between sum of squares is split into additive portions by a

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set of orthogonal planned comparisons (see Hays, 1981, chap. 14). Exactly the same type
of thing is accomplished in the multivariate case; however, now the between matrix is
split into additive portions that yield nonoverlapping pieces of information. Because the
orthogonal comparisons are uncorrelated, the interpretation is clear and straightforward.
Although it is desirable to have orthogonal comparisons, the set to impose depends
on the questions that are of primary interest to the investigator. The first example we
gave of planned comparisons was not orthogonal, but corresponded to the important
questions the investigator wanted answered. The interpretation of correlated contrasts
requires some care, however, and we consider these in more detail later on in this chapter.
5.8╇ TEST STATISTICS FOR PLANNED COMPARISONS
5.8.1 Univariate Case
You may have been exposed to planned comparisons for a single dependent variable,
the univariate case. For k groups, with population means µ1, µ2, .€.€., µk, a contrast
among the population means is given by
Ψ€= c1µ1 + c2µ2 + ··· + ckµkâ•›,
where the sum of the coefficients (ci) must equal 0.
This contrast is estimated by replacing the population means by the sample means,
yielding
 = c x + c x ++ c x
Ψ
1
2 2
k k
To test whether a given contrast is significantly different from 0, that is, to test
H0 : Ψ€= 0 vs. H1 : Ψ ≠ 0,
we need an expression for the standard error of a contrast. It can be shown that the
variance for a contrast is given by
 2 = MS ⋅
σ
w
Ψ

k


i =1

ci2
,(1)
ni

where MSw is the error term from all the groups (the denominator of the F test) and ni
are the group sizes. Thus, the standard error of a contrast is simply the square root of
Equation€1 and the following t statistic can be used to determine whether a contrast is
significantly different from 0:
t=


Ψ
MS w ⋅

ci2
i =1 n
i
k

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SPSS MANOVA reports the univariate results for contrasts as F values. Recall that
because F€=€t2, the following F test with 1 and N − k degrees of freedom is equivalent
to a two-tailed t test at the same level of significance:
2
Ψ

F=

MS w ⋅

ci2
i =1 n
i
k

If we rewrite this as
2 /
Ψ
F=

ci2
i =1 n
i (2)
,
k

MS w

we can think of the numerator of Equation€2 as the sum of squares for a contrast, and
this will appear as the hypothesis sum of squares (HYPOTH. SS specifically) on the
SPSS print-out. MSw will appear under the heading ERROR MS.
Let us consider a special case of Equation€2. Suppose the group sizes are equal and
we are making a simple paired comparison. Then the coefficient for one mean will be
1 and the coefficient for the other mean will be −1, and Then the F statistic can be
written as
2

 /2 n

 ( MS )−1 Ψ
 . (3)
F=
= Ψ
w
MS w
2
We have rewritten the test statistic in the form on the extreme right because we will
be able to relate it more easily to the multivariate test statistic for a two-group planned
comparison.
5.8.2 Multivariate Case
All contrasts, whether univariate or multivariate, can be thought of as fundamentally
“two-group” comparisons. We are literally comparing two groups, or we are comparing
one set of means versus another set of means. In the multivariate case this means that
Hotelling’s T2 will be appropriate for testing the multivariate contrasts for significance.
We now have a contrast among the population mean vectors µ1, µ2, .€.€., µk, given by
Ψ€= c1µ1 + c2µ2 + ··· + ckµkâ•›.
This contrast is estimated by replacing the population mean vectors by the sample
mean vectors:
 = c x + c x ++ c x
Ψ
1 1
2 2
k k

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K-GROUP MANOVA

We wish to test that the contrast among the population mean vectors is the null vector:
H0 : Ψ€= 0
Our estimate of error is S, the estimate of the assumed common within-group population covariance matrix Σ, and the general test statistic is

T =

2

k


i =1

ci2 

ni 

−1

 ' S −1 Ψ
 , (4)
Ψ

where, as in the univariate case, the ni refer to the group sizes. Suppose we wish to contrast group 1 against the average of groups 2 and 3. If the group sizes are 20, 15, and
12, then the term in parentheses would be evaluated as [12 / 20 + (−.5)2 / 15 + (−.5)2€/
12]. Complete evaluation of a multivariate contrast is given later in Table€5.10. Note
that the first part of Equation€4, involving the summation, is exactly the same as in the
univariate case (see Equation€2). Now, however, there are matrices instead of scalars.
For example, the univariate error term MSw has been replaced by the matrix S.
Again, as in the two-group MANOVA chapter, we have an exact F transformation of
Tâ•›2, which is given by
F=

(ne − p + 1) T 2 with p and
ne p

(ne − p + 1) degrees of freedom.

(5)

In Equation€5, ne€=€N − k, that is, the degrees of freedom for estimating the pooled
within covariance matrix. Note that for k€ =€ 2, Equation€ 5 reduces to Equation€ 3 in
Chapter€4.
For equal n per group and a simple paired comparison, observe that Equation€4 can be
written as
T2 =

n  −1 
Ψ ' S Ψ. (6)
2

Note the analogy with the univariate case in Equation€ 3, except that now we have
matrices instead of scalars. The estimated contrast has been replaced by the estimated
 ) and the univariate error term (MSw) has been replaced by the
mean vector contrast (Ψ
corresponding multivariate error term S.
5.9 MULTIVARIATE PLANNED COMPARISONS ON SPSS MANOVA
SPSS MANOVA is set up very nicely for running multivariate planned comparisons.
The following type of contrasts are automatically generated by the program: Helmert

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(which we have discussed), Simple, Repeated (comparing adjacent levels of a factor),
Deviation, and Polynomial. Thus, if we wish Helmert contrasts, it is not necessary to
set up the coefficients, the program does this automatically. All we need do is give the
following CONTRAST subcommand:
CONTRAST(FACTORNAME)€= HELMERT/

We remind you that all subcommands are indented at least one column and begin with
a keyword (in this case CONTRAST) followed by an equals sign, then the specifications, and are terminated by a slash.
An example of where Helmert contrasts are very meaningful has already been given.
Simple contrasts involve comparing each group against the last group. A€situation
where this set of contrasts would make sense is if we were mainly interested in comparing each of several treatment groups against a control group (labeled as the last
group). Repeated contrasts might be of considerable interest in a repeated measures
design where a single group of subjects is measured at say five points in time (a longitudinal study). We might be particularly interested in differences at adjacent points in
time. For example, a group of elementary school children is measured on a standardized achievement test in grades 1, 3, 5, 7, and 8. We wish to know the extent of change
from grade 1 to grade 3, from grade 3 to grade 5, from grade 5 to grade 7, and from
grade 7 to grade 8. The coefficients for the contrasts would be as follows:
Grade
1

3

5

7

8

1
0
0
0

−1
╇1
╇0
╇0

╇0
−1
╇1
╇0

╇0
╇0
−1
╇1

╇0
╇0
╇0
−1

Polynomial contrasts are useful in trend analysis, where we wish to determine whether
there is a linear, quadratic, cubic, or other trend in the data. Again, these contrasts
can be of great interest in repeated measures designs in growth curve analysis, where
we wish to model the mathematical form of the growth. To reconsider the previous
example, some investigators may be more interested in whether the growth in some
basic skills areas such as reading and mathematics is linear (proportional) during the
elementary years, or perhaps curvilinear. For example, maybe growth is linear for a
while and then somewhat levels off, suggesting an overall curvilinear trend.
If none of these automatically generated contrasts answers the research questions of
interest, then one can set up contrasts using SPECIAL as the code name. Special contrasts are “tailor-made” comparisons for the group comparisons suggested by your
hypotheses. In setting these up, however, remember that for k groups there are only

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(k − 1) between degrees of freedom, so that only (k − 1) nonredundant contrasts can be
run. The coefficients for the contrasts are enclosed in parentheses after special:
CONTRAST(FACTORNAME)€=€SPECIAL(1, 1, .€. ., 1
coefficients for contrasts)/
­

There must first be as many 1s as there are groups. We give an example illustrating
special contrasts shortly.
Example 5.3: Helmert Contrasts
An investigator has a three-group, two-dependent variable problem with five participants per group. The first is a control group, and the remaining two groups are treatment groups. The Helmert contrasts test each level (group) against the average of
the remaining levels. In this case the two single degree of freedom Helmert contrasts,
corresponding to the two between degrees of freedom, are very meaningful. The first
tests whether the control group differs from the average of the treatment groups on the
set of variables. The second Helmert contrast tests whether the treatments are differentially effective. In Table€5.7 we present the control lines along with the data as part
of the command file, for running the contrasts. Recall that when the data is part of the
command file it is preceded by the BEGIN DATA command and the data is followed
by the END DATA command.
The means, standard deviations, and pooled within-covariance matrix S are presented
in Table€5.8, where we also calculate S−1, which will serve as the error term for the multivariate contrasts (see Equation€4). Table€5.9 presents the output for the multivariate
 Table 5.7╇ SPSS MANOVA Control Lines for Multivariate Helmert Contrasts
TITLE ‘HELMERT CONTRASTS’.
DATA LIST FREE/gps y1 y2.
BEGIN DATA.
1 5 6
1 6 7
1 6 7
1 4 5
2 2 2
2 3 3
2 4 4
2 3 2
3 4 3
3 6 7
3 3 3
3 5 5
END DATA.
LIST.
MANOVA y1 y2 BY gps(1,3)
/CONTRAST(gps)€=€HELMERT
(1) /PARTITION(gps)
(2) /DESIGN€=€gps(1), gps(2)
/PRINT€=€CELLINFO(MEANS, COV).

1 5 4
2 2 1
3 5 5

(1) In general, for k groups, the between degrees of freedom could be partitioned in various ways. If we wish
all single degree of freedom contrasts, as here, then we could put PARTITION(gps)€=€(1, 1)/. Or,
this can be abbreviated to PARTITION(gps)/.
(2) This DESIGN subcommand specifies the effects we are testing for significance, in this case the two
single degree of freedom multivariate contrasts. The numbers in parentheses refer to the part of the partition.
Thus, gps(1) refers to the first part of the partition (i.e., the first Helmert contrast) and gps(2) refers to
the second part of the partition (i.e., the second Helmert contrast).

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 Table 5.8╇ Means, Standard Deviations, and Pooled Within Covariance Matrix for
Helmert Contrast Example
Cell Means and Standard Deviations
Variable.. y1
FACTOR

CODE

Mean

Std. Dev.

gps
gps
gps
For entire sample

1
2
3

5.200
2.800
4.600
4.200

.837
.837
1.140
1.373

FACTOR

CODE

Mean

Std. Dev.

gps
gps
gps
For entire sample

1
2
3

5.800
2.400
4.600
4.267

1.304
1.140
1.673
1.944

Variable.. y2

Pooled within-cells Variance-Covariance matrix
Y1

Y2

y1
.900
y2
1.150
1.933
Determinant of pooled Covariance matrix of dependent vars.€=€.41750
To compute the multivariate test statistic for the contrasts we need the inverse of the above
�covariance matrix S, as shown in Equation€4.
The procedure for finding the inverse of a matrix was given in section€2.5. We obtain the matrix of
cofactors and then divide by the determinant. Thus, here we have
S −1 =

1  1.933 −1.15   4.631 −2.755 
=

.9   −2.755
2.156 
.4175  −1.15

and univariate Helmert contrasts comparing the treatment groups against the control
group. The multivariate contrast is significant at the .05 level (F€=€4.303, p€<€.042),
indicating that something is better than nothing. Note also that the Fs for all the multivariate tests are the same, since this is a single degree of freedom comparison and
thus effectively a two-group comparison. The univariate results show that there are
group differences on each of the two variables (i.e., p =.014 and .011). We also show
in Table€ 5.9 how the hypothesis sum of squares is obtained for the first univariate
Helmert contrast (i.e., for y1).
In Table€5.10 we present the multivariate and univariate Helmert contrasts comparing the two treatment groups. As the annotation indicates, both the multivariate
and univariate contrasts are significant at the .05 level. Thus, the treatment groups
differ on the set of variables, and the groups differ on each dependent variable.

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 Table 5.9╇ Multivariate and Univariate Tests for Helmert Contrast Comparing the
Control Group Against the Two Treatment Groups
EFFECT.. gps (1)
Multivariate Tests of Significance (S€=€1, M€=€0, N€=€4 1/2)
Test Name

Value

Exact F

Hypoth. DF

Error DF

Sig. of F

Pillais
.43897
Hotellings
.78244
Wilks
.56103
Roys
.43897
Note.. F statistics are exact.

4.30339
4.30339
4.30339

2.00
2.00
2.00

11.00
11.00
11.00

╇╇ .042
 .042
╇╇ .042

EFFECT.. gps (1) (Cont.)
Univariate F-tests with (1, 12) D. F.
Variable Hypoth. SS Error SS
╇7.50000
17.63333

y1
y2

10.80000
23.20000

Hypoth. MS

Error MS

F

Sig. of F

╇7.50000
17.63333

╇.90000
1.93333

8.33333
9.12069

.014
.011

The univariate contrast for y1 is given by ψ1€=€μ1 − (μ2 + μ3)/2.
Using the means of Table€5.8, we obtain the following estimate for the contrast:
 1 €=€5.2 − (2.8 + 4.6)/2€=€1.5.
Ψ
k
C i2
Recall from Equation€2 that the hypothesis sum of squares is given by ψ 2 /
⋅ For equal group sizes, as
ni
i =1

k

here, this becomes n ψ 2 /

ci2 ⋅ Thus, HYPOTH SS =

i =1

5(1.5)2
= 7.5.
1 + (−.5)2 + (−.5)2
2

The error term for the contrast, MSw, appears under ERROR MS€and is .900. Thus, the F ratio for y1 is
7.5/.90€=€8.333. Notice that both variables are significant at the .05 level.

 This indicates that the multivariate contrast ψ1€=€μ1 − (μ2 + μ3)/2 is significant at the .05 level (because .042€< .05).
That is, the control group differs significantly from the average of the two treatment groups on the set of two variables.

In€Table€5.10 we also show in detail how the F value for the multivariate Helmert
contrast is arrived at.
Example 5.4: Special Contrasts
We indicated earlier that researchers can set up their own contrasts on MANOVA. We
now illustrate this for a four-group, five-dependent variable example. There are two
control groups, one of which is a Hawthorne control, and two treatment groups. Three
very meaningful contrasts are indicated schematically:
T1 (control) T2 (Hawthorne)
ψ1
ψ2
ψ3

−.5
╇╛0
╇╛0

−.5
╇╛1
╇╛0

T3

T4

╇.5
−.5
╇╛1

╇.5
−.5
−1

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 Table 5.10╇ Multivariate and Univariate Tests for Helmert Contrast for the Two
Treatment Groups
EFFECT.. gps(2)
Multivariate Tests of Significance (S€=€1, M€=€0, N€=€4 1/2)
Test Name

Value

Pillais
.43003
Hotellings
.75449
Wilks
.56997
Roys
.43003
Note.. F statistics are exact.

Exact F

Hypoth. DF

Error DF

Sig. of F

4.14970
4.14970
4.14970

2.00
(1) 2.00
2.00

11.00
11.00
11.00

.045
.045
.045

Recall from Table€5.8 that the inverse of pooled within covariance matrix is
 4.631 −2.755 
S −1 = 

 −2.755 2.156 

Since that is a simple contrast with equal n, we can use Equation€6:
T2 =


’S −1 ψ
 = n ( x − x )’S −1 ( x − x ) = 5  2.8 −  4.6 
2
3
2
3
2
2
2  2.4  4.6 

 4.631 −2.755   −1.8
 −2.755 2.156   −2.2 = 9.0535




To obtain the value of HOTELLING given on printout above we simply divide by error df, i.e.,
9.0535/12€=€.75446.
To obtain the F we use Equation€5:
F=

(n

e

− p + 1)
ne p

T2 =

(12 − 2 + 1) 9.0535 = 4.1495,
(
)
12 (2)

With degrees of freedom p€=€2 and (ne − p + 1)€=€11 as given above.
EFFECT.. GPS (2) (Cont.)
Univariate F-tests with (1, 12) D.â•›F.
Variable Hypoth. SS Error SS

Hypoth. MS

Error MS

F

Sig. of F

y1
y2

8.10000
12.10000

.90000
(2) 1.93333

9.00000
6.25862

.011
.028

8.10000
12.10000

10.80000
23.20000

(1) This multivariate test indicates that treatment groups differ significantly at the .05 level (because
.045€<€.05) on the set of two variables.
(2) These results indicate that both univariate contrasts are significant at .05 level, i.e., the treatment groups
differ on each variable.

The control lines for running these contrasts on SPSS MANOVA are presented in
Table€5.11. (In this case we have just put in some data schematically and have used column input, simply to illustrate it.) As indicated earlier, note that the first four numbers
in the CONTRAST subcommand are 1s, corresponding to the number of groups. The
next four numbers define the first contrast, where we are comparing the control groups
against the treatment groups. The following four numbers define the second contrast,
and the last four numbers define the third contrast.

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 Table 5.11╇ SPSS MANOVA Control Lines for Special Multivariate Contrasts
TITLE ‘SPECIAL MULTIVARIATE CONTRASTS’.
DATA LIST FREE/gps 1 y1 3–4 y2 6–7(1) y3 9–11(2)
y4 13–15 y5 17–18.
BEGIN DATA.
1 28 13 476 215 74
.€.€.€.€.€.
4 24 31 668 355 56
END DATA.
LIST.
MANOVA y1 TO y5 BY gps(1, 4)
/CONTRAST(gps) = SPECIAL (1 1 1 1 −.5 −.5 .5 .5
0 1 −.5 −.5 0 0 1 −1)
/PARTITION(gps)
/DESIGN€=€gps(1), gps(2), gps(3)
/PRINT€=€CELLINFO(MEAN, COV, COR).

5.10╇ CORRELATED CONTRASTS
The Helmert contrasts we considered in Example 5.3 are, for equal n, uncorrelated.
This is important in terms of clarity of interpretation because significance on one
Helmert contrast implies nothing about significance on a different Helmert contrast.
For correlated contrasts this is not true. To determine the unique contribution a given
contrast is making we need to partial out its correlations with the other contrasts. We
illustrate how this is done on MANOVA.
Correlated contrasts can arise in two ways: (1) the sum of products of the coefficients ≠
0 for the contrasts, and (2) the sum of products of coefficients€=€0, but the group sizes
are not equal.
Example 5.5: Correlated Contrasts
We consider an example with four groups and two dependent variables. The contrasts
are indicated schematically here, with the group sizes in parentheses:

ψ1
ψ2
ψ3

T1€& T2 (12) combined

Hawthorne (14) control

T1 (11)

T2 (8)

0
0
1

1
1
0

−1
−.5
╇0

╇0
−.5
−1

Notice that ψ1 and ψ2 as well as ψ2 and ψ3 are correlated because the sum of products of
coefficients in each case ≠ 0. However, ψ1 and ψ3 are also correlated since group sizes
are unequal. The data for this problem are given next.

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GP2

GP3

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y1

y2

y1

y2

y1

y2

y1

y2

18
13
20
22
21
19
12
10
15
15
14
12

5
6
4
8
9
0
6
5
4
5
0
6

18
20
17
24
19
18
15
16
16
14
18
14
19
23

9
5
10
4
4
4
7
7
5
3
2
4
6
2

17
22
22
13
13
11
12
23
17
18
13

5
7
5
9
5
5
6
3
7
7
3

13
9
9
15
13
12
13
12

3
3
3
5
4
4
5
3

1. We used the default method (UNIQUE SUM OF SQUARES, as of Release 2.1).
This gives the unique contribution of the contrast to between-group variation; that
is, each contrast is adjusted for its correlations with the other contrasts.
2. We used the SEQUENTIAL sum of squares option. This is obtained by putting the
following subcommand right after the MANOVA statement:
METHOD€= SEQUENTIAL/
With this option each contrast is adjusted only for all contrasts to the left of it in the
DESIGN subcommand. Thus, if our DESIGN subcommand is
DESIGN€= gps(1), gps(2), gps(3)/
then the last contrast, denoted by gps(3), is adjusted for all other contrasts, and the
value of the multivariate test statistics for gps(3) will be the same as we obtained for
the default method (unique sum of squares). However, the value of the test statistics for
gps(2) and gps(1) will differ from those obtained using unique sum of squares, since
gps(2) is only adjusted for gps(1) and gps(1) is not adjusted for either of the other two
contrasts.
The multivariate test statistics for the contrasts using the unique decomposition are
presented in Table€5.12, whereas the statistics for the hierarchical decomposition
are given in Table€5.13. As explained earlier, the results for ψ3 are identical for both
approaches, and indicate significance at the .05 level (F€=€3.499, p < .04). That is,

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the combination of treatments differs from T2 alone. The results for the other two
contrasts, however, are quite different for the two approaches. The unique breakdown
indicates that ψ2 is significant at .05 (treatments differ from Hawthorne control) and ψ1
is not significant (T1 is not different from Hawthorne control). The results in Table€5.12
for the hierarchical approach yield a different conclusion for ψ2. Obviously, the conclusions one draws in this study would depend on which approach was used to test the
contrasts for significance. We express a preference in general for the unique approach.
It should be noted that the unique contribution of each contrast can be
obtained using the hierarchical approach; however, in this case three DESIGN
 Table 5.12╇ Multivariate Tests for Unique Contribution of Each Correlated Contrast to
Between Variation*
EFFECT.. gps (3)
Multivariate Tests of Significance (S€=€1, M€=€0, N€=€19)
Test Name

Value

Pillais
.14891
Hotellings
.17496
Wilks
.85109
Roys
.14891
Note.. F statistics are exact.

Exact F

Hypoth. DF

Error DF

Sig. of F

3.49930
3.49930
3.49930

2.00
2.00
2.00

40.00
40.00
40.00

.040
.040
.040

EFFECT.. gps (2)
Multivariate Tests of Significance (S€=€1, M€=€0, N€=€19)
Test Name

Value

Pillais
.18228
Hotellings
.22292
Wilks
.81772
Roys
.18228
Note.. F statistics are exact.

Exact F

Hypoth. DF

Error DF

Sig. of F

4.45832
4.45832
4.45832

2.00
2.00
2.00

40.00
40.00
40.00

.018
.018
.018

EFFECT.. gps (1)
Multivariate Tests of Significance (S€=€1, M€=€0, N€=€19)
Test Name

Value

Pillais
.03233
Hotellings
.03341
Wilks
.96767
Roys
.03233
Note.. F statistics are exact.
*

Exact F

Hypoth. DF

Error DF

Sig. of F

.66813
.66813
.66813

2.00
2.00
2.00

40.00
40.00
40.00

.518
.518
.518

Each contrast is adjusted for its correlations with the other contrasts.

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 Table 5.13╇ Multivariate Tests of Correlated Contrasts for Hierarchical Option of
SPSS€MANOVA
EFFECT.. gps (3)
Multivariate Tests of Significance (S€=€1, M€=€0, N€=€19)
Test Name

Value

Pillais
.14891
Hotellings
.17496
Wilks
.85109
Roys
.14891
Note.. F statistics are exact.

Exact F

Hypoth. DF

Error DF

Sig. of F

3.49930
3.49930
3.49930

2.00
2.00
2.00

40.00
40.00
40.00

.040
.040
.040

EFFECT.. gps (2)
Multivariate Tests of Significance (S€=€1, M€=€0, N€=€19)
Test Name

Value

Pillais
.10542
Hotellings
.11784
Wilks
.89458
Roys
.10542
Note.. F statistics are exact.

Exact F

Hypoth. DF

Error DF

Sig. of F

2.35677
2.35677
2.35677

2.00
2.00
2.00

40.00
40.00
40.00

.108
.108
.108

EFFECT.. gps (1)
Multivariate Tests of Significance (S€=€1, M€=€0, N€=€19)
Test Name

Value

Pillais
.13641
Hotellings
.15795
Wilks
.86359
Roys
.13641
Note.. F statistics are exact.

Exact F

Hypoth. DF

Error DF

Sig. of F

3.15905
3.15905
3.15905

2.00
2.00
2.00

40.00
40.00
40.00

.053
.053
.053

Note: Each contrast is adjusted only for all contrasts to left of it in the DESIGN subcommand.

subcommands would be required, with each of the contrasts ordered last in one of
the subcommands:
DESIGN€=€gps(1), gps(2), gps(3)/
DESIGN€=€gps(2), gps(3), gps(1)/
DESIGN€=€gps(3), gps(1), gps(2)/
All three orderings can be done in a single run.

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5.11╇STUDIES USING MULTIVARIATE PLANNED
COMPARISONS
Clifford (1972) was interested in the effect of competition as a motivational technique
in the classroom. The participants were fifth graders, with the group about evenly
divided between girls and boys. A€2-week vocabulary learning task was given under
three conditions:
1. Control—a noncompetitive atmosphere in which no score comparisons among
classmates were made.
2. Reward Treatment—comparisons among relatively homogeneous participants were made and accentuated by the rewarding of candy to high-scoring
participants.
3. Game Treatment—again, comparisons were made among relatively homogeneous
participants and accentuated in a follow-up game activity. Here high-scoring participants received an advantage in a game that was played immediately after the
vocabulary task was scored.
The three dependent variables were performance, interest, and retention. The retention
measure was given 2 weeks after the completion of treatments. Clifford had the following two planned comparisons:
1. Competition is more effective than noncompetition. Thus, she was testing the following contrast for significance:
Ψ1 =

µ 2 − µ3
− µ1
2

2. Game competition is as effective as reward with respect to performance on the
dependent variables. Thus, she was predicting the following contrast would not be
significant:
Ψ2€= µ2 − µ3
Clifford’s results are presented in Table€ 5.14. As predicted, competition was more
effective than noncompetition for the set of three dependent variables. Estimation of
the univariate results in Table€5.14 shows that the groups differed only on the interest
variable. Clifford’s second prediction was also confirmed, that there was no difference
in the relative effectiveness of reward versus game treatments (F€=€.84, p < .47).
A second study involving multivariate planned comparisons was conducted by Stevens
(1972). He was interested in studying the relationship between parents’ educational
level and eight personality characteristics of their National Merit Scholar children. Part
of the analysis involved the following set of orthogonal comparisons (75 participants
per group):

Chapter 5

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 Table 5.14╇ Means and Multivariate and Univariate Results for Two Planned
Comparisons in Clifford Study
df

MS

F

P

10.04

.0001

.64
29.24
.18

.43
.0001
.67

1st planned comparison (control vs. reward and game)
Multivariate test
Univariate tests
Performance
Interest
Retention

3/61
1/63
1/63
1/63

.54
4.70
4.01

2nd planned comparison (reward vs. game)
Multivariate test
Univariate tests
Performance
Interest
Retention

3/61
1/63
1/63
1/63

.002
.37
1.47

.84

.47

.003
2.32
.07

.96
.13
.80

Means for the groups
Variable

Control

Performance
Interest
Retention

Reward

╇5.72
╇2.41
30.85

╇5.92
╇2.63
31.55

Games
╇5.90
╇2.57
31.19

1. Group 1 (parents’ education eighth grade or less) versus group 2 (parents’ both
high school graduates).
2. Groups 1 and 2 (no college) versus groups 3 and 4 (college for both parents).
3. Group 3 (both parents attended college) versus group 4 (both parents at least one
college degree).
This set of comparisons corresponds to a very meaningful set of questions: Are differences in
children’s personality characteristics related to differences in parental degree of education?
Another set of orthogonal contrasts that could have been of interest in this study looks
like this schematically:
Groups

ψ1
ψ2
ψ3

1

2

3

4

1
0
0

−.33
0
1

−.33
1
−.50

−.33
−1
−.50

This would have resulted in a different meaningful, additive breakdown of the between association. However, one set of orthogonal contrasts does not have an empirical superiority over
another (after all, they both additively partition the between association). In terms of choosing one set over the other, it is a matter of which set best answers your research hypotheses.

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5.12╇ OTHER MULTIVARIATE TEST STATISTICS
In addition to Wilks’ Λ, three other multivariate test statistics are in use and are printed
out on the packages:
1. Roy’s largest root (eigenvalue) of BW−1.
2. The Hotelling–Lawley trace, the sum of the eigenvalues of BW−1.
3. The Pillai–Bartlett trace, the sum of the eigenvalues of BT−1.
Notice that the Roy and Hotelling–Lawley multivariate statistics are natural generalizations of the univariate F statistic. In univariate ANOVA the test statistic is F€=€MSb /
MSw, a measure of between- to within-group association. The multivariate analogue of
this is BW−1, which is a “ratio” of between- to within-group association. With matrices
there is no division, so we don’t literally divide the between by the within as in the
univariate case; however, the matrix analogue of division is inversion.
Because Wilks’ Λ can be expressed as a product of eigenvalues of WT−1, we see that all
four of the multivariate test statistics are some function of an eigenvalue(s) (sum, product). Thus, eigenvalues are fundamental to the multivariate problem. We will show
in Chapter€10 on discriminant analysis that there are quantities corresponding to the
eigenvalues (the discriminant functions) that are linear combinations of the dependent
variables and that characterize major differences among the groups.
You might well ask at this point, “Which of these four multivariate test statistics should
be used in practice?” This is a somewhat complicated question that, for full understanding, requires a knowledge of discriminant analysis and of the robustness of the
four statistics to the assumptions in MANOVA. Nevertheless, the following will provide guidelines for the researcher. In terms of robustness with respect to type I€error for
the homogeneity of covariance matrices assumption, Stevens (1979) found that any
of the following three can be used: Pillai–Bartlett trace, Hotelling–Lawley trace, or
Wilks’ Λ. For subgroup variance differences likely to be encountered in social science
research, these three are equally quite robust, provided the group sizes are equal or
 largest

approximately equal 
< 1.5 . In terms of power, no one of the four statistics
 smallest

is always most powerful; which depends on how the null hypothesis is false. Importantly, however, Olson (1973) found that power differences among the four multivariate test statistics are generally quite small (< .06). So as a general rule, it won’t make
that much of a difference which of the statistics is used. But, if the differences among
the groups are concentrated on the first discriminant function, which does occur in
practice, then Roy’s statistic technically would be preferred since it is most powerful.
However, Roy’s statistic should be used in this case only if there is evidence to suggest
that the homogeneity of covariance matrices assumption is tenable. Finally, when the
differences among the groups involve two or more discriminant functions, the Pillai–
Bartlett trace is most powerful, although its power advantage tends to be slight.

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5.13╇ HOW MANY DEPENDENT VARIABLES FOR A MANOVA?
Of course, there is no simple answer to this question. However, the following considerations mitigate generally against the use of a large number of criterion variables:
1. If a large number of dependent variables are included without any strong rationale
(empirical or theoretical), then small or negligible differences on most of them
may obscure a real difference(s) on a few of them. That is, the multivariate test
detects mainly error in the system, that is, in the set of variables, and therefore
declares no reliable overall difference.
2. The power of the multivariate tests generally declines as the number of dependent
variables is increased (DasGupta and Perlman, 1974).
3. The reliability of variables can be a problem in behavioral science work. Thus,
given a large number of criterion variables, it probably will be wise to combine
(usually add) highly similar response measures, particularly when the basic measurements tend individually to be quite unreliable (Pruzek, 1971). As Pruzek stated,
one should always consider the possibility that his variables include errors of
measurement that may attenuate F ratios and generally confound interpretations
of experimental effects. Especially when there are several dependent variables
whose reliabilities and mutual intercorrelations vary widely, inferences based on
fallible data may be quite misleading (Pruzek, 1971, p.€187).
4. Based on his Monte Carlo results, Olson had some comments on the design of
multivariate experiments that are worth remembering: For example, one generally
will not do worse by making the dimensionality p smaller, insofar as it is under
experimenter control. Variates should not be thoughtlessly included in an analysis
just because the data are available. Besides aiding robustness, a small value of p is
apt to facilitate interpretation (Olson, 1973, p.€906).
5. Given a large number of variables, one should always consider the possibility that
there is a much smaller number of underlying constructs that will account for most
of the variance on the original set of variables. Thus, the use of exploratory factor analysis as a preliminary data reduction scheme before the use of MANOVA
should be contemplated.
5.14╇POWER ANALYSIS—A PRIORI DETERMINATION OF
SAMPLE€SIZE
Several studies have dealt with power in MANOVA (e.g., Ito, 1962; Lauter, 1978;
Olson, 1974; Pillai€ & Jayachandian, 1967). Olson examined power for small and
moderate sample size, but expressed the noncentrality parameter (which measures the
extent of deviation from the null hypothesis) in terms of eigenvalues. Also, there were
many gaps in his tables: no power values for 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 variables or 4 or 5 groups.
The Lauter study is much more comprehensive, giving sample size tables for a very
wide range of situations:
1. For α€=€.05 or .01.
2. For 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 15, 20, 30, 50, and 100 variables.

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3. For 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 groups.
4. For power€=€.70, .80, .90, and .95.
His tables are specifically for the Hotelling–Lawley trace criterion, and this might
seem to limit their utility. However, as Morrison (1967) noted for large sample size,
and as Olson (1974) showed for small and moderate sample size, the power differences
among the four main multivariate test statistics are generally quite small. Thus, the
sample size requirements for Wilks’ Λ, the Pillai–Bartlett trace, and Roy’s largest root
will be very similar to those for the Hotelling–Lawley trace for the vast majority of
situations.
Lauter’s tables are set up in terms of a certain minimum deviation from the multivariate
null hypothesis, which can be expressed in the following three forms:
j
1
µ ij − µ i ≥ q 2 , where μi is the total
1. There exists a variable i such that 2
σ j =1 j =1
mean and σ2 is variance.

∑(

)

2. There exists a variable i such that 1 / σ i µ ij1 − µ ij 2 ≥ d for two groups j1 and j2.
3. There exists a variable i such that for all pairs of groups 1 and m we have
1 / σ i µ il − µ il > c.
In Table A.5 of Appendix A€of this text we present selected situations and power values that it is believed would be of most value to social science researchers: for 2, 3,
4, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 15 variables, with 3, 4, 5, and 6 groups, and for power€=€.70, .80,
and .90. We have also characterized the four different minimum deviation patterns
as very large, large, moderate, and small effect sizes. Although the characterizations
may be somewhat rough, they are reasonable in the following senses: They agree with
Cohen’s definitions of large, medium, and small effect sizes for one variable (Lauter
included the univariate case in his tables), and with Stevens’ (1980) definitions of
large, medium, and small effect sizes for the two-group MANOVA case.
It is important to note that there could be several ways, other than that specified by
Lauter, in which a large, moderate, or small multivariate effect size could occur. But
the essential point is how many participants will be needed for a given effect size,
regardless of the combination of differences on the variables that produced the specific
effect size. Thus, the tables do have broad applicability. We consider shortly a few specific examples of the use of the tables, but first we present a compact table that should
be of great interest to applied researchers:
Groups

Effect size

Very large
Large
Medium
Small

3

4

5

6

12–16
25–32
42–54
92–120

14–18
28–36
48–62
105–140

15–19
31–40
54–70
120–155

16–21
33–44
58–76
130–170

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This table gives the range of sample sizes needed per group for adequate power (.70)
at α€=€.05 when there are three to six variables.
Thus, if we expect a large effect size and have four groups, 28 participants per group
are needed for power€=€.70 with three variables, whereas 36 participants per group are
required if there were six dependent variables.
Now we consider two examples to illustrate the use of the Lauter sample size tables
in the appendix.
Example 5.6
An investigator has a four-group MANOVA with five dependent variables. He wishes
power€=€.80 at α€=€.05. From previous research and his knowledge of the nature of the
treatments, he anticipates a moderate effect size. How many participants per group
will he need? Reference to Table A.5 (for four groups) indicates that 70 participants
per group are required.
Example 5.7
A team of researchers has a five-group, seven-dependent-variable MANOVA. They
wish power€ =€ .70 at α€ =€ .05. From previous research they anticipate a large effect
size. How many participants per group are needed? Interpolating in Table A.5 (for
five groups) between six and eight variables, we see that 43 participants per group are
needed, or a total of 215 participants.
5.15╇SUMMARY
Cohen’s (1968) seminal article showed social science researchers that univariate ANOVA
could be considered as a special case of regression, by dummy-coding group membership. In this chapter we have pointed out that MANOVA can also be considered as a
special case of regression analysis, except that for MANOVA it is multivariate regression because there are several dependent variables being predicted from the dummy
variables. That is, separation of the mean vectors is equivalent to demonstrating that the
dummy variables (predictors) significantly predict the scores on the dependent variables.
For exploratory research where the focus is on individual dependent variables (and
not linear combinations of these variables), two post hoc procedures were given for
examining group differences for the outcome variables. Each procedure followed up
a significant multivariate test result with univariate ANOVAs for each outcome. If an
F test were significant for a given outcome and more than two groups were present,
pairwise comparisons were conducted using the Tukey procedure. The two procedures differ in that one procedure used a Bonferroni-adjusted alpha for the univariate
F tests and pairwise comparisons while the other did not. Of the two procedures, the
more widely recommended procedure is to use the Bonferroni-adjusted alpha for the
univariate ANOVAs and the Tukey procedure, as this procedure provides for greater
control of the overall type I€error rate and a more accurate set of confidence intervals

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(in terms of coverage). The procedure that uses no such alpha adjustment should be
considered only when the number of outcomes and groups is small (i.e., two or€three).
For confirmatory research, planned comparisons were discussed. The setup of multivariate contrasts on SPSS MANOVA was illustrated. Although uncorrelated contrasts
are desirable because of ease of interpretation and the nice additive partitioning they
yield, it was noted that often the important questions an investigator has will yield
correlated contrasts. The use of SPSS MANOVA to obtain the unique contribution of
each correlated contrast was illustrated.
It was noted that the Roy and Hotelling–Lawley statistics are natural generalizations of
the univariate F ratio. In terms of which of the four multivariate test statistics to use in
practice, two criteria can be used: robustness and power. Wilks’ Λ, the Pillai–Bartlett
trace, and Hotelling–Lawley statistics are equally robust (for equal or approximately
equal group sizes) with respect to the homogeneity of covariance matrices assumption,
and therefore any one of them can be used. The power differences among the four statistics are in general quite small (< .06), so that there is no strong basis for preferring
any one of them over the others on power considerations.
The important problem, in terms of experimental planning, of a priori determination
of sample size was considered for three-, four-, five-, and six-group MANOVA for the
number of dependent variables ranging from 2 to 15.
5.16 EXERCISES
1. Consider the following data for a three-group, three-dependent-variable
problem:
Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

y1

y2

y3

y1

y2

y3

y1

y2

y3

2.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
1.0
1.5
4.0
3.0
3.5
1.0
1.0

2.5
2.0
3.0
4.0
2.0
3.5
3.0
4.0
3.5
1.0
2.5

2.5
1.5
2.5
3.0
1.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
3.5
1.0
2.0

1.5
1.0
3.0
4.5
1.5
2.5
3.0
4.0

3.5
4.5
3.0
4.5
4.5
4.0
4.0
5.0

2.5
2.5
3.0
4.5
3.5
3.0
3.5
5.0

1.0
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.0
2.5
2.0
1.0
1.0
2.0

2.0
2.0
1.0
2.5
3.0
3.0
2.5
1.0
1.5
3.5

1.0
1.5
1.0
2.0
2.5
2.5
2.5
1.0
1.5
2.5

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Use SAS or SPSS to run a one-way MANOVA. Use procedure 1 (with the
adjusted Bonferroni F tests) to do the follow-up tests.
(a) What is the multivariate null hypothesis? Do you reject it at α€=€.05?
(b) If you reject in part (a), then for which outcomes are there group differences at the .05 level?
(c) For any ANOVAs that are significant, use the post hoc tests to describe
group differences. Be sure to rank order group performance based on the
statistical test results.

2. Consider the following data from Wilkinson (1975):
Group A
5
6
6
4
5

6
7
7
5
4

Group B
4
5
3
5
2

2
3
4
3
2

2
3
4
2
1

Group C
7
5
6
4
4

4
6
3
5
5

3
7
3
5
5

4
5
5
5
4

Run a one-way MANOVA on SAS or SPSS. Do the various multivariate test
statistics agree in a decision on H0?

3. This table shows analysis results for 12 separate ANOVAs. The researchers
were examining differences among three groups for outpatient therapy, using
symptoms reported on the Symptom Checklist 90–Revised.
SCL 90–R Group Main Effects
Group
Group 1 Group 2

Dimension
Somatization
Obsessivecompulsive
Interpersonal
sensitivity
Depression
Anxiety
Hostility
Phobic anxiety

Group 3

N€=€48

N€=€60

N€=€57

F

df

53.7
48.7

53.2
53.9

53.7
52.2

╇.03
2.75

2,141
2,141

ns
ns

47.3

51.3

52.9

4.84

2,141

p < .01

47.5
48.5
48.1
49.8

53.5
52.9
54.6
54.2

53.9
52.2
52.4
51.8

5.44
1.86
3.82
2.08

2,141
2,141
2,141
2,141

p < .01
ns
p < .03
ns

Significance

(Continued )

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K-GROUP MANOVA

Dimension
Paranoid ideation
Psychoticism
Global Severity
index positive
symptom
Distress index
Positive symptom
total

F

df

Significance

51.4
52.4
49.7

54.7
54.6
54.4

54.0
54.2
54.0

1.38
.37
2.55

2,141
2,141
2,141

ns
ns
ns

49.3
50.2

55.8
52.9

53.2
54.4

3.39
1.96

2,141
2,141

p < .04
ns

(a) Could we be confident that these results would replicate? Explain.
(b) In this study, the authors did not a priori hypothesize differences on the
specific variables for which significance was found. Given that, what would
have been a better method of analysis?
4. A researcher is testing the efficacy of four drugs in inhibiting undesirable
responses in patients. Drugs A€and B are similar in composition, whereas drugs
C and D are distinctly different in composition from A€and B, although similar in
their basic ingredients. He takes 100 patients and randomly assigns them to five
groups: Gp 1—control, Gp 2—drug A, Gp 3—drug B, Gp 4—drug C, and Gp 5—
drug D. The following would be four very relevant planned comparisons to test:

Contrasts

1
2
3
4

Control

Drug A

Drug B

Drug C

Drug D

1
0
0
0

−.25
1
1
0

−.25
1
−1
0

−.25
−1
0
1

−.25
−1
0
−1

(a) Show that these contrasts are orthogonal.

Now, consider the following set of contrasts, which might also be of interest in the preceding study:

Contrasts

1
2
3
4

Control

Drug A

Drug B

Drug C

Drug D

1
1
1
0

−.25
−.5
0
1

−.25
−.5
0
1

−.25
0
−.5
−1

−.25
0
−.5
−1

(b) Show that these contrasts are not orthogonal.
(c) Because neither of these two sets of contrasts is one of the standard sets
that come out of SPSS MANOVA, it would be necessary to use the special
contrast feature to test each set. Show the control lines for doing this for
each set. Assume four criterion measures.

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5. Find an article in one of the better journals in your content area from within the
last 5€years that used primarily MANOVA. Answer the following questions:
(a)How many statistical tests (univariate or multivariate or both) were done?
Were the authors aware of this, and did they adjust in any way?
(b) Was power an issue in this study? Explain.
(c) Did the authors address practical importance in ANY way? Explain.

REFERENCES
Clifford, M.â•›M. (1972). Effects of competition as a motivational technique in the classroom.
American Educational Research Journal, 9, 123–134.
Cohen, J. (1968). Multiple regression as a general data-analytic system. Psychological Bulletin, 70, 426–443.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the social sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
DasGupta, S.,€& Perlman, M.╛D. (1974). Power of the noncentral F-test: Effect of additional
variates on Hotelling’s T2-Test. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 69, 174–180.
Dunnett, C.â•›W. (1980). Pairwise multiple comparisons in the homogeneous variance, unequal
sample size cases. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 75, 789–795.
Hays, W.╛L. (1981). Statistics (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart€& Winston.
Ito, K. (1962). A€comparison of the powers of two MANOVA tests. Biometrika, 49, 455–462.
Johnson, N.,€& Wichern, D. (1982). Applied multivariate statistical analysis. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Keppel, G.,€& Wickens, T.â•›D. (2004). Design and analysis: A€researcher’s handbook (4th ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Keselman, H.â•›J., Murray, R.,€& Rogan, J. (1976). Effect of very unequal group sizes on Tukey’s
multiple comparison test. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 36, 263–270.
Lauter, J. (1978). Sample size requirements for the T2 test of MANOVA (tables for one-way
classification). Biometrical Journal, 20, 389–406.
Levin, J.╛R., Serlin, R.╛C.,€& Seaman, M.╛A. (1994). A€controlled, powerful multiple-comparison
strategy for several situations. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 153–159.
Lohnes, P.â•›R. (1961). Test space and discriminant space classification models and related
significance tests. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 21, 559–574.
Morrison, D.â•›F. (1967). Multivariate statistical methods. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Novince, L. (1977). The contribution of cognitive restructuring to the effectiveness of behavior rehearsal in modifying social inhibition in females. Unpublished doctoral dissertation,
University of Cincinnati, OH.
Olson, C.╛L. (1973). A€Monte Carlo investigation of the robustness of multivariate analysis of
variance. Dissertation Abstracts International, 35, 6106B.
Olson, C.â•›L. (1974). Comparative robustness of six tests in multivariate analysis of variance.
Journal of the American Statistical Association, 69, 894–908.

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Pillai, K.,€& Jayachandian, K. (1967). Power comparisons of tests of two multivariate hypotheses based on four criteria. Biometrika, 54, 195–210.
Pruzek, R.â•›M. (1971). Methods and problems in the analysis of multivariate data. Review of
Educational Research, 41, 163–190.
Stevens, J.â•›P. (1972). Four methods of analyzing between variation for the k-group MANOVA
problem. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 7, 499–522.
Stevens, J.â•›P. (1979). Comment on Olson: Choosing a test statistic in multivariate analysis of
variance. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 355–360.
Stevens, J.â•›P. (1980). Power of the multivariate analysis of variance tests. Psychological Bulletin, 88, 728–737.
Tatsuoka, M.â•›M. (1971). Multivariate analysis: Techniques for educational and psychological
research. New York, NY: Wiley.
Wilkinson, L. (1975). Response variable hypotheses in the multivariate analysis of variance.
Psychological Bulletin, 82, 408–412.

Chapter 6

ASSUMPTIONS IN MANOVA

6.1 INTRODUCTION
You may recall that one of the assumptions in analysis of variance is normality; that
is, the scores for the subjects in each group are normally distributed. Why should
we be interested in studying assumptions in ANOVA and MANOVA? Because, in
ANOVA and MANOVA, we set up a mathematical model based on these assumptions,
and all mathematical models are approximations to reality. Therefore, violations of
the assumptions are inevitable. The salient question becomes: How radically must a
given assumption be violated before it has a serious effect on type I€and type II error
rates? Thus, we may set our α€=€.05 and think we are rejecting falsely 5% of the time,
but if a given assumption is violated, we may be rejecting falsely 10%, or if another
assumption is violated, we may be rejecting falsely 40% of the time. For these kinds
of situations, we would certainly want to be able to detect such violations and take
some corrective action, but all violations of assumptions are not serious, and hence it
is crucial to know which assumptions to be particularly concerned about, and under
what conditions.
In this chapter, we consider in detail what effect violating assumptions has on type
I€error and power. There has been plenty of research on violations of assumptions in
ANOVA and a fair amount of research for MANOVA on which to base our conclusions. First, we remind you of some basic terminology that is needed to discuss the
results of simulation (i.e., Monte Carlo) studies, whether univariate or multivariate.
The nominal α (level of significance) is the α level set by the experimenter, and is the
proportion of time one is rejecting falsely when all assumptions are met. The actual
α is the proportion of time one is rejecting falsely if one or more of the assumptions
is violated. We say the F statistic is robust when the actual α is very close to the level
of significance (nominal α). For example, the actual αs for some very skewed (nonnormal) populations may be only .055 or .06, very minor deviations from the level of
significance of .05.

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6.2 ANOVA AND MANOVA ASSUMPTIONS
The three statistical assumptions for univariate ANOVA€are:
1. The observations are independent. (violation very serious)
2. The observations are normally distributed on the dependent variable in each group.
(robust with respect to type I€error)
(skewness has generally very little effect on power, while platykurtosis attenuates
power)
3. The population variances for the groups are equal, often referred to as the homogeneity of variance assumption.
(conditionally robust—robust if group sizes are equal or approximately equal—
largest/smallest < 1.5)
The assumptions for MANOVA are as follows:
1. The observations are independent. (violation very serious)
2. The observations on the dependent variables follow a multivariate normal distribution in each group.
(robust with respect to type I€error)
(no studies on effect of skewness on power, but platykurtosis attenuates power)
3. The population covariance matrices for the p dependent variables are equal. (conditionally robust—robust if the group sizes are equal or approximately equal—
largest/smallest < 1.5)
6.3 INDEPENDENCE ASSUMPTION
Note that independence of observations is an assumption for both ANOVA and
MANOVA. We have listed this assumption first and are emphasizing it for three
reasons:
1. A violation of this assumption is very serious.
2. Dependent observations do occur fairly often in social science research.
3. Some statistics books do not mention this assumption, and in some cases where
they do, misleading statements are made (e.g., that dependent observations occur
only infrequently, that random assignment of subjects to groups will eliminate the
problem, or that this assumption is usually satisfied by using a random sample).
Now let us consider several situations in social science research where dependence
among the observations will be present. Cooperative learning has become very popular
since the early 1980s. In this method, students work in small groups, interacting with
each other and helping each other learn the lesson. In fact, the evaluation of the success
of the group is dependent on the individual success of its members. Many studies have
compared cooperative learning versus individualistic learning. It was once common

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that such data was not analyzed properly (Hykle, Stevens,€& Markle, 1993). That is,
analyses would be conducted using individual scores while not taking into account the
dependence among the observations. With the increasing use of multilevel modeling,
such analyses are likely not as common.
Teaching methods studies constitute another broad class of situations where dependence of observations is undoubtedly present. For example, a few troublemakers in a
classroom would have a detrimental effect on the achievement of many children in
the classroom. Thus, their posttest achievement would be at least partially dependent
on the disruptive classroom atmosphere. On the other hand, even with a favorable
classroom atmosphere, dependence is introduced, because the achievement of many
of the children will be enhanced by the positive learning situation. Therefore, in either
case (positive or negative classroom atmosphere), the achievement of each child is not
independent of the other children in the classroom.
Another situation in which observations would be dependent is a study comparing
the achievement of students working in pairs at computers versus students working
in groups of three. Here, if Bill and John, say, are working at the same computer, then
obviously Bill’s achievement is partially influenced by John. If individual scores were
to be used in the analysis, clustering effects, due to working at the same computer,
need to be accounted for in the analysis.
Glass and Hopkins (1984) made the following statement concerning situations where
independence may or may not be tenable: “Whenever the treatment is individually
administered, observations are independent. But where treatments involve interaction
among persons, such as discussion method or group counseling, the observations may
influence each other” (p.€353).
6.3.1 Effect of Correlated Observations
We indicated earlier that a violation of the independence of observations assumption
is very serious. We now elaborate on this assertion. Just a small amount of dependence
among the observations causes the actual α to be several times greater than the level
of significance. Dependence among the observations is measured by the intraclass
correlation ICC, where:
ICC€= MSb − MSw / [MSb + (n −1)MSw]
Mb and MSw are the numerator and denominator of the F statistic and n is the number
of participants in each group.
Table€ 6.1, from Scariano and Davenport (1987), shows precisely how dramatic an
effect dependence has on type I€error. For example, for the three-group case with 10
participants per group and moderate dependence (ICC€=€.30), the actual α is .54. Also,
for three groups with 30 participants per group and small dependence (ICC€=€.10), the

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 Table 6.1:╇ Actual Type I€Error Rates for Correlated Observations in a One-Way€ANOVA
Intraclass correlation
Number of Group
groups
size
.00
2

3

5

10

3
10
30
100
3
10
30
100
3
10
30
100
3
10
30
100

.0500
.0500
.0500
.0500
.0500
.0500
.0500
.0500
.0500
.0500
.0500
.0500
.0500
.0500
.0500
.0500

.01

.10

.30

.50

.70

.0522
.0606
.0848
.1658
.0529
.0641
.0985
.2236
.0540
.0692
.1192
.3147
.0560
.0783
.1594
.4892

.0740 .1402 .2374 .3819
.1654 .3729 .5344 .6752
.3402 .5928 .7205 .8131
.5716 .7662 .8446 .8976
.0837 .1866 .3430 .5585
.2227 .5379 .7397 .8718
.4917 .7999 .9049 .9573
.7791 .9333 .9705 .9872
.0997 .2684 .5149 .7808
.3151 .7446 .9175 .9798
.6908 .9506 .9888 .9977
.9397 .9945 .9989 .9998
.1323 .4396 .7837 .9664
.4945 .9439 .9957 .9998
.9119 .9986 1.0000 1.0000
.9978 1.0000 1.0000 1.0000

.90

.95

.99

.6275
.8282
.9036
.9477
.8367
.9639
.9886
.9966
.9704
.9984
.9998
1.0000
.9997
1.0000
1.0000
1.0000

.7339
.8809
.9335
.9640
.9163
.9826
.9946
.9984
.9923
.9996
1.0000
1.0000
1.0000
1.0000
1.0000
1.0000

.8800
.9475
.9708
.9842
.9829
.9966
.9990
.9997
.9997
1.0000
1.0000
1.0000
1.0000
1.0000
1.0000
1.0000

actual α is .49, almost 10 times the level of significance. Notice, also, from the table,
that for a fixed value of the intraclass correlation, the situation does not improve with
larger sample size, but gets far worse.
6.4╇WHAT SHOULD BE DONE WITH CORRELATED
OBSERVATIONS?
Given the results in Table€6.1 for a positive intraclass correlation, one route investigators could take if they suspect that the nature of their study will lead to correlated observations is to test at a more stringent level of significance. For the three- and five-group
cases in Table€6.1, with 10 observations per group and intraclass correlation€=€.10, the
error rates are five to six times greater than the assumed level of significance of .05.
Thus, for this type of situation, it would be wise to test at α€=€.01, realizing that the
actual error rate will be about .05 or somewhat greater. For the three- and five-group
cases in Table€6.1 with 30 observations per group and intraclass correlation€=€.10, the
error rates are about 10 times greater than .05. Here, it would be advisable to either test
at .01, realizing that the actual α will be about .10, or test at an even more stringent α
level.
If several small groups (counseling, social interaction, etc.) are involved in each treatment, and there are clear reasons to suspect that observations will be correlated within

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the groups but uncorrelated across groups, then consider using the group mean as the
unit of analysis. Of course, this will reduce the effective sample size considerably;
however, this will not cause as drastic a drop in power as some have feared. The reason
is that the means are much more stable than individual observations and, hence, the
within-group variability will be far€less.
Table€6.2, from Barcikowski (1981), shows that if the effect size is medium or large,
then the number of groups needed per treatment for power .80 doesn’t have to be that
large. For example, at α€=€.10, intraclass correlation€=€.10, and medium effect size, 10
groups (of 10 subjects each) are needed per treatment. For power .70 (which we consider adequate) at α€=€.15, one probably could get by with about six groups of 10 per
treatment. This is a rough estimate, because it involves double extrapolation.
A third and much more commonly used method of analysis is one that directly adjusts
parameter estimates for the degree of clustering. Multilevel modeling is a procedure that accommodates various forms of clustering. Chapter€13 covers fundamental
concepts and applications, while Chapter€14 covers multivariate extensions of this
procedure.

 Table 6.2:╇ Number of Groups per Treatment Necessary for Power > .80 in a TwoTreatment-Level Design
Intraclass correlation for effect sizea
.10
α Level

.05

.10

a

.20

Number
of groups

.20

.50

.80

10
15
20
25
30
35
40
10
15
20
25
30
35
40

73
62
56
53
51
49
48
57
48
44
41
39
38
37

13
11
10
10
9
9
9
10
9
8
8
7
7
7

6
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
4
4

.20€=€small effect size; .50€=€medium effect size; .80€=€large effect€size.

.20

.50

.80

107
97
92
89
87
86
85
83
76
72
69
68
67
66

18
17
16
16
15
15
15
14
13
13
12
12
12
12

8
8
7
7
7
7
7
7
6
6
6
6
5
5

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Assumptions in MANOVA

Before we leave the topic of correlated observations, we wish to mention an interesting
paper by Kenny and Judd (1986), who discussed how nonindependent observations
can arise because of several factors, grouping being one of them. The following quote
from their paper is important to keep in mind for applied researchers:
Throughout this article we have treated nonindependence as a statistical nuisance,
to be avoided because of the bias it introduces.€.€.€. There are, however, many
occasions when nonindependence is the substantive problem that we are trying to
understand in psychological research. For instance, in developmental psychology,
a frequently asked question concerns the development of social interaction. Developmental researchers study the content and rate of vocalization from infants for
cues about the onset of interaction. Social interaction implies nonindependence
between the vocalizations of interacting individuals. To study interaction developmentally, then, we should be interested in nonindependence not solely as a statistical problem, but also a substantive focus in itself.€.€.€. In social psychology, one of
the fundamental questions concerns how individual behavior is modified by group
contexts. (p.€431)

6.5 NORMALITY ASSUMPTION
Recall that the second assumption for ANOVA is that the observations are normally
distributed in each group. What are the consequences of violating this assumption? An
excellent early review regarding violations of assumptions in ANOVA was done by
Glass, Peckham, and Sanders (1972). This review concluded that the ANOVA F test is
largely robust to normality violations. In particular, they found that skewness has only
a slight effect (generally only a few hundredths) on the alpha level or power associated
with the F test. The effects of kurtosis on level of significance, although greater, also
tend to be slight.
You may be puzzled as to how this can be. The basic reason is the Central Limit
Theorem, which states that the sum of independent observations having any distribution whatsoever approaches a normal distribution as the number of observations
increases. To be somewhat more specific, Bock (1975) noted, “even for distributions
which depart markedly from normality, sums of 50 or more observations approximate
to normality. For moderately nonnormal distributions the approximation is good with
as few as 10 to 20 observations” (p.€111). Because the sums of independent observations approach normality rapidly, so do the means, and the sampling distribution of F
is based on means. Thus, the sampling distribution of F is only slightly affected, and
therefore the critical values when sampling from normal and nonnormal distributions
will not differ by€much.
With respect to power, a platykurtic distribution (a flattened distribution with thinner
tails relative to the normal distribution indicated by a negative kurtosis value) does
attenuate power. Note also that more recently, Wilcox (2012) pointed that the ANOVA

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F test is not robust to certain violations of normality, which if present may inflate
the type I€error rate to unacceptable levels. However, it appears that data have to be
very nonnormal for problems to arise, and these arise primarily when group sizes are
unequal. For example, in a meta analysis reported by Lix, Keselman, and Keselman
(1996), when skew€=€2 and kurtosis€=€6, the type I€error rate for the ANOVA F test
remains close to its nominal value of .05 (mean alpha reported under nonnormality as
.059 with a standard deviation of .026). For unequal group size with the same degree
of nonnormality, type I€error rates can be somewhat inflated (mean alpha€=€.069 with
a standard deviation of .048). Thus, while the ANOVA F test appears to be largely
robust under normality violations, it is important to assess normality and take some
corrective steps when gross departures are found especially when group sizes are
unequal.
6.6 MULTIVARIATE NORMALITY
The multivariate normality assumption is a much more stringent assumption than the
corresponding assumption of normality on a single variable in ANOVA. Although it
is difficult to completely characterize multivariate normality, normality on each of the
variables separately is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for multivariate normality to hold. That is, each of the individual variables must be normally distributed
for the variables to follow a multivariate normal distribution. Two other properties
of a multivariate normal distribution are: (1) any linear combination of the variables
are normally distributed, and (2) all subsets of the set of variables have multivariate
normal distributions. This latter property implies, among other things, that all pairs
of variables must be bivariate normal. Bivariate normality, for correlated variables,
implies that the scatterplots for each pair of variables will be elliptical; the higher the
correlation, the thinner the ellipse. Thus, as a partial check on multivariate normality,
one could obtain the scatterplots for pairs of variables from SPSS or SAS and see if
they are approximately elliptical.
6.6.1 Effect of Nonmultivariate Normality
on Type I€Error and€Power
Results from various studies that considered up to 10 variables and small or moderate
sample sizes (Everitt, 1979; Hopkins€& Clay, 1963; Mardia, 1971; Olson, 1973) indicate that deviation from multivariate normality has only a small effect on type I€error.
In almost all cases in these studies, the actual α was within .02 of the level of significance for levels of .05 and .10.
Olson found, however, that platykurtosis does have an effect on power, and the severity of the effect increases as platykurtosis spreads from one to all groups. For example,
in one specific instance, power was close to 1 under no violation. With kurtosis present
in just one group, the power dropped to about .90. When kurtosis was present in all
three groups, the power dropped substantially, to .55.

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You should note that what has been found in MANOVA is consistent with what was
found in univariate ANOVA, in which the F statistic is often robust with respect to type
I€error against nonnormality, making it plausible that this robustness might extend to the
multivariate case; this, indeed, is what has been found. Incidentally, there is a multivariate extension of the Central Limit Theorem, which also makes the multivariate results
not entirely surprising. Second, Olson’s result, that platykurtosis has a substantial effect
on power, should not be surprising, given that platykurtosis had been shown in univariate ANOVA to have a substantial effect on power for small n’s (Glass et al., 1972).
With respect to skewness, again the Glass et€al. (1972) review suggesting that distortions of power values are rarely greater than a few hundredths for univariate ANOVA,
even with considerably skewed distributions. Thus, it could well be the case that multivariate skewness also has a negligible effect on power, although we have not located
any studies bearing on this issue.
6.7 ASSESSING THE NORMALITY ASSUMPTION
If a set of variables follows a multivariate normal distribution, each of the variables
must be normally distributed. Therefore, it is often recommended that before other
procedures are used, you check to see if the scores for each variable appear to approximate a normal distribution. If univariate normality does not appear to hold, we know
then that the multivariate normality assumption is violated. There are two other reasons it makes sense to assess univariate normality:
1. As Gnanadesikan (1977) has stated, “in practice, except for rare or pathological
examples, the presence of joint (multivariate) normality is likely to be detected
quite often by methods directed at studying the marginal (univariate) normality
of the observations on each variable” (p.€168). Johnson and Wichern (2007) made
essentially the same point: “Moreover, for most practical work, one-dimensional
and two-dimensional investigations are ordinarily sufficient. Fortunately, pathological data sets that are normal in lower dimensional representations but nonnormal in higher dimensions are not frequently encountered in practice” (p.€177).
2. Because the Box test for the homogeneity of covariance matrices assumption is
quite sensitive to nonnormality, we wish to detect nonnormality on the individual
variables and transform to normality to bring the joint distribution much closer to
multivariate normality so that the Box test is not unduly affected. With respect to
transformations, Figure€6.1 should be quite helpful.
6.7.1 Assessing Univariate Normality
There are several ways to assess univariate normality. First, for each group, you can
examine values of skewness and kurtosis for your data. Briefly, skewness refers to lack
of symmetry in a score distribution, whereas kurtosis refers to how peaked a distribution is and the degree to which the tails of the distribution are light or heavy relative

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 Figure 6.1:╇ Distributional transformations (from Rummel, 1970).

Xj

Xj = (Xj)1/2

Xj

Xj = log Xj

Xj

Xj = arcsin (Xj)1/2

Xj

Xj

Xj

Xj = log

Xj
1 – Xj

Xj = 1/2 log 1 + Xj
1 – Xj

Xj = log

Xj
1 – Xj

Xj = raw data distribution
Xj = transformed data distribution

Xj

Xj = arcsin (Xj)1/2

Xj = 1/2 log

1 + Xj
1 – Xj

to the normal distribution. The formulas for these indicators as used by SAS and SPSS
are such that if scores are normally distributed, skewness and kurtosis will each have
a value of€zero.
There are two ways that skewness and kurtosis measures are used to evaluate the normality assumption. A€simple rule is to compare each group’s skewness and kurtosis

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values to a magnitude of 2 (although values of 1 or 3 are sometimes used). Then, if
the values of skewness and kurtosis are each smaller in magnitude than 2, you would
conclude that the distribution does not depart greatly from a normal distribution, or is
reasonably consistent with the normal distribution. The second way these measures
are sometimes used is to consider a score distribution to be approximately normal if
the sample values of skewness and kurtosis each lie within ±2 standard errors of the
respective measure. So, for example, suppose that the standard error for skewness
(as obtained by SAS or SPSS) were .75 and the standard error for kurtosis were .60.
Then, the scores would be considered to reasonably approximate a normal distribution if the sample skewness value were within the span of −1.5 to 1.5 (±2 × .75) and
the sample kurtosis value were within the span of −1.2 to 1.2 (±2 × .60). Note that
this latter procedure approximates a z test for skewness and kurtosis assuming an
alpha of .05. Like any statistical test, then, this procedure will be sensitive to sample
size, providing generally lower power for smaller n and greater power for larger€n.
A second method of assessing univariate normality is to examine plots for each group.
Commonly used plots include a histogram, stem and leaf plot, box plot, and Q-Q plot.
The latter plot shows observations arranged in increasing order of magnitude and then
plotted against the expected normal distribution values. This plot should resemble a
straight line if normality is tenable. These plots are available on SAS and SPSS. Note
that with a small or moderate group size, it may be difficult to discern whether nonnormality is real or apparent, because of considerable sampling error. As such, the
skewness and kurtosis values may be examined, as mentioned, and statistical tests of
normality may conducted, which we consider€next.
A third method of assessing univariate normality it to use omnibus statistical tests
for normality. These tests includes the chi-square goodness of fit, Kolmogorov–
Smirnov, Shapiro–Wilk, and the z test approximations for skewness and kurtosis
discussed earlier. The chi-square test suffers from the defect of depending on the
number of intervals used for the grouping, whereas the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test
was shown not to be as powerful as the Shapiro–Wilk test or the combination of
using the skewness and kurtosis coefficients in an extensive Monte Carlo study by
Wilk, Shapiro, and Chen (1968). These investigators studied 44 different distributions, with sample sizes ranging from 10 to 50, and found that the combination of
skewness and kurtosis coefficients and the Shapiro–Wilk test were the most powerful in detecting departures from normality. They also found that extreme nonnormality can be detected with sample sizes of less than 20 by using sensitive procedures
(like the two just mentioned). This is important, because for many practical problems, group sizes are small. Note though that with large group sizes, these tests may
be quite powerful. As such it is a good idea to use test results along with examining
plots and the skewness and kurtosis descriptive statistics to get a sense of the degree
of departure from normality.
For univariate tests, we prefer the Shapiro–Wilk statistic due to its superior performance for small samples. Note that the null hypothesis for this test is that the variable

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being tested is normally distributed. Thus, a small p value (i.e., < .05) indicates a
violation of the normality assumption. This test statistic is easily obtained with the
EXAMINE procedure in SPSS. This procedure also yields the skewness and kurtosis
coefficients, along with their standard errors, and various plots. All of this information
is useful in determining whether there is a significant departure from normality, and
whether skewness or kurtosis is primarily responsible.
6.7.2 Assessing Multivariate Normality
Several methods can be used to assess the multivariate normality assumption. First, as
noted, checking to see if univariate normality is tenable provides a check on the multivariate normality assumption because if univariate normality is not present, neither
is multivariate normality. Note though that multivariate normality may not hold even
if univariate normality does. As noted earlier, assessing univariate normality is often
sufficient in practice to detect serious violations of the multivariate normality assumption, especially when combined with checking for bivariate normality. The latter can
be done by examining all possible bivariate scatter plots (although this becomes less
practical when many variables and many groups are present). Thus, for this edition
of the text (as in the previous edition), we will continue to focus on the use of these
methods to assess normality. We will, though, describe some multivariate methods for
assessing the multivariate normality assumption as these methods are beginning to
become available in general purpose software programs, such as SAS and€SPSS.
Two different multivariate methods are available to assess whether the multivariate normality assumption is tenable. First, many different multivariate test statistics have been
developed to assess multivariate normality, including, for example, Mardia’s (1970) test
of multivariate skewness and kurtosis, Small’s (1980) omnibus test of multivariate normality, and the Henze–Zirkler (1990) test of multivariate normality. While there appears
to be limited evaluation of the performance of these multivariate tests, Looney (1995)
reports some simulation evidence suggesting that Small’s test has better performance
than some other tests, and Mecklin and Mundfrom (2003) found that the Henze–Zirkler
test is the best performing test of multivariate normality of the methods they examined.
As of this edition of the text, SPSS does not include any tests of multivariate normality
in its procedures. However, Decarlo (1997) has developed a macro that can be used
with SPSS (which is freely available at http://www.columbia.edu/~ld208/). This macro
implements a variety of tests for multivariate normality, including Small’s omnibus
test mentioned previously. SAS now includes multivariate normality tests in the PROC
MODEL procedure via the fit option, which includes the Henze–Zirkler test (as well as
other normality tests).
The second multivariate procedure that is available to assess multivariate normality is
a graphical assessment procedure. This graph compares the squared Mahalanobis distances associated with the dependent variables to the values expected if multivariate
normality holds (analogous to the univariate Q-Q plot). Often, the expected values are

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obtained from a chi-square distribution. Note though that Rencher and Christensen
(2012) state that the chi-square approximation often used in this plot can be poor and do
not recommend it for assessing multivariate normality. They discuss an alternative plot
in their€text.
6.7.3 Assessing Univariate Normality Using€SPSS
We now show how you can use some of these procedures to assess normality. Our
example comes from a study on the cost of transporting milk from farms to dairy plants.
Example 6.1
From a survey, cost data on Y1€=€fuel, Y2€=€repair, and Y3€=€capital (all measures on
a per mile basis) were obtained for two types of trucks, gasoline and diesel. Thus, we
have a two-group MANOVA, with three dependent variables. First, we ran this data
through the SPSS DESCRIPTIVES program. The complete lines for doing so are presented in Table€6.3. This was done to obtain the z scores for the variables within each
group. Converting to z scores makes it much easier to identify potential outliers. Any
variables with z values substantially greater than 2.5 or so (in absolute value) need to
be examined carefully. When we examined the z scores, we found three observations
with z scores greater than 2.5, all of which occurred for Y1. These scores were found
for case 9, z = 3.52, case 21, z = 2.91 (both in group 1), and case 52, z = 2.77 (in group
2). These cases, then, would need to be carefully examined to make sure data entry is
accurate and to make sure these score are valid.
Next, we used the SPSS EXAMINE procedure with these data to obtain, among other
things, the Shapiro–Wilk test for normality for each variable in each group and the
group skewness and kurtosis values. The commands for doing this appear in Table€6.4.
The test results for the three variables in each group are shown next. If we were testing for normality in each case at the .05 level, then only variable Y1 deviates from
normality in just group 1, as the p value for the Shapiro–Wilk statistic is smaller
 Table 6.3:╇ Control Lines for SPSS Descriptives for Three Variables in Two-Group MANOVA
TITLE ‘SPLIT FILE FOR MILK DATA’.
DATA LIST FREE/gp y1 y2 y3.
BEGIN DATA.

DATA LINES (raw data are on-line)

END DATA.

SPLIT FILE BY gp.

DESCRIPTIVES VARIABLES=y1 y2 y3
/SAVE

/STATISTICS=MEAN STDDEV MIN MAX.

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 Table 6.4:╇ SPSS Commands for the EXAMINE Procedure for the Two-Group MANOVA
TITLE ‘TWO GROUP MANOVA — 3 DEPENDENT VARIABLES’.
DATA LIST FREE/gp y1 y2 y3.
BEGIN DATA.
DATA LINES (data are on-line)
END DATA.

(1)╅ EXAMINE VARIABLES€=€y1 y2 y3 BY gp
(2)╅ /PLOT€=€STEMLEAF NPPLOT.

(1)╇The BY keyword will yield variety of descriptive statistics for each group: mean, median, skewness,
kurtosis,€etc.
(2)╇STEMLEAF will yield a stem-and-leaf plot for each variable in each group. NPPLOT yields normal
probability plots, as well as the Shapiro–Wilk and Kolmogorov–Smirnov statistical tests for normality for
each variable in each group.

than .05. In addition, while all other skewness and kurtosis values are smaller then
2, the skewness and kurtosis values for Y1 in group 1 are 1.87 and 4.88. Thus, both
the statistical test result and the kurtosis value indicate a violation of normality for
Y1 in group 1. Note that given the positive value for kurtosis, we would not expect
this departure from normality to have much of an effect on power, and hence we
would not be very concerned. We would have been concerned if we had found
deviation from normality on two or more variables, and this deviation was due
to platykurtosis (indicated by a negative kurtosis value). In this case, we would
have applied the last transformation in Figure€6.1: [.05 log (1 + X)] / (1 − X). Note
also that the outliers found for group 1 greatly affect the assessment of normality.
If these values were judged not to be valid and removed from the analysis, the
resulting assessment of normality would have concluded no normality violations.
This highlights the value of attending to outliers prior to engaging in other analysis
activities.

Tests of normality
Kolmogorov-Smirnova
y1
y2
y3
*
a

Shapiro-Wilk

Gp

Statistic

df

Sig.

Statistic

df

Sig.

1.00
2.00
1.00
2.00
1.00
2.00

.157
.091
.125
.118
.073
.111

36
23
36
23
36
23

.026
.200*
.171
.200*
.200*
.200*

.837
.962
.963
.962
.971
.969

36
23
36
23
36
23

.000
.512
.262
.500
.453
.658

This is a lower bound of the true significance.
Lilliefors Significance Correction

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6.8 HOMOGENEITY OF VARIANCE ASSUMPTION
Recall that the third assumption for ANOVA is that of equal population variances.
It is widely known that ANOVA F test is not robust when unequal group sizes are
combined with unequal variances. In particular, when group sizes are sharply unequal (largest/smallest > 1.5) and the population variances differ, then if the larger
groups have smaller variances the F statistic is liberal. A€liberal test result means
we are rejecting falsely too often; that is, actual α > nominal level of significance.
Thus, you may think you are rejecting falsely 5% of the time, but the true rejection
rate (actual α) may be 11%. When the larger groups have larger variances, then the
F statistic is conservative. This means actual α < nominal level of significance. At
first glance, this may not appear to be a problem, but note that the smaller α will
cause a decrease in power, and in many studies, one can ill afford to have power
further attenuated.
With group sizes are equal or approximately equal (largest/smallest < 1.5), the
ANOVA F test is often robust to violations of equal group variance. In fact, early
research into this issue, such as reported in Glass et€al. (1972), indicated that ANOVA
F test is robust to such violations provided that groups are of equal size. More recently,
though, research, as described in Coombs, Algina, and Oltman (1996), has shown
that the ANOVA F test, even when group sizes are equal, is not robust when group
variances differ greatly. For example, as reported in Coombs et al., if the common
group size is 11 and the variances are in the ratio of 16:1:1:1, then the type I€error rate
associated with the F test is .109. While the ANOVA F test, then, is not completely
robust to unequal variances even when group sizes are the same, this research suggests that the variances must differ substantially for this problem to arise. Further,
the robustness of the ANOVA F test improves in this situation when the equal group
size is larger.
It is important to note that many of the frequently used tests for homogeneity of variance, such as Bartlett’s, Cochran’s, and Hartley’s Fmax, are quite sensitive to nonnormality. That is, with these tests, one may reject and erroneously conclude that the
population variances are different when, in fact, the rejection was due to nonnormality in the underlying populations. Fortunately, Levene has a test that is more robust
against nonnormality. This test is available in the EXAMINE procedure in SPSS. The
test statistic is formed by deviating the scores for the subjects in each group from
the group mean, and then taking the absolute values. Thus, zij = xij - x j , where x j

represents the mean for the jth group. An ANOVA is then done on the zij s. Although the
Levene test is somewhat more robust, an extensive Monte Carlo study by Conover,
Johnson, and Johnson (1981) showed that if considerable skewness is present, a modification of the Levene test is necessary for it to remain robust. The mean for each group
is replaced by the median, and an ANOVA is done on the deviation scores from the
group medians. This modification produces a more robust test with good power. It is
available on SAS and€SPSS.

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6.9 HOMOGENEITY OF THE COVARIANCE MATRICES*
The assumption of equal (homogeneous) covariance matrices is a very restrictive one.
Recall from the matrix algebra chapter (Chapter€2) that two matrices are equal only
if all corresponding elements are equal. Let us consider a two-group problem with
five dependent variables. All corresponding elements in the two matrices being equal
implies, first, that the corresponding diagonal elements are equal. This means that the
five population variances in group 1 are equal to their counterparts in group 2. But all
nondiagonal elements must also be equal for the matrices to be equal, and this implies
that all covariances are equal. Because for five variables there are 10 covariances, this
means that the 10 population covariances in group 1 are equal to their counterpart covariances in group 2. Thus, for only five variables, the equal covariance matrices assumption requires that 15 elements of group 1 be equal to their counterparts in group€2.
For eight variables, the assumption implies that the eight population variances in group
1 are equal to their counterparts in group 2 and that the 28 corresponding covariances
for the two groups are equal. The restrictiveness of the assumption becomes more
strikingly apparent when we realize that the corresponding assumption for the univariate t test is that the variances on only one variable be equal.
Hence, it is very unlikely that the equal covariance matrices assumption would ever
literally be satisfied in practice. The relevant question is: Will the very plausible violations of this assumption that occur in practice have much of an effect on power?
6.9.1 Effect of Heterogeneous Covariance Matrices on Type I€Error
Three major Monte Carlo studies have examined the effect of unequal covariance
matrices on error rates: Holloway and Dunn (1967) and Hakstian, Roed, and Linn
(1979) for the two-group case, and Olson (1974) for the k-group case. Holloway
and Dunn considered both equal and unequal group sizes and modeled moderate
to extreme heterogeneity. A€representative sampling of their results, presented in
Table€ 6.5, shows that equal ns keep the actual α very close to the level of significance (within a few percentage points) for all but the extreme cases. Sharply unequal
group sizes for moderate inequality, with the larger group having smaller variability,
produce a liberal test. In fact, the test can become very liberal (cf., three variables,
N1€=€35, N2€=€15, actual α€=€.175). When larger groups have larger variability, this
produces a conservative€test.
Hakstian et€al. (1979) modeled heterogeneity that was milder and, we believe, somewhat more representative of what is encountered in practice, than that considered in the
Holloway and Dunn study. They also considered more disparate group sizes (up to a
ratio of 5 to 1) for the 2-, 6-, and 10-variable cases. The following three heterogeneity
conditions were examined:
* Appendix 6.2 discusses multivariate test statistics for unequal covariance matrices.

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 Table 6.5:╇ Effect of Heterogeneous Covariance Matrices on Type I€Error for Hotelling’s T╛╛2 (1)
Degree of heterogeneity
Number of observations per group
Number of variables N1

N2 (2)

3
3
3
3
3
7
7
7
7
7
10
10
10
10
10

35
30
25
20
15
35
30
25
20
15
35
30
25
20
15

15
20
25
30
35
15
20
25
30
35
15
20
25
30
35

D€=€3 (3)

D€=€10

(Moderate)

(Very large)

.015
.03
.055
.09
.175
.01
.03
.06
.13
.24
.01
.03
.08
.17
.31

0
.02
.07
.15
.28
0
.02
.08
.27
.40
0
.03
.12
.33
.40

(1)╇Nominal α€=€.05.
(2)╇ Group 2 is more variable.
(3)╇ D€=€3 means that the population variances for all variables in Group 2 are 3 times as large as the population variances for those variables in Group€1.
Source: Data from Holloway and Dunn (1967).

1. The population variances for the variables in Population 2 are only 1.44 times as
great as those for the variables in Population€1.
2. The Population 2 variances and covariances are 2.25 times as great as those for all
variables in Population€1.
3. The Population 2 variances and covariances are 2.25 times as great as those for
Population 1 for only half the variables.
The results in Table€6.6 for the six-variable case are representative of what Hakstian et€al.
found. Their results are consistent with the Holloway and Dunn findings, but they extend
them in two ways. First, even for milder heterogeneity, sharply unequal group sizes can
produce sizable distortions in the type I€error rate (cf., 24:12, Heterogeneity 2 (negative):
actual α€=€.127 vs. level of significance€=€.05). Second, severely unequal group sizes can
produce sizable distortions in type I€error rates, even for very mild heterogeneity (cf.,
30:6, Heterogeneity 1 (negative): actual α€=€.117 vs. level of significance€=€.05).
Olson (1974) considered only equal ns and warned, on the basis of the Holloway and
Dunn results and some preliminary findings of his own, that researchers would be well

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 Table 6.6:╇ Effect of Heterogeneous Covariance Matrices with Six Variables on Type I
Error for Hotelling’s€T╛╛2
Heterog. 1
N1:N2(1)

Nominal α (2) POS.

18:18

.01
.05
.10
.01
.05
.10
.01
.05
.10

24:12

30:6

Heterog. 2
NEG. POS.

.006
.048
.099
.007
.035
.068
.004
.018
.045

Heterog. 3

NEG. POS.
.011
.057
.109

.020
.088
.155
.036
.117
.202

.005
.021
.051
.000
.004
.012

NEG. (3)
.012
.064
.114

.043
.127
.214
.103
.249
.358

.006
.028
.072
.003
.022
.046

.018
.076
.158
.046
.145
.231

(1)╇ Ratio of the group sizes.
(2)╇ Condition in which the larger group has the larger generalized variance.
(3)╇ Condition in which the larger group has the smaller generalized variance.
Source: Data from Hakstian, Roed, and Lind (1979).

advised to strive to attain equal group sizes in the k-group case. The results of Olson’s
study should be interpreted with care, because he modeled primarily extreme heterogeneity (i.e., cases where the population variances of all variables in one group were 36
times as great as the variances of those variables in all the other groups).
6.9.2 Testing Homogeneity of Covariance Matrices: The Box€Test
Box (1949) developed a test that is a generalization of the Bartlett univariate homogeneity of variance test, for determining whether the covariance matrices are equal. The test
uses the generalized variances; that is, the determinants of the within-covariance matrices. It is very sensitive to nonnormality. Thus, one may reject with the Box test because
of a lack of multivariate normality, not because the covariance matrices are unequal.
Therefore, before employing the Box test, it is important to see whether the multivariate normality assumption is reasonable. As suggested earlier in this chapter, a check of
marginal normality for the individual variables is probably sufficient (inspecting plots,
examining values for skewness and kurtosis, and using the Shapiro–Wilk test). Where
there is a departure from normality, use a suitable transformation (see Figure€6.1).
Box has given an χ2 approximation and an F approximation for his test statistic, both
of which appear on the SPSS MANOVA output, as an upcoming example in this section shows. To decide to which of these one should pay more attention, the following
rule is helpful: When all group sizes are 20 and the number of dependent variables is
six, the χ2 approximation is fine. Otherwise, the F approximation is more accurate and
should be€used.

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Example 6.2
To illustrate the use of SPSS MANOVA for assessing homogeneity of the covariance
matrices, we consider, again, the data from Example 1. Note that we use the SPSS
MANOVA procedure instead of GLM in order to obtain the natural log of the determinants, as discussed later. Recall that this example involved two types of trucks (gasoline and diesel), with measurements on three variables: Y1€=€fuel, Y2€=€repair, and
Y3€=€capital. The raw data were provided in the syntax online. Recall that there were
36 gasoline trucks and 23 diesel trucks, so we have sharply unequal group sizes. Thus,
a significant Box test here will produce biased multivariate statistics that we need to
worry about.
The commands for running the MANOVA, along with getting the Box test and some
selected output, are presented in Table€6.7. It is in the PRINT subcommand that we
obtain the multivariate (Box test) and univariate tests of homogeneity of variance.
Note in Table€6.7 (center) that the Box test is significant well beyond the .01 level
(F€=€5.088, p€=€.000, approximately). We wish to determine whether the multivariate
test statistics will be liberal or conservative. To do this, we examine the determinants
of the covariance matrices. Remember that the determinant of the covariance matrix
is the generalized variance; that is, it is the multivariate measure of within-group variability for a set of variables. In this case, the larger group (group 1) has the smaller
generalized variance (i.e., 3,172). The effect of this is to produce positively biased
(liberal) multivariate test statistics. Also, although this is not presented in Table€6.7,
the group effect is quite significant (F€=€16.375, p€=€.000, approximately). It is possible, then, that this significant group effect may be mainly due to the positive bias
present.

 Table 6.7:╇ SPSS MANOVA and EXAMINE Control Lines for Milk Data and Selected Output
TITLE ‘MILK DATA’.
DATA LIST FREE/gp y1 y2 y3.
BEGIN DATA.
DATA LINES (raw data are on-line)
END DATA.
MANOVA y1 y2 y3 BY gp(1,2)
/PRINT€=€HOMOGENEITY(COCHRAN, BOXM).
EXAMINE VARIABLES€=€y1 y2 y3 BY gp
/PLOT€=€SPREADLEVEL.
Cell Number.. 1
Determinant of Covariance matrix of dependent variables =
LOG (Determinant) =
Cell Number.. 2
Determinant of Covariance matrix of dependent variables =
LOG (Determinant) =

3172.91372
8.06241
4860.31030
8.48886

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Determinant of pooled Covariance matrix of dependent vars. =
6619.49636
LOG (Determinant) =
8.79777
Multivariate test for Homogeneity of Dispersion matrices
Boxs M =
32.53409
F WITH (6,14625) DF =
5.08834,
P€=€.000 (Approx.)
P€=€.000 (Approx.)
Chi-Square with 6 DF =
30.54336,
Test of Homogeneity of Variance

y1
y2
y3

Based on Mean
Based on Mean
Based on Mean

Levene Statistic

df 1

df 2

Sig.

5.071
.961
6.361

1
1
1

57
57
57

.028
.331
.014

To see whether this is the case, we look for variance-stabilizing transformations that,
hopefully, will make the Box test not significant, and then check to see whether the
group effect is still significant. Note, in Table€6.7, that the Levene’s tests of equal variance suggest there are significant variance differences for Y1 and€Y3.
The EXAMINE procedure was also run, and indicated that the following new variables
will have approximately equal variances: NEWY1€=€Y1** (−1.678) and NEWY3€= €Y3**
(.395). When these new variables, along with Y2, were run in a MANOVA (see
Table€6.8), the Box test was not significant at the .05 level (F€=€1.79, p€=€.097), but
the group effect was still significant well beyond the .01 level (F€=€13.785, p > .001
approximately).
We now consider two variations of this result. In the first, a violation would not be of
concern. If the Box test had been significant and the larger group had the larger generalized variance, then the multivariate statistics would be conservative. In that case,
we would not be concerned, for we would have found significance at an even more
stringent level had the assumption been satisfied.
A second variation on the example results that would have been of concern is if
the large group had the large generalized variance and the group effect was not
significant. Then, it wouldn’t be clear whether the reason we did not find significance was because of the conservativeness of the test statistic. In this case, we could
simply test at a somewhat more liberal level, once again realizing that the effective
alpha level will probably be around .05. Or, we could again seek variance stabilizing
transformations.
With respect to transformations, there are two possible approaches. If there is a known
relationship between the means and variances, then the following two transformations are

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 Table 6.8:╇ SPSS MANOVA and EXAMINE Commands for Milk Data Using Two Transformed Variables and Selected Output
TITLE ‘MILK DATA – Y1 AND Y3 TRANSFORMED’.
DATA LIST FREE/gp y1 y2 y3.
BEGIN DATA.
DATA LINES
END DATA.
LIST.
COMPUTE NEWy1 = y1**(−1.678).
COMPUTE NEWy3 = y3**.395.
MANOVA NEWy1 y2 NEWy3 BY gp(1,2)
/PRINT = CELLINFO(MEANS) HOMOGENEITY(BOXM, COCHRAN).
EXAMINE VARIABLES = NEWy1 y2 NEWy3 BY gp
/PLOT = SPREADLEVEL.
Multivariate test for Homogeneity of Dispersion matrices
Boxs M =

11.44292

F WITH (6,14625) DF =

1.78967,

P = .097 (Approx.)

Chi-Square with 6 DF =

10.74274,

P = .097 (Approx.)

EFFECT .. GP
Multivariate Tests of Significance (S = 1, M = 1/2, N = 26 1/2)
Test Name

Value

Exact F

Hypoth.
DF

Error
DF

Sig.
of F

Pillais

.42920

13.78512

3.00

55.00

.000

Hotellings

.75192

13.78512

3.00

55.00

.000

Wilks

.57080

13.78512

3.00

55.00

.000

Roys

.42920

Levene
Statistic

df1

df2

Sig.

Note .. F statistics are exact.
Test of Homogeneity of Variance

NEWy1

Based on Mean

1.008

1

57

.320

Y2

Based on Mean

.961

1

57

.331

NEWy3

Based on Mean

.451

1

57

.505

helpful. The square root transformation, where the original scores are replaced by yij ,
will stabilize the variances if the means and variances are proportional for each group. This
can happen when the data are in the form of frequency counts. If the scores are proportions,

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then the means and variances are related as follows: σ i2 = µ i (1 - µ i ). This is true because,
with proportions, we have a binomial variable, and for a binominal variable the variance is
this function of its mean. The arcsine transformation, where the original scores are replaced
by arcsin

yij , will also stabilize the variances in this€case.

If the relationship between the means and the variances is not known, then one can let
the data decide on an appropriate transformation (as in the previous example).
We now consider an example that illustrates the first approach, that of using a known
relationship between the means and variances to stabilize the variances.
Example 6.3
Group 1
Yâ•›1

MEANS
VARIANCES

Yâ•›2

.30
5
1.1
4
5.1
8
1.9
6
4.3
4
Y╛1€=€3.1
3.31

Yâ•›1

Group 2
Yâ•›2

3.5
4.0
4.3
7.0
1.9
7.0
2.7
4.0
5.9
7.0
Y╛2€=€5.6
2.49

Yâ•›1

Yâ•›2

5
4
5
4
12
6
8
3
13
4
Y╛1€=€8.5
8.94

Yâ•›1

Group 3
Yâ•›2

9 5
11 6
5 3
10 4
7 2
Y╛2€=€4
1.66

Yâ•›1

Yâ•›2

14
5
9
10
20
2
16
6
23
9
Y╛1€=€16
20

Yâ•›1

Y2

18
21
12
15
12
Y╛2€=€5.3
8.68

8
2
2
4
5

Notice that for Y1, as the means increase (from group 1 to group 3) the variances also
increase. Also, the ratio of variance to mean is approximately the same for the three
groups: 3.31 / 3.1€=€1.068, 8.94 / 8.5€=€1.052, and 20 / 16€=€1.25. Further, the variances
for Y2 differ by a fair amount. Thus, it is likely here that the homogeneity of covariance
matrices assumption is not tenable. Indeed, when the MANOVA was run on SPSS,
the Box test was significant at the .05 level (F€=€2.821, p€=€.010), and the Cochran
univariate tests for both variables were also significant at the .05 level (Y1: p =.047;
Y2: p€=€.014).
Because the means and variances for Y1 are approximately proportional, as mentioned earlier, a square-root transformation will stabilize the variances. The commands for running SPSS MANOVA, with the square-root transformation on Y1,
are given in Table€6.9, along with selected output. A€few comments on the commands: It is in the COMPUTE command that we do the transformation, calling the
transformed variable RTY1. We then use the transformed variable RTY1, along with
Y2, in the MANOVA command for the analysis. Note the stabilizing effect of the
square root transformation on Y1; the standard deviations are now approximately
equal (.587, .522, and .568). Also, Box’s test is no longer significant (F€ =€ 1.73,
p€=€.109).

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 Table 6.9:╇ SPSS Commands for Three-Group MANOVA with Unequal Variances (Illustrating Square-Root Transformation)
TITLE ‘THREE GROUP MANOVA – TRANSFORMING y1’.
DATA LIST FREE/gp y1 y2.
BEGIN DATA.
â•…â•…DATA LINES
END DATA.
COMPUTE RTy1€=€SQRT(y1).
MANOVA RTy1 y2 BY gp(1,3)
╅╇/PRINT€=€CELLINFO(MEANS) HOMOGENEITY(COCHRAN, BOXM).
Cell Means and Standard Deviations
Variable .. RTy1
CODE
Mean
Std. Dev.
FACTOR
gp
1
1.670
.587
gp
2
2.873
.522
gp
3
3.964
.568
For entire sample
2.836
1.095
- — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — Variable .. y2
FACTOR
CODE
Mean
Std. Dev.
gp
1
5.600
1.578
gp
2
4.100
1.287
gp
3
5.300
2.946
For entire sample
5.000
2.101
- — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — Univariate Homogeneity of Variance Tests
Variable .. RTy1
╅╅ Cochrans C(9,3) =╅╅╅╅╅╅╅╅╅╅ .36712, ╇P€=€1.000 (approx.)
╅╅ Bartlett-Box F(2,1640) =╅╅╅╅╅╛╛╛.06176, P€=€ .940
Variable .. y2
╅╅ Cochrans C(9,3) =╅╅╅╅╅╅╅╅╅╅ .67678,╇P€=╅ .014 (approx.)
╅╅ Bartlett-Box F(2,1640) =╅╅╅╅╛ 3.35877,╅€
P€=╅ .035
- — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — Multivariate test for Homogeneity of Dispersion matrices
Boxs M =
11.65338
F WITH (6,18168) DF =╅╅╅╅╅╇1.73378, P =╅╅ .109 (Approx.)
Chi-Square with 6 DF =╅╅╅╇╛╛╛10.40652, P =╅╅ .109 (Approx.)

6.10 SUMMARY
We have considered each of the assumptions in MANOVA in some detail individually.
We now tie together these pieces of information into an overall strategy for assessing
assumptions in a practical problem.

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1. Check to determine whether it is reasonable to assume the participants are responding independently; a violation of this assumption is very serious. Logically, from
the context in which the participants are receiving treatments, one should be able
to make a judgment. Empirically, the intraclass correlation is a measure of the
degree of dependence. Perhaps the most flexible analysis approach for correlated
observations is multilevel modeling. This method is statistically correct for situations in which individual observations are correlated within clusters, and multilevel models allow for inclusion of predictors at the participant and cluster level,
as discussed in Chapter€13. As a second possibility, if several groups are involved
for each treatment condition, consider using the group mean as the unit of analysis, instead of the individual outcome scores.
2. Check to see whether multivariate normality is reasonable. In this regard, checking
the marginal (univariate) normality for each variable should be adequate. The EXAMINE procedure from SPSS is very helpful. If departure from normality is found,
consider transforming the variable(s). Figure€6.1 can be helpful. This comment from
Johnson and Wichern (1982) should be kept in mind: “Deviations from normality are
often due to one or more unusual observations (outliers)” (p.€163). Once again, we
see the importance of screening the data initially and converting to z scores.
3. Apply Box’s test to check the assumption of homogeneity of the covariance matrices. If normality has been achieved in Step 2 on all or most of the variables, then
Box’s test should be a fairly clean test of variance differences, although keep in
mind that this test can be very powerful when sample size is large. If the Box test
is not significant, then all is€fine.
4. If the Box test is significant with equal ns, then, although the type I€error rate will
be only slightly affected, power will be attenuated to some extent. Hence, look for
transformations on the variables that are causing the covariance matrices to differ.
5. If the Box test is significant with sharply unequal ns for two groups, compare the
determinants of S1 and S2 (i.e., the generalized variances for the two groups). If the
larger group has the smaller generalized variance, Tâ•›2 will be liberal. If the larger
group as the larger generalized variance, Tâ•›2 will be conservative.
6. For the k-group case, if the Box test is significant, examine the |Si| for the groups.
If the groups with larger sample sizes have smaller generalized variances, then
the multivariate statistics will be liberal. If the groups with the larger sample sizes
have larger generalized variances, then the statistics will be conservative.
It is possible for the k-group case that neither of these two conditions hold. For example, for three groups, it could happen that the two groups with the smallest and the
largest sample sizes have large generalized variances, and the remaining group has a
variance somewhat smaller. In this case, however, the effect of heterogeneity should
not be serious, because the coexisting liberal and conservative tendencies should cancel each other out somewhat.
Finally, because there are several test statistics in the k-group MANOVA case, their
relative robustness in the presence of violations of assumptions could be a criterion
for preferring one over the others. In this regard, Olson (1976) argued in favor of the

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Pillai–Bartlett trace, because of its presumed greater robustness against heterogeneous
covariances matrices. For variance differences likely to occur in practice, however,
Stevens (1979) found that the Pillai–Bartlett trace, Wilks’ Λ, and the Hotelling–Lawley trace are essentially equally robust.
6.11 COMPLETE THREE-GROUP MANOVA EXAMPLE
In this section, we illustrate a complete set of analysis procedures for one-way
MANOVA with a new data set. The data set, available online, is called SeniorWISE,
because the example used is adapted from the SeniorWISE (Wisdom Is Simply Exploration) study (McDougall et al., 2010a, 2010b). In the example used here, we assume
that individuals 65 or older were randomly assigned to receive (1) memory training,
which was designed to help adults maintain and/or improve their memory-related abilities; (2) a health intervention condition, which did not include memory training but is
included in the study to determine if those receiving memory training would have better memory performance than those receiving an active intervention, albeit unrelated
to memory; or (3) a wait-list control condition. The active treatments were individually administered and posttest intervention measures were completed individually.
Further, we have data (computer generated) for three outcomes, the scores for which
are expected to be approximately normally distributed. The outcomes are thought to tap
distinct constructs but are expected to be positively correlated. The first outcome, self-efficacy, is a measure of the degree to which individuals feel strong and confident about performing everyday memory-related tasks. The second outcome is a measure that assesses
aspects of verbal memory performance, particularly verbal recall and recognition abilities. For the final outcome measure, the investigators used a measure of daily functioning
that assesses participant ability to successfully use recall to perform tasks related to, for
example, communication skills, shopping, and eating. We refer to this outcome as DAFS,
because it is based on the Direct Assessment of Functional Status. Higher scores on each
of these measures represent a greater (and preferred) level of performance.
To summarize, we have individuals assigned to one of three treatment conditions
(memory training, health training, or control) and have collected posttest data on memory self-efficacy, verbal memory performance, and daily functioning skills (or DAFS).
Our research hypothesis is that individuals in the memory training condition will have
higher average posttest scores on each of the outcomes compared to control participants. On the other hand, it is not clear how participants in the health training condition will do relative to the other groups, as it is possible this intervention will have no
impact on memory but also possible that the act of providing an active treatment may
result in improved memory self-efficacy and performance.
6.11.1 Sample Size Determination
We first illustrate a priori sample size determination for this study. We use Table A.5
in Appendix A, which requires us to provide a general magnitude for the effect size

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threshold, which we select as moderate, the number of groups (three), the number of
dependent variables (three), power (.80), and alpha (.05) used for the test of the overall
multivariate null hypothesis. With these values, Table A.5 indicates that 52 participants
are needed for each of the groups. We assume that the study has a funding source, and
investigators were able to randomly assign 100 participants to each group. Note that
obtaining a larger number of participants than “required” will provide for additional
power for the overall test, and will help provide for improved power and confidence
interval precision (narrower limits) for the pairwise comparisons.
6.11.2╇ Preliminary Analysis
With the intervention and data collection completed, we screen data to identify outliers, assess assumptions, and determine if using the standard MANOVA analysis is supported. Table€6.10 shows the SPSS commands for the entire analysis. Selected results
are shown in Tables€6.11 and 6.12. Examining Table€6.11 shows that there are no missing data, means for the memory training group are greater than the other groups, and
that variability is fairly similar for each outcome across the three treatment groups. The
bivariate pooled within-group correlations (not shown) among the outcomes support
the use of MANOVA as each correlation is of moderate strength and, as expected, is
positive (correlations are .342, .337, and .451).
 Table 6.10:╇ SPSS Commands for the Three-Group MANOVA Example
SORT CASES BY Group.
SPLIT FILE LAYERED BY Group.
FREQUENCIES VARIABLES=Self_Efficacy Verbal DAFS
/FORMAT=NOTABLE
/STATISTICS=STDDEV MINIMUM MAXIMUM MEAN MEDIAN SKEWNESS SESKEW
KURTOSIS SEKURT
/HISTOGRAM NORMAL
/ORDER=ANALYSIS.
DESCRIPTIVES VARIABLES=Self_Efficacy Verbal DAFS
/SAVE
/STATISTICS=MEAN STDDEV MIN MAX.
REGRESSION
/STATISTICS COEFF
/DEPENDENT CASE
/METHOD=ENTER Self_Efficacy Verbal DAFS
/SAVE MAHAL.
SPLIT FILE OFF.
EXAMINE VARIABLES€=€Self_Efficacy Verbal DAFS BY group
/PLOT€=€STEMLEAF NPPLOT.
MANOVA Self_Efficacy Verbal DAFS BY Group(1,3)

(Continuedâ•›)

243

 Table 6.10:╇(Continued)
/print€=€error (stddev cor).
DESCRIPTIVES VARIABLES= ZSelf_Efficacy ZVerbal ZDAFS /STATISTICS=MEAN STDDEV MIN MAX.
GLM Self_Efficacy Verbal DAFS BY Group
/POSTHOC=Group(TUKEY)
/PRINT=DESCRIPTIVE ETASQ HOMOGENEITY
/CRITERIA =ALPHA(.0167).

 Table 6.11:╇ Selected SPSS Output for Data Screening for the Three-Group MANOVA Example
Statistics
GROUP
Memory
Training

Health
Training

Control

N

Valid
Missing

Mean
Median
Std. Deviation
Skewness
Std. Error of Skewness
Kurtosis
Std. Error of Kurtosis
Minimum
Maximum
N
Valid
Missing
Mean
Median
Std. Deviation
Skewness
Std. Error of Skewness
Kurtosis
Std. Error of Kurtosis
Minimum
Maximum
N
Valid
Missing
Mean
Median
Std. Deviation
Skewness
Std. Error of Skewness
Kurtosis

Self_Efficacy

Verbal

DAFS

100
0
58.5053
58.0215
9.19920
.052
.241
–.594
.478
35.62
80.13
100
0
50.6494
51.3928
8.33143
.186
.241
.037
.478
31.74
75.85
100
0
48.9764
47.7576
10.42036
.107
.241
.245

100
0
60.2273
61.5921
9.65827
–.082
.241
.002
.478
32.39
82.27
100
0
50.8429
52.3650
9.34031
–.412
.241
.233
.478
21.84
70.07
100
0
52.8810
52.7982
9.64866
–.211
.241
–.138

100
0
59.1516
58.9151
9.74461
.006
.241
–.034
.478
36.77
84.17
100
0
52.4093
53.3766
10.27314
–.187
.241
–.478
.478
27.20
75.10
100
0
51.2481
51.1623
8.55991
–.371
.241
.469

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Statistics
GROUP

Self_Efficacy
Std. Error of Kurtosis
Minimum
Maximum

Verbal

.478
19.37
73.64

.478
29.89
76.53

DAFS
.478
28.44
69.01

Verbal
GROUP: Health Training
20

Mean = 50.84
Std. Dev. = 9.34
N = 100

Frequency

15

10

5

20

30

40

50
Verbal

60

70

80

Inspection of the within-group histograms and z scores for each outcome suggests the
presence of an outlying value in the health training group for self-efficacy (z = 3.0) and
verbal performance (z€=€−3.1). The outlying value for verbal performance can be seen
in the histogram in Table€ 6.11. Note though that when each of the outlying cases is
temporarily removed, there is little impact on study results as the means for the health
training group for self-efficacy and verbal performance change by less than 0.3 points.
In addition, none of the statistical inference decisions (i.e., reject or retain the null) is
changed by inclusion or exclusion of these cases. So, these two cases are retained for the
entire analysis.
We also checked for the presence of multivariate outliers by obtaining the within-group Mahalanobis distance for each participant. These distances are obtained by
the REGRESSION procedure shown in Table€ 6.10. Note here that “case id” serves
as the dependent variable (which is of no consequence) and the three predictor variables in this equation are the three dependent variables appearing in the MANOVA.
Johnson and Wichern (2007) note that these distances, if multivariate normality holds,
approximately follow a chi-square distribution with degrees of freedom equal to, in
this context, the number of dependent variables (p), with this approximation improving for larger samples. A€common guide, then, is to consider a multivariate outlier to be
present when an obtained Mahalanobis distance exceeds a chi-square critical value at a

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conservative alpha (.001) with p degrees of freedom. For this example, the chi-square
critical value (.001, 3)€=€16.268, as obtained from Appendix A, Table A.1. From our
regression results, we ignore everything in this analysis except for the Mahalanobis
distances. The largest such value obtained of 11.36 does not exceed the critical value
of 16.268. Thus, no multivariate outliers are indicated.
The formal assumptions for the MANOVA procedure also seem to be satisfied. Based
on the values for skewness and kurtosis, which are all close to zero as shown in
Table€6.11, as well as inspection of each of the nine histograms (not shown), does not
suggest substantial departures from univariate normality. We also used the Shapiro–
Wilk statistic to test the normality assumption. Using a Bonferroni adjustment for the
nine tests yields an alpha level of about .0056, and as each p value from these tests
exceeded this alpha level, there is no reason to believe that the normality assumption
is violated.
We previously noted that group variability is similar for each outcome, and the
results of Box’s M test (p€ =€ .054), as shown in Table€ 6.12, for equal variancecovariance matrices does not indicate a violation of this assumption. Note though
that because of the relatively large sample size (N€=€300) this test is quite powerful.
As such, it is often recommended that an alpha of .01 be used for this test when
large sample sizes are present. In addition, Levene’s test for equal group variances
for each variable considered separately does not indicate a violation for any of
the outcomes (smallest p value is .118 for DAFS). Further, the study design, as
described, does not suggest any violations of the independence assumption in part
as treatments were individually administered to participants who also completed
posttest measures individually.

6.11.3 Primary Analysis
Table€6.12 shows the SPSS GLM results for the MANOVA. The overall multivariate null hypothesis is rejected at the .05 level, F Wilks’ Lambda(6, 590)€=€14.79,
p < .001, indicating the presence of group differences. The multivariate effect size
measure, eta square, indicates that the proportion of variance between groups on the
set of outcomes is .13. Univariate F tests for each dependent variable, conducted
using an alpha level of .05 / 3, or .0167, shows that group differences are present for
self-efficacy (F[2, 297]€=€29.57, p < .001), verbal performance (F[2, 297]€=€26.71,
p < .001), and DAFS (F[2, 297]€=€19.96, p < .001). Further, the univariate effect
size measure, eta square, shown in Table€6.12, indicates the proportion of variance
explained by the treatment for self-efficacy is 0.17, verbal performance is 0.15, and
DAFS is 0.12.
We then use the Tukey procedure to conduct pairwise comparisons using an alpha of
.0167 for each outcome. For each dependent variable, there is no statistically significant difference in means between the health training and control groups. Further, the
memory training group has higher population means than each of the other groups for

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all outcomes. For self-efficacy, the confidence intervals for the difference in means
indicate that the memory training group population mean is about 4.20 to 11.51 points
greater than the mean for the health training group and about 5.87 to 13.19 points
greater than the control group mean. For verbal performance, the intervals indicate that
the memory training group mean is about 5.65 to 13.12 points greater than the mean
 Table 6.12:╇ SPSS Selected GLM Output for the Three-Group MANOVA Example
Box’s Test of Equality of Covariance
Matricesa
Box’s M
F
df1
df2
Sig.

Levene’s Test of Equality of Error Variancesa
F

21.047
1.728
12
427474.385
.054

Self_Efficacy

df1 df2 Sig.

1.935

2

297 .146

Verbal

.115

2

297 .892

DAFS

2.148

2

297 .118

Tests the null hypothesis that the error variance of
the dependent variable is equal across groups.
a
Design: Intercept + GROUP

Tests the null hypothesis that the observed
covariance matrices of the dependent variables
are equal across groups.
a
Design: Intercept + GROUP

Multivariate Testsa
Effect
GROUP

Pillai’s Trace
Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest Root

Value
.250
.756
.316
.290

F
14.096
14.791b
15.486
28.660c

Hypothesis
df
6.000
6.000
6.000
3.000

Error df
592.000
590.000
588.000
296.000

Sig.
.000
.000
.000
.000

Partial Eta
Squared
.125
.131
.136
.225

a

Design: Intercept + GROUP
Exact statistic
c
The statistic is an upper bound on F that yields a lower bound on the significance level.
b

Tests of Between-Subjects Effects

Source
GROUP

Error

Dependent
Variable
Self_Efficacy
Verbal
DAFS
Self_Efficacy
Verbal
DAFS

Type III
Sum of
Squares
5177.087
4872.957
3642.365
25999.549
27088.399
27102.923

df
2
2
2
297
297
297

Mean
Square
2588.543
2436.478
1821.183
87.541
91.207
91.256

F
29.570
26.714
19.957

Sig.
.000
.000
.000

Partial Eta
Squared
.166
.152
.118

(Continuedâ•›)

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 Table 6.12:╇ (Continued)
Multiple Comparisons
Tukey HSD
98.33% Confidence
Interval

Dependent
Variable

Verbal

(I) GROUP

Memory Training Control

9.5289* 1.32318 .000

Health Training

1.6730

Control

Upper
Bound

5.8727

13.1850

1.32318 .417 -1.9831

5.3291

Memory Training Health Training 9.3844* 1.35061 .000

5.6525

13.1163

Memory Training Control

3.6144

11.0782

1.35061 .288 -5.7700

1.6938

Health Training
DAFS

(J) GROUP

Mean
Difference
Lower
(I-J)
Std. Error Sig. Bound

Control

7.3463* 1.35061 .000
-2.0381

Memory Training Health Training 6.7423* 1.35097 .000

3.0094

10.4752

Memory Training Control

7.9034* 1.35097 .000

4.1705

11.6363

Health Training

1.1612

1.35097 .666 -4.8940

2.5717

Control

Based on observed means.
The error term is Mean Square(Error) = 91.256.
* The mean difference is significant at the .0167 level.

for the health training group and about 3.61 to 11.08 points greater than the control
group mean. For DAFS, the intervals indicate that the memory training group mean
is about 3.01 to 10.48 points greater than the mean for the health training group and
about 4.17 to 11.64 points greater than the control group mean. Thus, across all outcomes, the lower limits of the confidence intervals suggest that individuals assigned
to the memory training group score, on average, at least 3 points greater than the other
groups in the population.
Note that if you wish to report the Cohen’s d effect size measure, you need to compute
these manually. Remember that the formula for Cohen’s d is the raw score difference
in means between two groups divided by the square root of the mean square error from
the one-way ANOVA table for a given outcome. To illustrate two such calculations,
consider the contrast between the memory and health training groups for self-efficacy.
The Cohen’s d for this difference is 7.8559 87.541 = 0.84, indicating that this difference in means is .84 standard deviations (conventionally considered a large effect).
For the second example, Cohen’s d for the difference in verbal performance means
between the memory and health training groups is 9.3844 91.207 = 0.98, again
indicative of a large effect by conventional standards.
Having completed this example, we now present an example results section from this
analysis, followed by an analysis summary for one-way MANOVA where the focus is
on examining effects for each dependent variable.

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6.12 EXAMPLE RESULTS SECTION FOR ONE-WAY MANOVA
The goal of this study was to determine if at-risk older adults who were randomly
assigned to receive memory training have greater mean posttest scores on memory
self-efficacy, verbal memory performance, and daily functional status than individuals who were randomly assigned to receive a health intervention or a wait-list
control condition. A€one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was
conducted for three dependent variables (i.e., memory self-efficacy, verbal performance, and functional status) with type of training (memory, health, and none)
serving as the independent variable. Prior to conducting the formal MANOVA procedures, the data were examined for univariate and multivariate outliers. Two such
observations were found, but they did not impact study results. We determined this
by recomputing group means after temporarily removing each outlying observation
and found small differences between these means and the means based on the entire
sample (less than three-tenths of a point for each mean). Similarly, temporarily
removing each outlier and rerunning the MANOVA indicated that neither observation changed study findings. Thus, we retained all 300 observations throughout the
analyses.
We also assessed whether the MANOVA assumptions seemed tenable. Inspecting histograms, skewness and kurtosis values, and Shapiro–Wilk test results did not indicate any material violations of the normality assumption. Further, Box’s test provided
support for the equality of covariance matrices assumption (i.e., p€=€.054). Similarly,
examining the results of Levene’s test for equality of variance provided support that
the dispersion of scores for self-efficacy (p€=€.15), verbal performance (p€=€.89), and
functional status (p€=€.12) was similar across the three groups. Finally, we did not consider there to be any violations of the independence assumption because the treatments
were individually administered and participants responded to the outcome measures
on an individual basis.
Table€1 displays the means for each of the treatment groups, which shows that participants in the memory training group scored, on average, highest across each dependent
variable, with much lower mean scores observed in the health training and control groups. Group means differed on the set of dependent variables, λ€=€.756, F(6,
590)€ =€ 14.79, p < .001. Given the interest in examining treatment effects for each
outcome (as opposed to attempting to establish composite variables), we conducted
a series of one-way ANOVAs for each outcome at the .05 / 3 (or .0167) alpha level.
Group mean differences are present for self-efficacy (F[2, 297]€=€29.6, p < .001), verbal performance (F[2, 297]€=€26.7, p < .001), and functional status (F[2, 297]€=€20.0,
p < .001). Further, the values of eta square for each outcome suggest that treatment
effects for self-efficacy (η2€=€.17), verbal performance (η2€=€.15), and functional status
(η2€=€.12) are generally strong.
Table€2 presents information on the pairwise contrasts of interest. Comparisons of
treatment means were conducted using the Tukey HSD approach, with an alpha of

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 Table 1:╇ Group Means (SD) for the Dependent Variables (n€=€100)
Group

Self-efficacy

Verbal performance

Functional status

Memory training
Health training
Control

58.5 (9.2)
50.6 (8.3)
49.0 (10.4)

60.2 (9.7)
50.8 (9.3)
52.9 (9.6)

59.2 (9.7)
52.4 (10.3)
51.2 (8.6)

 Table 2:╇ Pairwise Contrasts for the Dependent Variables
Dependent variable

Contrast

Differences in
means (SE)

95% C.I.a

Self-efficacy

Memory vs. health
Memory vs. control
Health vs. control
Memory vs. health
Memory vs. control
Health vs. control
Memory vs. health
Memory vs. control
Health vs. control

7.9* (1.32)
9.5* (1.32)
1.7 (1.32)
9.4* (1.35)
7.3* (1.35)
−2.0 (1.35)
6.7* (1.35)
7.9* (1.35)
1.2 (1.35)

4.2, 11.5
5.9, 13.2
−2.0, 5.3
5.7, 13.1
3.6, 11.1
−5.8, 1.7
3.0, 10.5
4.2, 11.6
−2.6, 4.9

Verbal performance

Functional status

a

C.I. represents the confidence interval for the difference in means.

Note: * indicates a statistically significant difference (p < .0167) using the Tukey HSD procedure.

.0167 used for these contrasts. Table€2 shows that participants in the memory training
group scored significantly higher, on average, than participants in both the health training and control groups for each outcome. No statistically significant mean differences
were observed between the health training and control groups. Further, given that a
raw score difference of 3 points on each of the similarly scaled variables represents the
threshold between negligible and important mean differences, the confidence intervals
indicate that, when differences are present, population differences are meaningful as
the lower bounds of all such intervals exceed 3. Thus, after receiving memory training, individuals, on average, have much greater self-efficacy, verbal performance, and
daily functional status than those in the health training and control groups.

6.13 ANALYSIS SUMMARY
One-way MANOVA can be used to describe differences in means for multiple dependent variables among multiple groups. The design has one factor that represents group
membership and two or more continuous dependent measures. MANOVA is used
instead of multiple ANOVAs to provide better protection against the inflation of the
overall type I€error rate and may provide for more power than a series of ANOVAs.
The primary steps in a MANOVA analysis€are:

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I. Preliminary Analysis
A. Conduct an initial screening of the€data.
1) Purpose: Determine if the summary measures seem reasonable and
support the use of MANOVA. Also, identify the presence and pattern
(if€any) of missing€data.
2) Procedure: Compute various descriptive measures for each group (e.g.,
means, standard deviations, medians, skewness, kurtosis, frequencies)
on each of the dependent variables. Compute the bivariate correlations
for the outcomes. If there is missing data, conduct missing data analysis.
3) Decision/action: If the values of the descriptive statistics do not make
sense, check data entry for accuracy. If all of the correlations are near
zero, consider using a series of ANOVAs. If one or more correlations are
very high (e.g., .8, .9), consider forming one or more composite variables. If there is missing data, consider strategies to address missing€data.
B. Conduct case analysis.
1) Purpose: Identify any problematic individual observations.
2)Procedure:
i) Inspect the distribution of each dependent variable within each group
(e.g., via histograms) and identify apparent outliers. Scatterplots may
also be inspected to examine linearity and bivariate outliers.
ii)Inspect z-scores and Mahalanobis distances for each variable within
each group. For the z scores, absolute values larger than perhaps 2.5
or 3 along with a judgment that a given value is distinct from the
bulk of the scores indicate an outlying value. Multivariate outliers
are indicated when the Mahalanobis distance exceeds the corresponding critical value.
iii) If any potential outliers are identified, conduct a sensitivity study to
determine the impact of one or more outliers on major study results.
3) Decision/action: If there are no outliers with excessive influence, continue with the analysis. If there are one or more observations with excessive influence, determine if there is a legitimate reason to discard the
observations. If so, discard the observation(s) (documenting the reason)
and continue with the analysis. If not, consider use of variable transformations to attempt to minimize the effects of one or more outliers. If
necessary, discuss any ambiguous conclusions in the report.
C. Assess the validity of the MANOVA assumptions.
1) Purpose: Determine if the standard MANOVA procedure is valid for the
analysis of the€data.
2) Some procedures:
i) Independence: Consider the sampling design and study circumstances to identify any possible violations.
ii) Multivariate normality: Inspect the distribution of each dependent variable in each group (via histograms) and inspect values for
Â�skewness and kurtosis for each group. The Shapiro–Wilk test statistic can also be used to test for nonnormality.

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iii) Equal covariance matrices: Examine the standard deviations for each
group as a preliminary assessment. Use Box’s M test to assess if this
assumption is tenable, keeping in mind that it requires the assumption
of multivariate normality to be satisfied and with large samples may
be an overpowered test of the assumption. If significant, examine
Levene’s test for equality of variance for each outcome to identify
problematic dependent variables (which should also be conducted if
univariate ANOVAs are the follow-up test to a significant MANOVA).
3)Decision/action:
i) Any nonnormal distributions and/or inequality of covariance matrices may be of substantive interest in their own right and should be
reported and/or further investigated. If needed, consider the use of
variable transformations to address these problems.
ii) Continue with the standard MANOVA analysis when there is no evidence of violations of any assumption or when there is evidence of a
specific violation but the technique is known to be robust to an existing
violation. If the technique is not robust to an existing violation and
cannot be remedied with variable transformations, use an alternative
analysis technique.
D. Test any preplanned contrasts.
1) Purpose: Test any strong a priori research hypotheses with maximum power.
2) Procedure: If there is rationale supporting group mean differences on
two or three multiple outcomes, test the overall multivariate null hypothesis for these outcomes using Wilks’ Λ. If significant, use an ANOVA
F test for each outcome with no alpha adjustment. For any significant
ANOVAs, follow up (if more than two groups are present) with tests and
interval estimates for all pairwise contrasts using the Tukey procedure.
II. Primary Analysis
A. Test the overall multivariate null hypothesis.
1) Purpose: Provide “protected testing” to help control the inflation of the
overall type I€error€rate.
2) Procedure: Examine the test result for Wilks’€Λ.
3) Decision/action: If the p-value associated with this test is sufficiently
small, continue with further tests of specific contrasts. If the p-value is
not small, do not continue with any further testing of specific contrasts.
B.If the overall null hypothesis has been rejected, test and estimate all
post hoc contrasts of interest.
1) Purpose: Describe the differences among the groups for each of the
dependent variables, while controlling the overall error€rate.
2)Procedures:
i) Test the overall ANOVA null hypothesis for each dependent variable using a Bonferroni-adjusted alpha. (A conventional unadjusted
alpha can be considered when the number of outcomes is relatively
small, such as two or three.)

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ii) For each dependent variable for which the overall univariate null
hypothesis is rejected, follow up (if more than two groups are present) with tests and interval estimates for all pairwise contrasts using
the Tukey procedure.
C. Report and interpret at least one of the following effect size measures.
1) Purpose: Indicate the strength of the relationship between the dependent
variable(s) and the factor (i.e., group membership).
2) Procedure: Raw score differences in means should be reported. Other
possibilities include (a) the proportion of generalized total variation
explained by group membership for the set of dependent variables (multivariate eta square), (b) the proportion of variation explained by group
membership for each dependent variable (univariate eta square), and/or
(c) Cohen’s d for two-group contrasts.

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Glass, G.╛C.,€& Hopkins, K. (1984). Statistical methods in education and psychology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
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Gnanadesikan, R. (1977). Methods for statistical analysis of multivariate observations. New
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Holloway, L.â•›N., & Dunn, O.â•›J. (1967). The robustness of Hotelling’s T2. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 62(317), 124–136.
Hopkins, J.â•›
W.,€& Clay, P.P.F. (1963). Some empirical distributions of bivariate T2 and
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Hykle, J., Stevens, J.╛P.,€& Markle, G. (1993, April). Examining the statistical validity of studies
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Olson, C. L. (1973). A€Monte Carlo investigation of the robustness of multivariate analysis of
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Olson, C.â•›L. (1974). Comparative robustness of six tests in multivariate analysis of variance.
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C.,€& Christensen, W.╛
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APPENDIX 6.1
Analyzing Correlated Observations*

Much has been written about correlated observations, and that INDEPENDENCE of
observations is an assumption for ANOVA and regression analysis. What is not apparent from reading most statistics books is how critical an assumption it is. Hays (1963)
indicated over 40€ years ago that violation of the independence assumption is very
serious. Glass and Stanley (1970) in their textbook talked about the critical importance
of this assumption. Barcikowski (1981) showed that even a SMALL violation of the
independence assumption can cause the actual alpha level to be several times greater
than the nominal level. Kreft and de Leeuw (1998) note: “This means that if intraclass correlation is present, as it may be when we are dealing with clustered data, the
assumption of independent observations in the traditional linear model is violated”
(p.€9). The Scariano and Davenport (1987) table (Table€6.1) shows the dramatic effect
dependence can have on type I€error rate. The problem is, as Burstein (1980) pointed
out more than 25€years ago, is that “most of what goes on in education occurs within
some group context” (p.€ 158). This gives rise to nested data and hence correlated
* The authoritative book on ANOVA (Scheffe, 1959) states that one of the assumptions in ANOVA
is statistical independence of the errors. But this is equivalent to the independence of the observations (Maxwell€& Delaney, 2004, p.€110).

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observations. More generally, nested data occurs quite frequently in social science
research. Social psychology often is focused on groups. In clinical psychology, if we
are dealing with different types of psychotherapy, groups are involved. The hierarchical, or multilevel, linear model (Chapters€13 and 14) is a commonly used method for
dealing with correlated observations.
Let us first turn to a simpler analysis, which makes practical sense if the effect anticipated (from previous research) or desired is at least MODERATE. With correlated
data, we first compute the mean for each cluster, and then do the analysis on the means.
Table€6.2, from Barcikowski (1981), shows that if the effect is moderate, then about 10
groups per treatment are necessary at the .10 alpha level for power€=€.80 when there are
10 participants per group. This implies that about eight or nine groups per treatment
would be needed for power€=€.70. For a large effect size, only five groups per treatment
are needed for power€=€.80. For a SMALL effect size, the number of groups per treatment for adequate power is much too large and impractical.
Now we consider a very important paper by Hedges (2007). The title of the paper is
quite revealing: “Correcting a Significance Test for Clustering.” He develops a correction for the t test in the context of randomly assigning intact groups to treatments. But
the results have broader implications. Here we present modified information from his
study, involving some results in the paper and some results not in the paper, but which
were received from Dr.€Hedges (nominal alpha€=€.05):

M (clusters)
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
5
5
5
5
10
10
10
10

n (S’s per cluster)
100
100
100
100
30
30
30
30
10
10
10
10
5
5
5
5

Intraclass correlation
.05
.10
.20
.30
.05
.10
.20
.30
.05
.10
.20
.30
.05
.10
.20
.30

Actual rejection rate
.511
.626
.732
.784
.214
.330
.470
.553
.104
.157
.246
.316
.074
.098
.145
.189

In this table, we have m clusters assigned to each treatment and an assumed alpha level
of .05. Note that it is the n (number of participants in each cluster), not m, that causes

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the alpha rate to skyrocket. Compare the actual alpha levels for intraclass correlation
fixed at .10 as n varies from 100 to 5 (.626, .330, .157 and .098).
For equal cluster size (n), Hedges derives the following relationship between the t
(uncorrected for the cluster effect) and tA, corrected for the cluster effect:
tA€= ct, with h degrees of freedom.
The correction factor is c = ( N - 2) - 2 (n - 1) p  / ( N - 2) 1 + ( n - 1) p  , where
p represents the intraclass correlation, and h€ =€ (N − 2) / [1 + (n − 1) p] (good
approximation).
To see the difference the correction factor and the reduced df can make, we consider
an example. Suppose we have three groups of 10 participants in each of two treatment
groups and that p€=€.10. A€noncorrected t€=€2.72 with df€=€58, and this is significant at
the .01 level for a two-tailed test. The corrected t€=€1.94 with h€=€30.5 df, and this is
NOT even significant at the .05 level for a two-tailed€test.
We now consider two practical situations where the results from the Hedges study
can be useful. First, teaching methods is a big area of concern in education. If we are
considering two teaching methods, then we will have about 30 students in each class.
Obviously, just two classes per method will yield inadequate power, but the modified
information from the Hedges study shows that with just two classes per method and
n€=€30, the actual type I€error rate is .33 for intraclass correlation€=€.10. So, for more
than two classes per method, the situation will just get worse in terms of type I€error.
Now, suppose we wish to compare two types of counseling or psychotherapy. If we
assign five groups of 10 participants each to each of the two types and intraclass correlation€=€.10 (and it could be larger), then actual type I€error is .157, not .05 as we
thought. The modified information also covers the situation where the group size is
smaller and more groups are assigned to each type. Now, consider the case were 10
groups of size n€=€5 are assigned to each type. If intraclass correlation€=€.10, then actual
type I€error€=€.098. If intraclass correlation€=€.20, then actual type I€error€=€.145, almost
three times what we want it to€be.
Hedges (2007) has compared the power of clustered means analysis to the power of
his adjusted t test when the effect is quite LARGE (one standard deviation). Here are
some results from his comparison:
Power

n

m

Adjusted t

Cluster means

p€=€.10

10
25
10

2
2
3

.607
.765
.788

.265
.336
.566
(Continuedâ•›)

257

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Power

p€=€.20

Assumptions in MANOVA

n

m

Adjusted t

Cluster means

25
10
25

3
4
4

.909
.893
.968

.703
.771
.889

10
25
10
25
10
25

2
2
3
3
4
4

.449
.533
.620
.710
.748
.829

.201
.230
.424
.490
.609
.689

These results show the power of cluster means analysis does not fare well when
there are three or fewer means per treatment group, and this is for a large effect
size (which is NOT realistic of what one will generally encounter in practice). For a
medium effect size (.5 SD) Barcikowski (1981) shows that for power > .80 you will
need nine groups per treatment if group size is 30 for intraclass correlation€=€.10 at
the .05 level.
So, the bottom line is that correlated observations occur very frequently in social
science research, and researchers must take this into account in their analysis. The
intraclass correlation is an index of how much the observations correlate, and an
estimate of it—or at least an upper bound for it—needs to be obtained, so that the
type I€error rate is under control. If one is going to consider a cluster means analysis, then a table from Barcikowski (1981) indicates that one should have at least
seven groups per treatment (with 30 observations per group) for power€=€.80 at the
.10 level. One could probably get by with six or five groups for power€=€.70. The
same table from Barcikowski shows that if group size is 10, then at least 10 groups
per counseling method are needed for power€=€.80 at the .10 level. One could probably get by with eight groups per method for power€=€.70. Both of these situations
assume we wish to detect at least a moderate effect size. Hedges’ adjusted t has
some potential advantages. For p€=€.10, his power analysis (presumably at the .05
level) shows that probably four groups of 30 in each treatment will yield adequate
power (> .70). The reason we say “probably” is that power for a very large effect
size is .968, and n€=€25. The question is, for a medium effect size at the .10 level,
will power be adequate? For p€ =€ .20, we believe we would need five groups per
treatment.
Barcikowski (1981) has indicated that intraclass correlations for teaching various subjects are generally in the .10 to .15 range. It seems to us, that for counseling or psychotherapy methods, an intraclass correlation of .20 is prudent. Snidjers and Bosker
(1999) indicated that in the social sciences intraclass correlations are generally in the
0 to .4 range, and often narrower bounds can be found.

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In finishing this appendix, we think it is appropriate to quote from Hedges’ (2007)
conclusion:
Cluster randomized trials are increasingly important in education and the social
and policy sciences. However, these trials are often improperly analyzed by ignoring the effects of clustering on significance tests.€.€.€.€This article considered only
t tests under a sampling model with one level of clustering. The generalization of
the methods used in this article to more designs with additional levels of clustering
and more complex analyses would be desirable. (p.€173)
APPENDIX 6.2
Multivariate Test Statistics for Unequal Covariance Matrices

The two-group test statistic that should be used when the population covariance matrices are not equal, especially with sharply unequal group sizes,€is
T*2

S S 
= ( y1 - y 2 ) '  1 + 2 
 n1 n2 

-1

( y1 - y 2 ).

This statistic must be transformed, and various critical values have been proposed
(see Coombs et al., 1996). An important Monte Carlo study comparing seven solutions to the multivariate Behrens–Fisher problem is by Christensen and Rencher
(1995). They considered 2, 5, and 10 variables (p), and the data were generated
such that the population covariance matrix for group 2 was d times the covariance
matrix for group 1 (d was set at 3 and 9). The sample sizes for different p values are
given€here:

n1 > n2
n1€=€n2
n1 < n2

p€=€2

p€=€5

p€=€10

10:5
10:10
10:20

20:10
20:20
20:40

30:20
30:30
30:60

Figure€6.2 shows important results from their study.
They recommended the Kim and Nel and van der Merwe procedures because they are
conservative and have good power relative to the other procedures. To this writer, the
Yao procedure is also fairly good, although slightly liberal. Importantly, however, all
the highest error rates for the Yao procedure (including the three outliers) occurred
when the variables were uncorrelated. This implies that the adjusted power of the Yao
(which is somewhat low for n1 > n2) would be better for correlated variables. Finally,
for test statistics for the k-group MANOVA case, see Coombs et€al. (1996) for appropriate references.

259

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Assumptions in MANOVA

 Figure 6.2╇ Results from a simulation study comparing the performance of methods when unequal covariance matrices are present (from Christensen and Rencher, 1995).
Box and whisker plots for type I errors

0.45
0.40
0.35
Type I error

0.30
0.25
0.20
0.15
0.10
0.05
Kim

Hwang and
Paulson

Nel and
Van der Merwe

Johansen

Yao

James

Bennett

Hotelling

0.00

Average alpha-adjusted power
0.65

nl = n2
nl > n2
nl < n2

0.55

0.45

Kim

Hwang

Nel

Joh

Yao

James

Ben

0.35
Hot

260

2

The approximate test by Nel and van der Merwe (1986) uses T* , which is approximately distributed as Tp,v2,€with

V=

{

( )

tr ( Se )2 + [ tr ( Se )]2

(n1 - 1) -1 tr V12 +  tr (V1 )

2

} + (n - 1) {tr (V ) + tr (V ) }
2

-1

2
2

2

2

SPSS Matrix Procedure Program for Calculating Hotelling’s T2 and v (knu) for the Nel and
van der Merwe Modification and Selected Output
MATRIX.
COMPUTE S1€=€{23.013, 12.366, 2.907; 12.366, 17.544, 4.773; 2.907, 4.773, 13.963}.
COMPUTE S2€=€{4.362, .760, 2.362; .760, 25.851, 7.686; 2.362, 7.686, 46.654}.
COMPUTE V1€=€S1/36.
COMPUTE V2€=€S2/23.
COMPUTE TRACEV1€=€TRACE(V1).
COMPUTE SQTRV1€=€TRACEV1*TRACEV1.
COMPUTE TRACEV2€=€TRACE(V2).
COMPUTE SQTRV2€=€TRACEV2*TRACEV2.
COMPUTE V1SQ€=€V1*V1.
COMPUTE V2SQ€=€V2*V2.
COMPUTE TRV1SQ€=€TRACE(V1SQ).
COMPUTE TRV2SQ€=€TRACE(V2SQ).
COMPUTE SE€=€V1 + V2.
COMPUTE SESQ€=€SE*SE.
COMPUTE TRACESE€=€TRACE(SE).
COMPUTE SQTRSE€=€TRACESE*TRACESE.
COMPUTE TRSESQ€=€TRACE(SESQ).
COMPUTE SEINV€=€INV(SE).
COMPUTE DIFFM€=€{2.113, −2.649, −8.578}.
COMPUTE TDIFFM€=€T(DIFFM).
COMPUTE HOTL€=€DIFFM*SEINV*TDIFFM.
COMPUTE KNU€=€(TRSESQ + SQTRSE)/(1/36*(TRV1SQ + SQTRV1) + 1/23*(TRV2SQ + SQTRV2)).
PRINT S1.
PRINT S2.
PRINT HOTL.
PRINT KNU.
END MATRIX.
Matrix
Run MATRIX procedure
S1
23.01300000
12.36600000
2.90700000

12.36600000
17.54400000
4.77300000

2.90700000
4.77300000
13.96300000

4.36200000
.76000000
2.36200000

.76000000
25.85100000
7.68600000

2.36200000
7.68600000
46.65400000

S2

HOTL
43.17860426
KNU
40.57627238
END MATRIX

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Assumptions in MANOVA

6.14 EXERCISES
1. Describe a situation or class of situations where dependence of the observations would be present.
2. An investigator has a treatment versus control group design with 30 participants per group. The intraclass correlation is calculated and found to be .20. If
testing for significance at .05, estimate what the actual type I€error rate€is.
3. Consider a four-group study with three dependent variables. What does the
homogeneity of covariance matrices assumption imply in this€case?
4. Consider the following three MANOVA situations. Indicate whether you would
be concerned in each case with the type I€error rate associated with the overall
multivariate test of mean differences. Suppose that for each case the p value
for the multivariate test for homogeneity of dispersion matrices is smaller than
the nominal alpha of .05.

(a)

(b)

(c)

Gp 1

Gp 2

Gp 3

n1€=€15
|S1|€=€4.4

n2€=€15
|S2|€=€7.6

n3€=€15
|S3|€=€5.9

Gp 1

Gp 2

n1€=€21
|S1|€=€14.6

n2€=€57
|S2|€=€2.4

Gp 1

Gp 2

Gp 3

Gp 4

n1€=€20
|S1|€=€42.8

n2€=€15
|S2|€=€20.1

n3€=€40
|S3|€=€50.2

n4€=€29
|S4|€=€15.6

5. Zwick (1985) collected data on incoming clients at a mental health center who
were randomly assigned to either an oriented group, which saw a videotape
describing the goals and processes of psychotherapy, or a control group. She
presented the following data on measures of anxiety, depression, and anger
that were collected in a 1-month follow-up:

Anxiety

Depression

Anger

Anxiety

Oriented group (n1 = 20)
285
23

325
45

165
15

Depression

Anger

Control group (n2 = 26)
168
277

190
230

160
63

Chapter 6

Anxiety

Depression

Anger

Anxiety

Oriented group (n1 = 20)
40
215
110
65
43
120
250
14
0
5
75
27
30
183
47
385
83
87

85
307
110
105
160
180
335
20
15
23
303
113
25
175
117
520
95
27

18
60
50
24
44
80
185
3
5
12
95
40
28
100
46
23
26
2

Depression

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Anger

Control group (n2 = 26)
153
306
252
143
69
177
73
81
63
64
88
132
122
309
147
223
217
74
258
239
78
70
188
157

80
440
350
205
55
195
57
120
63
53
125
225
60
355
135
300
235
67
185
445
40
50
165
330

29
105
175
42
10
75
32
7
0
35
21
9
38
135
83
30
130
20
115
145
48
55
87
67

(a)Run the EXAMINE procedure on this data. Focusing on the Shapiro–Wilk
test and doing each test at the .025 level, does there appear to be a problem with the normality assumption?
(b)Now, recall the statement in the chapter by Johnson and Wichern that lack
of normality can be due to one or more outliers. Obtain the z scores for the
variables in each group. Identify any cases having a z score greater than
|2.5|.
(c) Which cases have z above this magnitude? For which variables do they
occur? Remove any case from the Zwick data set having a z score greater
than |2.5| and rerun the EXAMINE procedure. Is there still a problem with
lack of normality?
(d) Look at the stem-and-leaf plots for the variables. What transformation(s)
from Figure€6.1 might be helpful here? Apply the transformation to the
variables and rerun the EXAMINE procedure one more time. How many of
the Shapiro–Wilk tests are now significant at the .025 level?

263

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Assumptions in MANOVA

6. In Appendix 6.1 we illustrate what a difference the Hedges’ correction factor,
a correction for clustering, can have on t with reduced degrees of freedom.
We illustrated this for p€=€.10. Show that, if p€=€.20, the effect is even more
dramatic.
7. Consider Table€6.6. Show that the value of .035 for N1: N2€=€24:12 for nominal
α€=€.05 for the positive condition makes sense. Also, show that the value€=€.076
for the negative condition makes sense.

Chapter 7

FACTORIAL ANOVA AND
MANOVA
7.1╇INTRODUCTION
In this chapter we consider the effect of two or more independent or classification
variables (e.g., sex, social class, treatments) on a set of dependent variables. Four
schematic two-way designs, where just the classification variables are shown, are
given€here:
Treatments
Gender

1

2

Teaching methods
Aptitude

3

Male
Female

Schizop.
Depressives

2

Low
Average
High
Drugs

Diagnosis

1

1

2

Stimulus complexity
3

4

Intelligence

Easy

Average

Hard

Average
Super

We first indicate what the advantages of a factorial design are over a one-way design.
We also remind you what an interaction means, and distinguish between two types of
interactions (ordinal and disordinal). The univariate equal cell size (balanced design)
situation is discussed first, after which we tackle the much more difficult disproportional (non-orthogonal or unbalanced) case. Three different ways of handling the
unequal n case are considered; it is indicated why we feel one of these methods is
generally superior. After this review of univariate ANOVA, we then discuss a multivariate factorial design, provide an analysis guide for factorial MANOVA, and apply
these analysis procedures to a fairly large data set (as most of the data sets provided
in the chapter serve instructional purposes and have very small sample sizes). We

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FACtORIAL ANOVA AnD MANOVA

also provide an example results section for factorial MANOVA and briefly discuss
three-way MANOVA, focusing on the three-way interaction. We conclude the chapter
by showing how discriminant analysis can be used in the context of a multivariate
factorial design. Syntax for running various analyses is provided along the way, and
selected output from SPSS is discussed.
7.2 ADVANTAGES OF A TWO-WAY DESIGN
1. A two-way design enables us to examine the joint effect of the independent variables on the dependent variable(s). We cannot get this information by running two
separate one-way analyses, one for each of the independent variables. If one of
the independent variables is treatments and the other some individual difference
characteristic (sex, IQ, locus of control, age, etc.), then a significant interaction
tells us that the superiority of one treatment over another depends on or is moderated by the individual difference characteristic. (An interaction means that the
effect one independent variable has on a dependent variable is not the same for
all levels of the other independent variable.) This moderating effect can take two
forms:
Teaching method

High ability
Low ability

T1

T2

T3

85
60

80
63

76
68

(a) The degree of superiority changes, but one subgroup always does better than
another. To illustrate this, consider this ability by teaching methods design:
While the superiority of the high-ability students drops from 25 for T1 (i.e.,
85–60) to 8 for T3 (76–68), high-ability students always do better than
low-ability students. Because the order of superiority is maintained, in this
example, with respect to ability, this is called an ordinal interaction. (Note that
this does not hold for the treatment, as T1 works better for high ability but T3
is better for low ability students, leading to the next point.)
(b) The superiority reverses; that is, one treatment is best with one group, but
another treatment is better for a different group. A€study by Daniels and Stevens (1976) provides an illustration of a disordinal interaction. For a group of
college undergraduates, they considered two types of instruction: (1) a traditional, teacher-controlled (lecture) type and (2) a contract for grade plan. The
students were classified as internally or externally controlled, using Rotter’s
scale. An internal orientation means that those individuals perceive that positive events occur as a consequence of their actions (i.e., they are in control),
whereas external participants feel that positive and/or negative events occur
more because of powerful others, or due to chance or fate. The design and

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↜渀屮

the means for the participants on an achievement posttest in psychology are
given€here:
Instruction

Locus of control

Contract for grade

Teacher controlled

Internal

50.52

38.01

External

36.33

46.22

The moderator variable in this case is locus of control, and it has a substantial
effect on the efficacy of an instructional method. That is, the contract for grade
method works better when participants have an internal locus of control, but
in a reversal, the teacher controlled method works better for those with external locus of control. As such, when participant locus of control is matched
to the teaching method (internals with contract for grade and externals with
teacher controlled) they do quite well in terms of achievement; where there is
a mismatch, achievement suffers.
This study also illustrates how a one-way design can lead to quite misleading
results. Suppose Daniels and Stevens had just considered the two methods,
ignoring locus of control. The means for achievement for the contract for grade
plan and for teacher controlled are 43.42 and 42.11, nowhere near significance.
The conclusion would have been that teaching methods do not make a difference. The factorial study shows, however, that methods definitely do make
a difference—a quite positive difference if participant’s locus of control is
matched to teaching methods, and an undesirable effect if there is a mismatch.
The general area of matching treatments to individual difference characteristics of
participants is an interesting and important one, and is called aptitude–treatment
interaction research. A€classic text in this area is Aptitudes and Instructional
Methods by Cronbach and Snow (1977).
2. In addition to allowing you to detect the presence of interactions, a second advantage of factorial designs is that they can lead to more powerful tests by reducing
error (within-cell) variance. If performance on the dependent variable is related
to the individual difference characteristic (i.e., the blocking variable), then the
reduction in error variance can be substantial. We consider a hypothetical sex ×
treatment design to illustrate:
T1
Males
Females

18, 19, 21
20, 22
11, 12, 11
13, 14

T2
(2.5)
(1.7)

17, 16, 16
18, 15
9, 9, 11
8, 7

(1.3)
(2.2)

267

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Factorial ANOVA and MANOVA

Notice that within each cell there is very little variability. The within-cell variances
quantify this, and are given in parentheses. The pooled within-cell error term for
the factorial analysis is quite small, 1.925. On the other hand, if this had been
considered as a two-group design (i.e., without gender), the variability would be
much greater, as evidenced by the within-group (treatment) variances for T1 and
T2 of 18.766 and 17.6, leading to a pooled error term for the F test of the treatment
effect of 18.18.

7.3 UNIVARIATE FACTORIAL ANALYSIS
7.3.1 Equal Cell n (Orthogonal)€Case
When there is an equal number of participants in each cell of a factorial design, then
the sum of squares for the different effects (main and interactions) are uncorrelated
(orthogonal). This is helpful when interpreting results, because significance for one
effect implies nothing about significance for another. This provides for a clean and
clear interpretation of results. It puts us in the same nice situation we had with uncorrelated planned comparisons, which we discussed in Chapter€5.
Overall and Spiegel (1969), in a classic paper on analyzing factorial designs, discussed
three basic methods of analysis:
Method 1:â•…Adjust each effect for all other effects in the design to obtain its unique
contribution (regression approach), which is referred to as type III sum of
squares in SAS and SPSS.
Method 2:â•…Estimate the main effects ignoring the interaction, but estimate the interaction effect adjusting for the main effects (experimental method), which
is referred to as type II sum of squares.
Method 3:â•…Based on theory or previous research, establish an ordering for the
effects, and then adjust each effect only for those effects preceding it in
the ordering (hierarchical approach), which is referred to as type I€sum
of squares.
Note that the default method in SPSS is to provide type III (method 1) sum of squares,
whereas SAS, by default, provides both type III (method 1) and type I (method 3) sum
of squares.
For equal cell size designs all three of these methods yield the same results, that is,
the same F tests. Therefore, it will not make any difference, in terms of the conclusions a researcher draws, as to which of these methods is used. For unequal cell sizes,
however, these methods can yield quite different results, and this is what we consider
shortly. First, however, we consider an example with equal cell size to show two things:
(a) that the methods do indeed yield the same results, and (b) to demonstrate, using
effect coding for the factors, that the effects are uncorrelated.

Chapter 7

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↜渀屮

Example 7.1: Two-Way Equal Cell€n
Consider the following 2 × 3 factorial data€set:
B

A

1

2

3

1

3, 5, 6

2, 4, 8

11, 7, 8

2

9, 14, 5

6, 7, 7

9, 8, 10

In Table€7.1 we give SPSS syntax for running the analysis. In the general linear model
commands, we indicate the factors after the keyword BY. Method 3, the hierarchical
approach, means that a given effect is adjusted for all effects to its left in the ordering.
The effects here would go in the following order: FACA (factor A), FACB (factor B),
FACA by FACB. Thus, the A€main effect is not adjusted for anything. The B main effect
is adjusted for the A€main effect, and the interaction is adjusted for both main effects.
 Table 7.1:╇ SPSS Syntax and Selected Output for Two-Way Equal Cell N€ANOVA
TITLE ‘TWO WAY ANOVA EQUAL N’.
DATA LIST FREE/FACA FACB DEP.
BEGIN DATA.
1 1 3 1 1 5 1 1 6
1 2 2 1 2 4 1 2 8
1 3 11 1 3 7 1 3 8
2 1 9 2 1 14 2 1 5
2 2 6 2 2 7 2 2 7
2 3 9 2 3 8 2 3 10
END DATA.
LIST.
GLM DEP BY FACA FACB
/PRINT€=€DESCRIPTIVES.

Tests of Significance for DEP using UNIQUE sums of squares (known as Type III sum of squares)
Tests of Between-Subjects Effects
Dependent Variable: DEP
Source
Corrected
Model
Intercept

Type III Sum of
Squares

df

Mean Square

F

Sig.

69.167a

5

13.833

2.204

.122

924.500

1

924.500

147.265

.000
(Continuedâ•›)

269

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Factorial ANOVA and MANOVA

 Table 7.1:╇(Continued)
Tests of Significance for DEP using UNIQUE sums of squares (known as Type III sum of squares)
Tests of Between-Subjects Effects
Dependent Variable: DEP
Source

Type III Sum of
Squares

df

Mean Square

F

Sig.

FACA
FACB
FACA * FACB
Error
Total
Corrected Total

24.500
30.333
14.333
75.333
1069.000
144.500

1
2
2
12
18
17

24.500
15.167
7.167
6.278

3.903
2.416
1.142

.072
.131
.352

a

R Squared = .479 (Adjusted R Squared = .261)

Tests of Significance for DEP using SEQUENTIAL Sums of Squares (known as Type I€sum
of squares)
Tests of Between-Subjects Effects
Dependent Variable: DEP
Source

Type I€Sum of
Squares

df

Corrected Model
Intercept
FACA
FACB
FACA * FACB
Error
Total
Corrected Total

69.167a
924.500
24.500
30.333
14.333
75.333
1069.000
144.500

5
1
1
2
2
12
18
17

a

Mean
Square
13.833
924.500
24.500
15.167
7.167
6.278

F

Sig.

2.204
147.265
3.903
2.416
1.142

.122
.000
.072
.131
.352

R Squared€=€.479 (Adjusted R Squared€=€.261)

The default in SPSS is to use Method 1 (type III sum of squares), which is obtained by
the syntax shown in Table€7.1. Recall that this method obtains the unique contribution
of each effect, adjusting for all other effects. Method 3 (type I€sum of squares) is implemented in SPSS by inserting the line /METHOD€=€SSTYPE(1) immediately below
the GLM line appearing in Table€7.1. Note, however, that the F ratios for Methods 1 and
3 are identical (see Table€7.1). Why? Because the effects are uncorrelated due to the
equal cell size, and therefore no adjustment takes place. Thus, the F test for an effect
“adjusted” is the same as an effect unadjusted. To show that the effects are indeed
uncorrelated, we used effect coding as described in Table€7.2 and ran the problem as a
regression analysis. The coding scheme is explained there.

 Table 7.2:╇ Regression Analysis of Two-Way Equal n ANOVA With Effect Coding and
Correlation Matrix for the Effects
TITLE ‘EFFECT CODING FOR EQUAL CELL SIZE 2-WAY ANOVA’.
DATA LIST FREE/Y A1 B1 B2 A1B1 A1B2.
BEGIN DATA.
3 1 1 0 1 0
5 1 1 0 1 0
6 1 1 0 1 0
2 1 0 1 0 1
4 1 0 1 0 1
8 1 0 1 0 1
11 1 –1 –1–1 –1 7 1 –1 –1–1 –1 8 1 –1 –1–1 –1
9 –1 1 0–1 0
14 –1 1 0–1 0 5 –1 1 0 –1 0
6 –1 0 1 0 –1
7 –1 0 1 0 –1 7 –1 0 1 0 –1
9 –1 –1 –1 1 1 8 –1 –1–1 1 1 10 –1 –1 –1 1 1
END DATA.
LIST.
REGRESSION DESCRIPTIVES€=€DEFAULT
/VARIABLES€=€Y TO A1B2
/DEPENDENT€=€Y
/METHOD€=€ENTER.

Y

A1

(1) B1

B2

A1B1

A1B2

3.00
5.00
6.00
2.00
4.00
8.00
11.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
14.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
7.00
9.00
8.00
10.00

1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00

1.00
1.00
1.00
.00
.00
.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
.00
.00
.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00

.00
.00
.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
.00
.00
.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00

1.00
1.00
1.00
.00
.00
.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
.00
.00
.00
1.00
1.00
1.00

.00
.00
.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
.00
.00
.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00

Correlations

Y
A1

Y

A1

B1

B2

A1B1

A1B2

1.000
–.412

–.412
1.000

–.264
.000

–.456
.000

–.312
.000

–.120
.000
(Continuedâ•›)

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Factorial ANOVA and MANOVA

 Table 7.2:╇(Continued)
Correlations
Y
B1
B2
A1B1
A1B2

–.264
–.456â•…(2)
–.312
–.120

A1
.000
.000
.000
.000

B1

B2

A1B1

A1B2

1.000
.500
.000
.000

.500
1.000
.000
.000

.000
.000
1.000
.500

.000
.000
.500
1.000

(1)╇For the first effect coded variable (A1), the S’s in the first level of A€are coded with a 1, with the S’s in the
last level coded as −1. Since there are 3 levels of B, two effect coded variables are needed. The S’s in the
first level of B are coded as 1s for variable B1, with the S’s for all other levels of B, except the last, coded
as 0s. The S’s in the last level of B are coded as –1s. Similarly, the S’s on the second level of B are coded
as 1s on the second effect-coded variable (B2 here), with the S’s for all other levels of B, except the last,
coded as 0’s. Again, the S’s in the last level of B are coded as –1s for B2. To obtain the variables needed to
represent the interaction, i.e., A1B1 and A1B2, multiply the corresponding coded variables (i.e., A1 × B1,
A1 ×€B2).
(2)╇Note that the correlations between variables representing different effects are all 0. The only nonzero
correlations are for the two variables that jointly represent the B main effect (B1 and B2), and for the two
variables (A1B1 and A1B2) that jointly represent the AB interaction effect.

Predictor A1 represents factor A, predictors B1 and B2 represent factor B, and predictors A1B1 and A1B2 are variables needed to represent the interaction between
factors A€ and B. In the regression framework, we are using these predictors to
explain variation on y. Note that the correlations between predictors representing
different effects are all 0. This means that those effects are accounting for distinct
parts of the variation on y, or that we have an orthogonal partitioning of the y
variation.
In Table€7.3 we present sequential regression results that add one predictor variable
at a time in the order indicated in the table. There, we explain how the sum of squares
obtained for each effect is exactly the same as was obtained when the problem was run
as a traditional ANOVA in Table€7.1.
Example 7.2: Two-Way Disproportional Cell€Size
The data for our disproportional cell size example is given in Table€7.4, along with the
effect coding for the predictors, and the correlation matrix for the effects. Here there
definitely are correlations among the effects. For example, the correlations between
A1 (representing the A€main effect) and B1 and B2 (representing the B main effect)
are −.163 and −.275. This contrasts with the equal cell n case where the correlations
among the different effects were all 0 (Table€7.2). Thus, for disproportional cell sizes
the sources of variation are confounded (mixed together). To determine how much
unique variation on y a given effect accounts for we must adjust or partial out how

 Table 7.3:╇ Sequential Regression Results for Two-Way Equal n ANOVA With Effect
Coding
Model No.

1

Variable Entered

A1

Analysis of Variance
Sum of Squares

DF

Mean Square

F Ratio
3.267

Regression

24.500

1

24.500

Residual

120.000

16

7.500

Model No.

2

Variable Added

B2

Analysis of Variance
Sum of Squares

DF

Mean Square

F Ratio
4.553

Regression

54.583

2

27.292

Residual

89.917

15

5.994

Model No.

3

Variable Added

B1

Analysis of Variance
Sum of Squares

DF

Mean Square

F Ratio
2.854

Regression

54.833

3

18.278

Residual

89.667

14

6.405

Model No.

4

Variable Added

A1B1

Analysis of Variance
Sum of Squares

DF

Mean Square

F Ratio
2.963

Regression

68.917

4

17.229

Residual

75.583

13

5.814

Model No.
Variable Added

5
A1B2

Analysis of Variance
Sum of Squares

DF

Mean Square

F Ratio
2.204

Regression

69.167

5

13.833

Residual

75.333

12

6.278

Note: The sum of squares (SS) for regression for A1, representing the A€main effect, is the same as the SS
for FACA in Table€7.1. Also, the additional SS for B1 and B2, representing the B main effect, is 54.833 −
24.5€=€30.333, the same as SS for FACB in Table€7.1. Finally, the additional SS for A1B1 and A1B2, representing the AB interaction, is 69.167 − 54.833€=€14.334, the same as SS for FACA by FACB in Table€7.1.

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Factorial ANOVA and MANOVA

much of that variation is explainable because of the effect’s correlations with the
other effects in the design. Recall that in Chapter€5 the same procedure was employed
to determine the unique amount of between variation a given planned comparison
accounts for in a set of correlated planned comparisons.
In Table€7.5 we present the control lines for running the disproportional cell size example, along with Method 3 (type I€sum of squares) and Method 1 (type III sum of
squares) results. The F ratios for the interaction effect are the same, but the F ratios for
the main effects are quite different. For example, if we had used Method 3 we would
have declared a significant B main effect at the .05 level, but with Method 1 (unique
decomposition) the B main effect is not significant at the .05 level. Therefore, with
unequal n designs the method used can clearly make a difference in terms of the conclusions reached in the study. This raises the question of which of the three methods
should be used for disproportional cell size factorial designs.

 Table 7.4:╇ Effect Coding of the Predictors for the Disproportional Cell n ANOVA and
Correlation Matrix for the Variables
Design
B
A

A1
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00

3, 5, 6

2, 4, 8

11, 7, 8, 6, 9

9, 14, 5, 11

6, 7, 7, 8, 10,
5, 6

9, 8, 10

B1
1.00
1.00
1.00
.00
.00
.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
.00
.00

B2
.00
.00
.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
1.00
1.00

A1B1
1.00
1.00
1.00
.00
.00
.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
.00
.00

A1B2
.00
.00
.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
–1.00
–1.00

Y
3.00
5.00
6.00
2.00
4.00
8.00
11.00
7.00
8.00
6.00
9.00
9.00
14.00
5.00
11.00
6.00
7.00

Design
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00

.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00

1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00

.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
1.00
1.00
1.00

–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
–1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00

7.00
8.00
10.00
5.00
6.00
9.00
8.00
10.00

For A€main effect ╅ For B main effect ╅╅╅ For AB interaction effect
Correlation:
╅A1╅ ╅╅╅╅B1╇╇╇╅╅╅╅╇
B2╅ ╅╅A1B1╇╇╇╅╅╅A1B2
A1
B1
B2
A1B1
A1B2
Y

1.000
–.163
–.275
–0.72
.063
–.361

–.163
1.000
.495
0.59
.112
–.148

–.275
.495
1.000
1.39
–.088
–.350

–.072
.059
.139
1.000
.468
–.332

.063
.112
–.088
.468
1.000
–.089

Y
–.361
–.148
–.350
–.332
–.089
1.000

Note: The correlations between variables representing different effects are boxed in. Compare these correlations to those for the equal cell size situation, as presented in Table€7.2

 Table 7.5:╇ SPSS Syntax for Two-Way Disproportional Cell n ANOVA With the Sequential and Unique Sum of Squares F Ratios
TITLE ‘TWO WAY UNEQUAL N’.
DATA LIST FREE/FACA FACB DEP.
BEGIN DATA.
1 1 3
1 1 5
1 1 6
1 2 2
1 2 4
1 2 8
1 3 11
1 3 7
1 3 8
1 3 6
2 1 9
2 1 14
2 1 5
2 1 11
2 2 6
2 2 7
2 2 7
2 2 8
2 3 9
2 3 8
2 3 10
END DATA
LIST.
UNIANOVA DEP BY FACA FACB
/ METHOD€=€SSTYPE(1)
/ PRINT€=€DESCRIPTIVES.

1 3 9
2 2 10

2 2 5

2 2 6

(Continuedâ•›)

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Factorial ANOVA and MANOVA

 Table 7.5:╇(Continued)
Tests of Between-Subjects Effects
Dependent Variable: DEP
Source

Type I Sum of
Squares

df

Mean Square

Corrected Model
Intercept
FACA
FACB
FACA * FACB
Error
Total
Corrected Total

78.877a
1354.240
23.221
38.878
16.778
98.883
1532.000
177.760

5
1
1
2
2
19
25
24

15.775
1354.240
23.221
19.439
8.389
5.204

F

Sig.

3.031
260.211
4.462
3.735
1.612

.035
.000
.048
.043
.226

Tests of Between-Subjects Effects
Dependent Variable: DEP
Source

Type III Sum of
Squares

df

Mean Square

F

Sig.

Corrected Model
Intercept
FACA
FACB
FACA * FACB
Error
Total
Corrected Total

78.877a
1176.155
42.385
30.352
16.778
98.883
1532.000
177.760

5
1
1
2
2
19
25
24

15.775
1176.155
42.385
15.176
8.389
5.204

3.031
225.993
8.144
2.916
1.612

.035
.000
.010
.079
.226

a

R Squared€=€.444 (Adjusted R Squared€=€.297)

7.3.2╇ Which Method Should Be€Used?
Overall and Spiegel (1969) recommended Method 2 as generally being most appropriate. However, most believe that Method 2 is rarely be the method of choice, since it
estimates the main effects ignoring the interaction. Carlson and Timm’s (1974) comment is appropriate here: “We find it hard to believe that a researcher would consciously design a factorial experiment and then ignore the factorial nature of the data
in testing the main effects” (p.€156).
We feel that Method 1, where we are obtaining the unique contribution of each effect,
is generally more appropriate and is also widely used. This is what Carlson and Timm
(1974) recommended, and what Myers (1979) recommended for experimental studies

Chapter 7

↜渀屮

↜渀屮

(random assignment involved), or as he put it, “whenever variations in cell frequencies
can reasonably be assumed due to chance” (p.€403).
When an a priori ordering of the effects can be established (Overall€& Spiegel, 1969,
give a nice psychiatric example), Method 3 makes sense. This is analogous to establishing an a priori ordering of the predictors in multiple regression. To illustrate we
adapt an example given in Cohen, Cohen, Aiken, and West (2003), where the research
goal is to predict university faculty salary. Using 2 predictors, sex and number of
publications, a presumed causal ordering is sex and then number of publications. The
reasoning would be that sex can impact number of publications but number of publications cannot impact€sex.
7.4╇ FACTORIAL MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE
Here, we are considering the effect of two or more independent variables on a set of
dependent variables. To illustrate factorial MANOVA we use an example from Barcikowski (1983). Sixth-grade students were classified as being of high, average, or
low aptitude, and then within each of these aptitudes, were randomly assigned to one
of five methods of teaching social studies. The dependent variables were measures of
attitude and achievement. These data, with the scores for the attitude and achievement
appearing in each cell,€are:
Method of instruction
1

2

3

4

5

High

15, 11
9, 7

Average

18, 13
8, 11
6, 6
11, 9
16, 15

19, 11
12, 9
12, 6
25, 24
24, 23
26, 19
13, 11
10, 11

14, 13
9, 9
14, 15
29, 23
28, 26

19, 14
7, 8
6, 6
11, 14
14, 10
8, 7
15, 9
13, 13
7, 7

14, 16
14, 8
18, 16
18, 17
11, 13

Low

17, 10
7, 9
7, 9

17, 12
13, 15
9, 12

Of the 45 subjects who started the study, five were lost for various reasons. This resulted
in a disproportional factorial design. To obtain the unique contribution of each effect, the
unique sum of squares decomposition was obtained. The syntax for doing so is given
in Table€7.6, along with syntax for simple effects analyses, where the latter is used to
explore the interaction between method of instruction and aptitude. The results of the
multivariate and univariate tests of the effects are presented in Table€7.7. All of the multivariate effects are significant at the .05 level. We use the F’s associated with Wilks
to illustrate (aptitude by method: F€=€2.19, p€=€.018; method: F€=€2.46, p€=€.025; and

277

278

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Factorial ANOVA and MANOVA

aptitude: F€=€5.92, p€=€.001). Because the interaction is significant, we focus our interpretation on it. The univariate tests for this effect on attitude and achievement are also both
significant at the .05 level. Focusing on simple treatment effects for each level of aptitude, inspection of means and simple effects testing (not shown,) indicated that treatment
effects were present only for those of average aptitude. For these students, treatments 2
and 3 were generally more effective than other treatments for each dependent variable,
as indicated by pairwise comparisons using a Bonferroni adjustment. This adjustment is
used to provide for greater control of the family-wise type I€error rate for the 10 pairwise
comparisons involving method of instruction for those of average aptitude.

 Table 7.6:╇ Syntax for Factorial MANOVA on SPSS and Simple Effects Analyses
TITLE ‘TWO WAY MANOVA’.
DATA LIST FREE/FACA FACB ATTIT ACHIEV.
BEGIN DATA.
1 1 15 11
1 1 9 7
1 2 19 11
1 2 12 9
1 3 14 13
1 3 9 9
1 4 19 14
1 4 7 8
1 5 14 16
1 5 14 8
2 1 18 13
2 1 8 11
2 2 25 24
2 2 24 23
2 3 29 23
2 3 28 26
2 4 11 14
2 4 14 10
2 5 18 17
2 5 11 13
3 1 11 9
3 1 16 15
3 2 13 11
3 2 10 11
3 3 17 10
3 3 7 9
3 4 15 9
3 4 13 13
3 5 17 12
3 5 13 15
END DATA.
LIST.
GLM ATTIT ACHIEV BY FACA FACB
/PRINT€=€DESCRIPTIVES.

1
1
1
1
2
2

2
3
4
5
1
2

12 6
14 15
6 6
18 16
6 6
26 19

2 4 8 7

3 3 7 9
3 4 7 7
3 5 9 12

Simple Effects Analyses
GLM
ATTIT BY FACA FACB
/PLOT€=€PROFILE (FACA*FACB)
/EMMEANS€=€TABLES(FACB) COMPARE ADJ(BONFERRONI)
/EMMEANS€=€TABLES (FACA*FACB) COMPARE (FACB) ADJ(BONFERRONI).
GLM
ACHIEV BY FACA FACB
/PLOT€=€PROFILE (FACA*FACB)
/EMMEANS€=€TABLES(FACB) COMPARE ADJ(BONFERRONI)
/EMMEANS€=€TABLES (FACA*FACB) COMPARE (FACB) ADJ(BONFERRONI).

 Table 7.7:╇ Selected Results From Factorial MANOVA
Multivariate Testsa
Effect

Value

F

Hypothesis df

Error df

Sig.

Intercept

Pillai’s Trace
Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest Root

.965
.035
27.429
27.429

329.152
329.152b
329.152b
329.152b

2.000
2.000
2.000
2.000

24.000
24.000
24.000
24.000

.000
.000
.000
.000

FACA

Pillai’s Trace
Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest Root

.574
.449
1.179
1.135

↜5.031
↜5.917b
↜6.780
↜14.187c

4.000
4.000
4.000
2.000

50.000
48.000
46.000
25.000

.002
.001
.000
.000

FACB

Pillai’s Trace
Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest Root

.534
.503
.916
.827

2.278
2.463b
2.633
5.167c

8.000
8.000
8.000
4.000

50.000
48.000
46.000
25.000

.037
.025
.018
.004

FACA *
FACB

Pillai’s Trace
Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest Root

.757
.333
1.727
1.551

1.905
2.196b
2.482
4.847c

16.000
16.000
16.000
8.000

50.000
48.000
46.000
25.000

.042
.018
.008
.001

b

Design: Intercept + FACA + FACB + FACA *€FACB
Exact statistic
c
The statistic is an upper bound on F that yields a lower bound on the significance level.
a
b

Tests of Between-Subjects Effects
Source
Corrected
Model
Intercept
FACA
FACB
FACA *
FACB
Error
Total
Corrected
Total
a
b

Dependent
Variable

Type III Sum
of Squares

df

Mean Square

ATTIT
ACHIEV
ATTIT
ACHIEV
ATTIT
ACHIEV
ATTIT
ACHIEV
ATTIT
ACHIEV
ATTIT
ACHIEV
ATTIT
ACHIEV
ATTIT
ACHIEV

972.108a
764.608b
7875.219
6156.043
256.508
267.558
237.906
189.881
503.321
343.112
460.667
237.167
9357.000
7177.000
1432.775
1001.775

14
14
1
1
2
2
4
4
8
8
25
25
40
40
39
39

69.436
54.615
7875.219
6156.043
128.254
133.779
59.477
47.470
62.915
42.889
18.427
9.487

R Squared€=€.678 (Adjusted R Squared€=€.498)
R Squared€=€.763 (Adjusted R Squared€=€.631)

F

Sig.

3.768
5.757
427.382
648.915
6.960
14.102
3.228
5.004
3.414
4.521

.002
.000
.000
.000
.004
.000
.029
.004
.009
.002

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Factorial ANOVA and MANOVA

7.5╇ WEIGHTING OF THE CELL€MEANS
In experimental studies that wind up with unequal cell sizes, it is reasonable to assume
equal population sizes, and equal cell weighting is appropriate in estimating the grand
mean. However, when sampling from intact groups (sex, age, race, socioeconomic
status [SES], religions) in nonexperimental studies, the populations may well differ
in size, and the sizes of the samples may reflect the different population sizes. In such
cases, equally weighting the subgroup means will not provide an unbiased estimate
of the combined (grand) mean, whereas weighting the means will produce an unbiased estimate. In some situations, you may wish to use both weighted and unweighted
cell means in a single factorial design, that is, in a semi-experimental design. In such
designs one of the factors is an attribute factor (sex, SES, ethnicity, etc.) and the other
factor is treatments.
Suppose for a given situation it is reasonable to assume there are twice as many middle
SES cases in a population as lower SES, and that two treatments are involved. Forty
lower SES participants are sampled and randomly assigned to treatments, and 80 middle SES participants are selected and assigned to treatments. Schematically then, the
setup of the weighted treatment (column) means and unweighted SES (row) means€is:

SES

Weighted means

Lower
Middle

T1

T2

Unweighted means

n11€=€20
n21€=€40

n12€=€20
n22€=€40

(μ11 + μ12) / 2
(μ21 + μ22) / 2

n11µ11 + n21µ 21
n11 + n21

n12 µ12 + n22 µ 22
n12 + n22

Note that Method 3 (type I€sum of squares) the sequential or hierarchical approach,
described in section€7.3 can be used to provide a partitioning of variance that implements a weighted means solution.
7.6╇ ANALYSIS PROCEDURES FOR TWO-WAY MANOVA
In this section, we summarize the analysis steps that provide a general guide for
you to follow in conducting a two-way MANOVA where the focus is on examining
effects for each of several outcomes. Section€7.7 applies the procedures to a fairly
large data set, and section€7.8 presents an example results section. Note that preliminary analysis activities for the two-way design are the same as for the one-way
MANOVA as summarized in section€6.11, except that these activities apply to the
cells of the two-way design. For example, for a 2 × 2 factorial design, the scores are
assumed to follow a multivariate normal distribution with equal variance-covariance

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matrices across each of the 4 cells. Since preliminary analysis for the two-factor
design is similar to the one-factor design, we focus our summary of the analysis procedures on primary analysis.
7.6.1 Primary Analysis
1. Examine the Wilks’ lambda test for the multivariate interaction.
A. If this test is statistically significant, examine the F test of the two-way interaction for each dependent variable, using a Bonferroni correction unless the
number of dependent variables is small (i.e., 2 or€3).
B. If an interaction is present for a given dependent variable, use simple effects
analyses for that variable to interpret the interaction.
2. If a given univariate interaction is not statistically significant (or sufficiently
strong) OR if the Wilks’ lambda test for the multivariate interaction is not statistically significant, examine the multivariate tests for the main effects.
A. If the multivariate test of a given main effect is statistically significant, examine the F test for the corresponding main effect (i.e., factor A€or factor B) for
each dependent variable, using a Bonferroni adjustment (unless the number of
outcomes is small). Note that the main effect for any dependent variable for
which an interaction was present may not be of interest due to the qualified
nature of the simple effect description.
B. If the univariate F test is significant for a given dependent variable, use pairwise comparisons (if more than 2 groups are present) to describe the main
effect. Use a Bonferroni adjustment for the pairwise comparisons to provide
protection for the inflation of the type I€error€rate.
C. If no multivariate main effects are significant, do not proceed to the univariate
test of main effects. If a given univariate main effect is not significant, do not
conduct further testing (i.e., pairwise comparisons) for that main effect.
3. Use one or more effect size measures to describe the strength of the effects and/
or the differences in the means of interest. Commonly used effect size measures
include multivariate partial eta square, univariate partial eta square, and/or raw
score differences in means for specific comparisons of interest.
7.7╇ FACTORIAL MANOVA WITH SENIORWISE€DATA
In this section, we illustrate application of the analysis procedures for two-way
MANOVA using the SeniorWISE data set used in section€6.11, except that these
data now include a second factor of gender (i.e., female, male). So, we now assume
that the investigators recruited 150 females and 150 males with each being at least
65€years old. Then, within each of these groups, the participants were randomly
assigned to receive (a) memory training, which was designed to help adults maintain and/or improve their memory related abilities, (b) a health intervention condition, which did not include memory training, or (c) a wait-list control condition.
The active treatments were individually administered and posttest intervention
measures were completed individually. The dependent variables are the same as

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Factorial ANOVA and MANOVA

in section€ 6.11 and include memory self-efficacy (self-efficacy), verbal memory
performance (verbal), and daily functioning skills (DAFS). Higher scores on these
measures represent a greater (and preferred) level of performance. Thus, we have a
3 (treatment levels) by 2 (gender groups) multivariate design with 50 participants
in each of 6 cells.
7.7.1╇ Preliminary Analysis
The preliminary analysis activities for factorial MANOVA are the same as with
one-way MANOVA except, of course, the relevant groups now are the six cells formed
by the crossing of the two factors. As such, the scores in each cell (in the population)
must be multivariate normal, have equal variance-covariance matrices, and be independent. To facilitate examining the degree to which the assumptions are satisfied and
to readily enable other preliminary analysis activities, Table€7.8 shows SPSS syntax
for creating a cell membership variable for this data set. Also, the syntax shows how
Mahalanobis distance values may be obtained for each case within each of the 6 cells,
as such values are then used to identify multivariate outliers.
For this data set, there is no missing data as each of the 300 participants has a score for
each of the study variables. There are no multivariate outliers as the largest within-cell
 Table 7.8:╇ SPSS Syntax for Creating a Cell Variable and Obtaining Mahalanobis Distance Values
*/ Creating Cell Variable.
IF (Group€=€1 and Gender€=€0)
IF (Group€=€2 and Gender€=€0)
IF (Group€=€3 and Gender€=€0)
IF (Group€=€1 and Gender€=€1)
IF (Group€=€2 and Gender€=€1)
IF (Group€=€3 and Gender€=€1)
EXECUTE.

Cell=1.
Cell=2.
Cell=3.
Cell=4.
Cell=5.
Cell=6.

*/ Organizing Output By Cell.
SORT CASES BY Cell.
SPLIT FILE SEPARATE BY Cell.
*/ Requesting within-cell Mahalanobis’ distances for each case.
REGRESSION
/STATISTICS COEFF ANOVA
/DEPENDENT Case
/METHOD=ENTER Self_Efficacy Verbal Dafs
/SAVE MAHAL.
*/ REMOVING SPLIT FILE.
SPLIT FILE OFF.

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Mahalanobis distance value, 10.61, is smaller than the chi-square critical value of
16.27 (a€=€.001; df€=€3 for the 3 dependent variables). Similarly, we did not detect
any univariate outliers, as no within-cell z score exceeded a magnitude of 3. Also,
inspection of the 18 histograms (6 cells by 3 outcomes) did not suggest the presence
of any extreme scores. Further, examining the pooled within-cell correlations provided support for using the multivariate procedure as the three correlations ranged
from .31 to .47.
In addition, there are no serious departures from the statistical assumptions
associated with factorial MANOVA. Inspecting the 18 histograms did not suggest any substantial departures of univariate normality. Further, no kurtosis or
skewness value in any cell for any outcome exceeded a magnitude of .97, again,
suggesting no substantial departure from normality. For the assumption of equal
variance-covariance matrices, we note that the cell standard deviations (not shown)
were fairly similar for each outcome. Also, Box’s M test (M€=€30.53, p€=€.503),
did not suggest a violation. Similarly, examining the results of Levene’s test for
equality of variance (not shown) provided support that the dispersion of scores
for self-efficacy (╛p€=€.47), verbal performance (╛p€=€.78), and functional status
(╛p€=€.33) was similar across the six cells. For the independence assumption, the
study design, as described in section€6.11, does not suggest any violation in part
as treatments were individually administered to participants who also completed
posttest measures individually.
7.7.2╇ Primary Analysis
Table€7.9 shows the syntax used for the primary analysis, and Tables€7.10 and 7.11
show the overall multivariate and univariate test results. Inspecting Table€7.10 indicates that an overall group-by-gender interaction is present in the set of outcomes,
Wilks’ lambda€ =€ .946, F (6, 584)€=€2.72, p€=€.013. Examining the univariate test
results for the group-by-gender interaction in Table€7.11 suggests that this interaction is present for DAFS, F (2, 294)€=€6.174, p€=€.002, but not for self-efficacy F
(2, 294)€=€1.603, p = .203 or verbal F (2, 294)€=€.369, p€=€.692. Thus, we will focus
on examining simple effects associated with the treatment for DAFS but not for the
other outcomes. Of course, main effects may be present for the set of outcomes as
well. The multivariate test results in Table€7.10 indicate that a main effect in the set
of outcomes is present for both group, Wilks’ lambda€=€.748, F (6, 584)€=€15.170,
p < .001, and gender, Wilks’ lambda€=€.923, F (3, 292)€=€3.292, p < .001, although
we will focus on describing treatment effects, not gender differences, from this point
on. The univariate test results in Table€7.11 indicate that a main effect of the treatment is present for self-efficacy, F (2, 294)€=€29.931, p < .001, and verbal F (2,
294)€=€26.514, p < .001. Note that a main effect is present also for DAFS but the
interaction just noted suggests we may not wish to describe main effects. So, for
self-efficacy and verbal, we will examine pairwise comparisons to examine treatment effects pooling across the gender groups.

283

 Table 7.9:╇ SPSS Syntax for Factorial MANOVA With SeniorWISE€Data
GLM Self_Efficacy Verbal Dafs BY Group Gender
/SAVE=ZRESID
/EMMEANS=TABLES(Group)
/EMMEANS=TABLES(Gender)
/EMMEANS=TABLES(Gender*Group)
/PLOT=PROFILE(GROUP*GENDER GENDER*GROUP)
/PRINT=DESCRIPTIVE ETASQ HOMOGENEITY.
*Follow-up univariates for Self-Efficacy and Verbal to obtain
pairwise comparisons; Bonferroni method used to maintain consistency with simple effects analyses (for Dafs).
UNIANOVA Self_Efficacy BY Gender Group
/EMMEANS=TABLES(Group)
/POSTHOC=Group(BONFERRONI).
UNIANOVA Verbal BY Gender Group
/EMMEANS=TABLES(Group)
/POSTHOC=Group(BONFERRONI).
* Follow-up simple effects analyses for Dafs with Bonferroni
method.
GLM
Dafs BY Gender Group
/EMMEANS€=€TABLES (Gender*Group) COMPARE (Group)

ADJ(Bonferroni).

 Table 7.10:╇ SPSS Results of the Overall Multivariate€Tests
Multivariate Testsa
Effect
Intercept

GROUP

Value
Pillai’s
Trace
Wilks’
Lambda
Hotelling’s
Trace
Roy’s Largest Root
Pillai’s
Trace
Wilks’
Lambda

F

Hypothesis
df

Error df

Sig.

Partial Eta
Squared

.983

5678.271b

3.000

292.000

.000

.983

.017

5678.271b

3.000

292.000

.000

.983

58.338

5678.271b

3.000

292.000

.000

.983

58.338

5678.271b

3.000

292.000

.000

.983

.258

14.441

6.000

586.000

.000

.129

.748

15.170b

6.000

584.000

.000

.135

Multivariate Testsa
Effect

GENDER

GROUP *
GENDER

Value

F

Hypothesis
df

Error df

Sig.

Partial Eta
Squared

Hotelling’s
Trace
Roy’s Largest Root

.328

15.900

6.000

582.000

.000

.141

.301

29.361c

3.000

293.000

.000

.231

Pillai’s
Trace
Wilks’
Lambda
Hotelling’s
Trace
Roy’s Largest Root

.077

8.154b

3.000

292.000

.000

.077

.923

8.154b

3.000

292.000

.000

.077

.084

8.154b

3.000

292.000

.000

.077

.084

8.154b

3.000

292.000

.000

.077

.054

2.698

6.000

586.000

.014

.027

.946

2.720b

6.000

584.000

.013

.027

.057

2.743

6.000

582.000

.012

.027

.054

5.290c

3.000

293.000

.001

.051

Pillai’s
Trace
Wilks’
Lambda
Hotelling’s
Trace
Roy’s Largest Root

Design: Intercept + GROUP + GENDER + GROUP * GENDER
Exact statistic
c
The statistic is an upper bound on F that yields a lower bound on the significance level.
a
b

 Table 7.11:╇ SPSS Results of the Overall Univariate€Tests
Tests of Between-Subjects Effects
Source

Dependent
Variable

Type III Sum
of€Squares

Corrected Self_Efficacy
5750.604a
Verbal
4944.027b
Model
DAFS
6120.099c
Intercept Self_Efficacy 833515.776
Verbal
896000.120
DAFS
883559.339
GROUP
Self_Efficacy
5177.087
Verbal
4872.957
DAFS
3642.365

df

Mean Square

5
5
5
1
1
1
2
2
2

1150.121
988.805
1224.020
833515.776
896000.120
883559.339
2588.543
2436.478
1821.183

F
13.299
10.760
14.614
9637.904
9750.188
10548.810
29.931
26.514
21.743

Partial Eta
Sig. Squared
.000
.000
.000
.000
.000
.000
.000
.000
.000

.184
.155
.199
.970
.971
.973
.169
.153
.129
(Continuedâ•›)

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Factorial ANOVA and MANOVA

 Table 7.11:╇(Continued)
Tests of Between-Subjects Effects
Source

Dependent
Variable

Type III Sum
of€Squares

GENDER

Self_Efficacy
296.178
Verbal
3.229
DAFS
1443.514
GROUP * Self_Efficacy
277.339
67.842
GENDER Verbal
DAFS
1034.220
Error
Self_Efficacy 25426.031
Verbal
27017.328
DAFS
24625.189
Total
Self_Efficacy 864692.411
Verbal
927961.475
DAFS
914304.627
Corrected Self_Efficacy 31176.635
Verbal
31961.355
Total
DAFS
30745.288

df

Mean Square

1 296.178
1
3.229
1 1443.514
2 138.669
2
33.921
2 517.110
294
86.483
294
91.896
294
83.759
300
300
300
299
299
299

F
3.425
.035
17.234
1.603
.369
6.174

Partial Eta
Sig. Squared
.065
.851
.000
.203
.692
.002

.012
.000
.055
.011
.003
.040

R Squared€=€.184 (Adjusted R Squared€=€.171)
R Squared€=€.155 (Adjusted R Squared€=€.140)
c
R Squared€=€.199 (Adjusted R Squared€=€.185)
a
b

Table€7.12 shows results for the simple effects analyses for DAFS focusing on the
impact of the treatments. Examining the means suggests that group differences for
females are not particularly large, but the treatment means for males appear quite different, especially for the memory training condition. This strong effect of the memory
training condition for males is also evident in the plot in Table€7.12. For females, the F
test for treatment mean differences, shown near the bottom of Table€7.12, suggests that
no differences are present in the population, F(2, 294)€=€2.405, p€=€.092. For males,
on the other hand, treatment group mean differences are present F(2, 294)€=€25.512,
p < .001. Pairwise comparisons for males, using Bonferroni adjusted p values, indicate that participants in the memory training condition outscored, on average, those
in the health training (â•›p < .001) and control conditions (â•›p < .001). The difference in
means between the health training and control condition is not statistically significant
(╛p€=€1.00).
Table€7.13 and Table€7.14 show the results of Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise comparisons of treatment group means (pooling across gender) for the dependent variables
self-efficacy and verbal performance. The results in Table€ 7.13 indicate that the
large difference in means between the memory training and health training conditions is statistically significant (â•›p < .001) as is the difference between the memory

 Table 7.12:╇ SPSS Results of the Simple Effects Analyses for€DAFS
Estimated Marginal Means GENDER * GROUP
Estimates
Dependent Variable: DAFS
95% Confidence Interval
GENDER

GROUP

FEMALE

Memory
Training
Health
Training
Control

MALE

Memory
Training
Health
Training
Control

Mean

Std. Error

Lower
Bound

Upper
Bound

54.337

1.294

51.790

56.884

51.388
50.504

1.294
1.294

48.840
47.956

53.935
53.051

63.966

1.294

61.419

53.431
51.993

1.294
1.294

50.884
49.445

66.513

55.978
54.540

Pairwise Comparisons
Dependent Variable: DAFS

GENDER (I) GROUP (J) GROUP
FEMALE

Memory
Training
Health
Training
Control

MALE

Memory
Training
Health
Training

Health Training
Control
Memory
Training
Control
Memory
Training
Health Training

Mean
Difference
(I-J)

95% Confidence
Interval for
Differenceb
Std. Error Sig.b

Lower
Bound

Upper
Bound

2.950
3.833
-2.950

1.830
1.830
1.830

.324
.111
.324

-1.458
-.574
-7.357

7.357
8.241
1.458

.884
-3.833

1.830
1.830

1.000
.111

-3.523
-8.241

5.291
.574

-.884

1.830

1.000

-5.291

3.523

1.830
1.830
1.830

.000
.000
.000

6.128
7.566
-14.942

14.942
16.381
-6.128

Health Training
10.535*
Control
11.973*
Memory
-10.535*
Training

(Continuedâ•›)

 Table 7.12:╇(Continued)
Pairwise Comparisons
Dependent Variable: DAFS

GENDER (I) GROUP (J) GROUP
Control

Mean
Difference
(I-J)

Control
1.438
Memory
-11.973*
Training
Health Training -1.438

95% Confidence
Interval for
Differenceb
Std. Error Sig.b

Lower
Bound

Upper
Bound

1.830
1.830

1.000
.000

-2.969
-16.381

5.846
-7.566

1.830

1.000

-5.846

2.969

Based on estimated marginal€means
* The mean difference is significant at the .050 level.
b. Adjustment for multiple comparisons: Bonferroni.

Univariate Tests
Dependent Variable: DAFS
GENDER
FEMALE

Contrast
Error
Contrast
Error

MALE

Sum of Squares

Df

Mean Square

402.939
24625.189
4273.646
24625.189

2
294
2
294

201.469
83.759
2136.823
83.759

F

Sig.

2.405

.092

25.512

.000

Each F tests the simple effects of GROUP within each level combination of the other effects shown. These
tests are based on the linearly independent pairwise comparisons among the estimated marginal means.
Estimated Marginal Means of DAFS
Group
Memory Training
Health Training
Control

Estimated Marginal Means

62.50

60.00

57.50

55.00

52.50

50.00
Female

Gender

Male

 Table 7.13:╇ SPSS Results of Pairwise Comparisons for Self-Efficacy
Estimated Marginal Means
GROUP
Dependent Variable: Self_Efficacy
95% Confidence
Interval
GROUP

Mean

Std. Error

Lower
Bound

Upper
Bound

Memory Training
Health Training
Control

58.505
50.649
48.976

.930
.930
.930

56.675
48.819
47.146

60.336
52.480
50.807

Post Hoc Tests GROUP
Dependent Variable: Self_Efficacy
Bonferroni

(I) GROUP

(J) GROUP

Mean
Difference
(I-J)

Memory Training

Health Training
Control
Memory Training
Control
Memory Training
Health Training

7.856*
9.529*
-7.856*
1.673
-9.529*
-1.673

Health Training
Control

95% Confidence
Interval
Std.
Error

Sig.

Lower
Bound

1.315
1.315
1.315
1.315
1.315
1.315

.000
.000
.000
.613
.000
.613

4.689
6.362
-11.022
-1.494
-12.695
-4.840

Upper
Bound
11.022
12.695
-4.689
4.840
-6.362
1.494

Based on observed means.
The error term is Mean Square(Error)€=€86.483.
* The mean difference is significant at the .050 level.

 Table 7.14:╇ SPSS Results of Pairwise Comparisons for Verbal Performance
Estimated Marginal Means
GROUP
Dependent Variable: Verbal
95% Confidence Interval
GROUP

Mean

Std. Error

Lower
Bound

Upper
Bound

Memory Training
Health Training
Control

60.227
50.843
52.881

.959
.959
.959

58.341
48.956
50.994

62.114
52.730
54.768
(Continuedâ•›)

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Factorial ANOVA and MANOVA

 Table 7.14:╇(Continued)
Post Hoc Tests GROUP
Multiple Comparisons
Dependent Variable: Verbal
Bonferroni
95% Confidence
Interval
(I) GROUP
Memory Training

Health Training

Control

(J)
GROUP
Health
Training
Control
Memory
Training
Control
Memory
Training
Health
Training

Mean
Difference (I-J)

Std.
Error

Sig.

9.384*

1.356

.000

6.120

12.649

7.346*
-9.384*

1.356
1.356

.000
.000

4.082
-12.649

10.610
-6.120

-2.038
-7.346*

1.356
1.356

.401
.000

-5.302
-10.610

1.226
-4.082

2.038

1.356

.401

-1.226

5.302

Lower Bound

Upper
Bound

Based on observed means.
The error term is Mean Square(Error)€=€91.896.
*
The mean difference is significant at the .050 level.

training and control groups (â•›p < .001). The smaller difference in means between the
health intervention and control condition is not statistically significant (╛p€=€.613).
Inspecting Table€7.14 indicates a similar pattern for verbal performance, where
those receiving memory training have better average performance than participants
receiving heath training (â•›p < .001) and those in the control group (â•›p < .001). The
small difference between the latter two conditions is not statistically significant
(╛p€=€.401).
7.8 EXAMPLE RESULTS SECTION FOR FACTORIAL
MANOVA WITH SENIORWISE DATA
The goal of this study was to determine if at-risk older males and females obtain similar or different benefits of training designed to help memory functioning across a
set of memory-related variables. As such, 150 males and 150 females were randomly

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assigned to memory training, a health intervention or a wait-list control condition.
A€two-way (treatment by gender) multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted with three memory-related dependent variables—memory self-efficacy, verbal
memory performance, and daily functional status (DAFS)—all of which were collected following the intervention.
Prior to conducting the factorial MANOVA, the data were examined to identify
the degree of missing data, presence of outliers and influential observations, and
the degree to which the outcomes were correlated. There were no missing data. No
multivariate outliers were indicated as the largest within-cell Mahalanobis distance
(10.61) was smaller than the chi-square critical value of 16.27 (.05, 3). Also, no
univariate outliers were suggested as all within-cell univariate z scores were smaller
than |3|. Further, examining the pooled within-cell correlations suggested that the
outcomes are moderately and positively correlated, as these three correlations ranged
from .31 to .47.
We also assessed whether the MANOVA assumptions seemed tenable. Inspecting
histograms for each group for each dependent variable as well as the corresponding
values for skew and kurtosis (all of which were smaller than |1|) did not indicate
any material violations of the normality assumption. For the assumption of equal
variance-covariance matrices, the cell standard deviations were fairly similar for
each outcome, and Box’s M test (M€=€30.53, p€=€.503) did not suggest a violation.
In addition, examining the results of Levene’s test for equality of variance provided
support that the dispersion of scores for self-efficacy (╛p€=€.47), verbal performance
(╛p€=€.78), and functional status (╛p€=€.33) was similar across cells. For the independence assumption, the study design did not suggest any violation in part as treatments
were individually administered to participants who also completed posttest measures
individually.
Table€1 displays the means for each cell for each outcome. Inspecting these means
suggests that participants in the memory training group generally had higher mean
posttest scores than the other treatment conditions across each outcome. However, a significant multivariate test of the treatment-by-gender interaction, Wilks’
lambda€=€.946, F(6, 584)€=€2.72, p€=€.013, suggested that treatment effects were different for females and males. Univariate tests for each outcome indicated that the
two-way interaction is present for DAFS, F(2, 294)€=€6.174, p€=€.002, but not for
self-efficacy F(2, 294)€=€1.603, p = .203 or verbal F(2, 294)€=€.369, p€=€.692. Simple
effects analyses for DAFS indicated that treatment group differences were present
for males, F(2, 294)€=€25.512, p < .001, but not females, F(2, 294)€=€2.405, p€=€.092.
Pairwise comparisons for males, using Bonferroni adjusted p values, indicate that participants in the memory training condition outscored, on average, those in the health
training, t(294) = 5.76, p < .001, and control conditions t(294) = 6.54, p < .001. The
difference in means between the health training and control condition is not statistically significant, t(294) = 0.79, p€=€1.00.

291

292

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Factorial ANOVA and MANOVA

 Table 1:╇ Treatment by Gender Means (SD) For Each Dependent Variable
Treatment conditiona
Gender

Memory training

Health training

Control

Self-efficacy
Females
Males

56.15 (9.01)
60.86 (8.86)

50.33 (7.91)
50.97 (8.80)

48.67 (9.93)
49.29 (10.98)

Verbal performance
Females
Males

60.08 (9.41)
60.37 (9.99)

50.53 (8.54)
51.16 (10.16)

53.65 (8.96)
52.11 (10.32)

Daily functional skills
Females
Males
a

54.34 (9.16)
63.97 (7.78)

51.39 (10.61)
53.43 (9.92)

50.50 (8.29)
51.99 (8.84)

n€=€50 per€cell.

In addition, the multivariate test for main effects indicated that main effects were
present for the set of outcomes for treatment condition, Wilks’ lambda€ =€ .748, F(6,
584)€=€15.170, p < .001, and gender, Wilks’ lambda€=€.923, F(3, 292)€=€3.292, p < .001,
although we focus here on treatment differences. The univariate F tests indicated that
a main effect of the treatment was present for self-efficacy, F(2, 294)€=€29.931, p <
.001, and verbal F(2, 294)€=€26.514, p < .001. For self-efficacy, pairwise comparisons
(pooling across gender), using a Bonferroni-adjustment, indicated that participants in
the memory training condition had higher posttest scores, on average, than those in the
health training, t(294) = 5.97, p < .001, and control groups, t(294) = 7.25, p < .001, with
no support for a mean difference between the latter two conditions (╛p€=€.613). A€similar
pattern was present for verbal performance, where those receiving memory training had
better average performance than participants receiving heath training t(294) = 6.92, p <
.001 and those in the control group, t(294) = 5.42, p < .001. The small difference between
the latter two conditions was not statistically significant, t(294) = −1.50, p€=€.401.
7.9╇ THREE-WAY MANOVA
This section is included to show how to set up SPSS syntax for running a three-way
MANOVA, and to indicate a procedure for interpreting a three-way interaction. We
take the aptitude by method example presented in section€7.4 and add sex as an additional factor. Then, assuming we will use the same two dependent variables, the only
change that is required for the syntax to run the factorial MANOVA as presented in
Table€7.6 is that the GLM command becomes:
GLM ATTIT ACHIEV BY FACA FACB€SEX

We wish to focus our attention on the interpretation of a three-way interaction, if it
were significant in such a design. First, what does a significant three-way interaction

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mean in the context of a single outcome variable? If the three factors are denoted by A,
B, and C, then a significant ABC interaction implies that the two-way interaction profiles for the different levels of the third factor are different. A€nonsignificant three-way
interaction means that the two-way profiles are the same; that is, the differences can be
attributed to sampling error.
Example 7.3
Consider a sex, by treatment, by school grade design. Suppose that the two-way design
(collapsed on grade) looked like€this:
Treatments

Males
Females

1

2

60
40

50
42

This profile suggests a significant sex main effect and a significant ordinal interaction
with respect to sex (because the male average is greater than the female average for
each treatment, and, of course, much greater under treatment 1). But it does not tell
the whole story. Let us examine the profiles for grades 6 and 7 separately (assuming
equal cell€n):
Grade 6

M
F

Grade 7

T1

T2

65
40

50
47

M
F

T1

T1

55
40

50
37

We see that for grade 6 that the same type of interaction is present as before, whereas
for grade 7 students there appears to be no interaction effect, as the difference in means
between males and females is similar across treatments (15 points vs. 13 points). The
two profiles are distinctly different. The point is, school grade further moderates the
sex-by-treatment interaction.
In the context of aptitude–treatment interaction (ATI) research, Cronbach (1975) had
an interesting way of characterizing higher order interactions:
When ATIs are present, a general statement about a treatment effect is misleading
because the effect will come or go depending on the kind of person treated.€.€.€. An
ATI result can be taken as a general conclusion only if it is not in turn moderated
by further variables. If Aptitude×Treatment×Sex interact, for example, then the
Aptitude×Treatment effect does not tell the story. Once we attend to interactions,
we enter a hall of mirrors that extends to infinity. (p.€119)

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Thus, to examine the nature of a significant three-way multivariate interaction, one
might first determine which of the individual variables are significant (by examining
the univariate F’s for the three-way interaction). If any three-way interactions are present for a given dependent variable, we would then consider the two-way profiles to see
how they differ for those outcomes that are significant.
7.10 FACTORIAL DESCRIPTIVE DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS
In this section, we present a discriminant analysis approach to describe multivariate
effects that are statistically significant in a factorial MANOVA. Unlike the traditional
MANOVA approach presented previously in this chapter, where univariate follow-up
tests were used to describe statistically significant multivariate interactions and main
effects, the approach described in this section uses linear combinations of variables to
describe such effects. Unlike the traditional MANOVA approach, discriminant analysis uses the correlations among the discriminating variables to create composite variables that separate groups. When such composites are formed, you need to interpret the
composites and use them to describe group differences. If you have not already read
Chapter€10, which introduces discriminant analysis in the context of a simpler single
factor design, you should read that chapter before taking on the factorial presentation
presented€here.
We use the same SeniorWISE data set used in section€7.7. So, for this example, the two
factors are treatment having 3 levels and gender with 2 levels. The dependent variables
are self-efficacy, verbal, and DAFS. Identical to traditional two-way MANOVA, there
will be overall multivariate tests for the two-way interaction and for the two main
effects. If the interaction is significant, you can then conduct a simple effects analyses
by running separate one-way descriptive discriminant analyses for each level of a factor of interest. Given the interest in examining treatment effects with the SeniorWISE
data, we would run a one-way discriminant analysis for females and then a separate
one-way discriminant analysis for males with treatment as the single factor. According
to Warner (2012), such an analysis, for this example, allows us to examine the composite variables that best separate treatment groups for females and that best separate
treatment groups for males.
In addition to the multivariate test for the interaction, you should also examine
the multivariate tests for main effects and identify the composite variables associated with such effects, since the composite variables may be different from those
involved in the interaction. Also, of course, if the multivariate test for the interaction
is not significant, you would also examine the multivariate tests for the main effects.
If the multivariate main effect were significant, you can identify the composite variables involved in the effect by running a single-factor descriptive discriminant analysis pooling across (or ignoring) the other factor. So, for example, if there were a
significant multivariate main effect for the treatment, you could run a descriptive

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discriminant analysis with treatment as the single factor with all cases included.
Such an analysis was done in section€10.7. If a multivariate main effect for gender
were significant, you could run a descriptive discriminant analysis with gender as
the single factor.
We now illustrate these analyses for the SeniorWISE data. Note that the preliminary
analysis for the factorial descriptive discriminant analysis is identical to that described
in section€7.7.1, so we do not describe it any further here. Also, in section€7.7.2, we
reported that the multivariate test for the overall group-by-gender interaction indicated
that this effect was statistically significant, Wilks’ lambda€=€.946, F(6, 584)€=€2.72,
p€=€.013. In addition, the multivariate test results indicated a statistically significant
main effect for treatment group, Wilks’ lambda€=€.748, F(6, 584)€=€15.170, p < .001,
and gender Wilks’ lambda€=€.923, F(3, 292)€=€3.292, p < .001. Given the interest in
describing treatment effects for these data, we focus the follow-up analysis on treatment effects.
To describe the multivariate gender-by-group interaction, we ran descriptive discriminant analysis for females and a separate analysis for males. Table€7.15 provides the
syntax for this simple effects analysis, and Tables€7.16 and 7.17 provide the discriminant analysis results for females and males, respectively. For females, Table€7.16
indicates that one linear combination of variables separates the treatment groups,
Wilks’ lambda€=€.776, chi-square (6)€=€37.10, p < .001. In addition, the square of the
canonical correlation (.442) for this function, when converted to a percent, indicates
that about 19% of the variation for the first function is between treatment groups.
Inspecting the standardized coefficients suggest that this linear combination is dominated by verbal performance and that high scores for this function correspond to high
verbal performance scores. In addition, examining the group centroids suggests that,
for females, the memory training group has much higher verbal performance scores,
on average, than the other treatment groups, which have similar means for this composite variable.
 Table 7.15:╇ SPSS Syntax for Simple Effects Analysis Using Discriminant Analysis
* The first set of commands requests analysis results separately for each group (females, then
males).
SORT CASES BY Gender.
SPLIT FILE SEPARATE BY Gender.

* The following commands are the typical discriminant analysis syntax.
DISCRIMINANT
/GROUPS=Group(1 3)
/VARIABLES=Self_Efficacy Verbal Dafs
/ANALYSIS€=€ALL
/STATISTICS=MEAN STDDEV UNIVF.

295

 Table 7.16:╇ SPSS Discriminant Analysis Results for Females
Summary of Canonical Discriminant Functions
Eigenvaluesa
Function

Eigenvalue

% of Variance

Cumulative %

Canonical Correlation

1
2

.240
.040b

85.9
14.1

╇85.9
100.0

.440
.195

a
b

b

GENDER = FEMALE
First 2 canonical discriminant functions were used in the analysis.

Wilks’ Lambdaa
Test of
Function(s)

Wilks’
Lambda

Chi-square

df

Sig.

1 through 2
2

.776
.962

37.100
╇5.658

6
2

.000
.059

a

GENDER = FEMALE

Standardized Canonical Discriminant Function Coefficientsa
Function

Self_Efficacy
Verbal
DAFS
a

1

2

.452
.847
-.218

.850
-.791
.434

GENDER = FEMALE

Structure Matrixa
Function
Verbal
Self_Efficacy
DAFS

1

2

.905*
.675
.328

-.293
.721*
.359*

Pooled within-groups correlations between discriminating variables and standardized canonical discriminant
functions.
Variables ordered by absolute size of correlation within function.
* Largest absolute correlation between each variable and any discriminant function
a
GENDER = FEMALE

Functions at Group Centroidsa
Function
GROUP

1

2

Memory Training
Health Training
Control

.673
-.452
-.221

.054
.209
-.263

Unstandardized canonical discriminant functions evaluated at group means.
a
GENDER€=€FEMALE

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For males, Table€7.17 indicates that one linear combination of variables separates the
treatment groups, Wilks’ lambda€=€.653, chi-square (6)€=€62.251, p < .001. In addition, the
square of the canonical correlation (.5832) for this composite, when converted to a percent,
indicates that about 34% of the composite score variation is between treatment. Inspecting the standardized coefficients indicates that self-efficacy and DAFS are the important variables that comprise the composite. Examining the group centroids indicates that,
for males, the memory group has much greater self-efficacy and daily functional skills
(DAFS) than the other treatment groups, which have similar means for this composite.
Summarizing the simple effects analysis following the statistically significant multivariate test of the gender-by-group interaction, we conclude that females assigned
to the memory training group had much higher verbal performance than the other
treatment groups, whereas males assigned to the memory training group had much
higher self-efficacy and daily functioning skills. There appear to be trivial differences
between the health intervention and control groups.

 Table 7.17:╇ SPSS Discriminant Analysis Results for€Males
Summary of Canonical Discriminant Functions
Eigenvaluesa
Function

Eigenvalue

% of Variance Cumulative %

Canonical Correlation

1
2

.516
.011b

98.0
2.0

.583
.103

a
b

b

98.0
100.0

GENDER€=€MALE
First 2 canonical discriminant functions were used in the analysis.

Wilks’ Lambdaa
Test of
Function(s)

Wilks’ Lambda

Chi-square

Df

Sig.

1 through 2
2

.653
.989

62.251
1.546

6
2

.000
.462

a

GENDER€=€MALE

Standardized Canonical Discriminant Function Coefficientsa
â•…â•…â•…â•…â•…â•…â•…â•…â•…â•…â•…Function
Self_Efficacy
Verbal
DAFS
a

1

2

.545
.050
.668

-.386
╛╛1.171
-.436

GENDER€=€MALE

(Continuedâ•›)

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 Table 7.17:╇Continued
Structure Matrixa
Function
1
DAFS
Self_Efficacy
Verbal

2

.844
.748*
.561

.025
-.107
.828*

*

Pooled within-groups correlations between discriminating variables and
standardized canonical discriminant functions.
Variables ordered by absolute size of correlation within function.
*
Largest absolute correlation between each variable and any discriminant function.
a
GENDER€=€MALE

Functions at Group Centroidsa
Function
GROUP
Memory Training
Health Training
Control

1
.999
-.400
-.599

2
.017
-.133
.116

Unstandardized canonical discriminant functions evaluated at group means
a
GENDER€=€MALE

Also, as noted, the multivariate main effect of the treatment was also statistically significant. The follow-up analysis for this effect, which is the same as reported in Chapter€10 (section€10.7.2), indicates that the treatment groups differed on two composite
variables. The first of these composites is composed of self-efficacy and verbal performance, while the second composite is primarily verbal performance. However, with
the factorial analysis of the data, we learned that treatment group differences related to
these composite variables are different between females and males. Thus, we would not
use results involving the treatment main effects to describe treatment group differences.
7.11 SUMMARY
The advantages of a factorial over a one way design are discussed. For equal cell n, all
three methods that Overall and Spiegel (1969) mention yield the same F tests. For unequal cell n (which usually occurs in practice), the three methods can yield quite different results. The reason for this is that for unequal cell n the effects are correlated. There
is a consensus among experts that for unequal cell size the regression approach (which
yields the UNIQUE contribution of each effect) is generally preferable. In SPSS and
SAS, type III sum of squares is this unique sum of squares. A€traditional MANOVA
approach for factorial designs is provided where the focus is on examining each outcome that is involved in the main effects and interaction. In addition, a discriminant

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analysis approach for multivariate factorial designs is illustrated and can be used when
you are interested in identifying if there are meaningful composite variables involved
in the main effects and interactions.
7.12 EXERCISES
1. Consider the following 2 × 4 equal cell size MANOVA data set (two dependent
variables, Y1 and Y2, and factors FACA and FACB):

B

A

6, 10
7, 8
9, 9
11, 8
7, 6
10, 5

13, 16
11, 15
17, 18

9, 11
8, 8
14, 9

21, 19
18, 15
16, 13

10, 12
11, 13
14, 10

4, 12
10, 8
11, 13

11, 10
9, 8
8, 15

(a)Run the factorial MANOVA with SPSS using the commands: GLM Y1 Y2
BY FACA€FACB.
(b) Which of the multivariate tests for the three different effects is (are) significant at the .05 level?
(c) For the effect(s) that show multivariate significance, which of the individual variables (at .025 level) are contributing to the multivariate significance?
(d)Run the data with SPSS using the commands:
GLM Y1 Y2 BY FACA FACB /METHOD=SSTYPE(1).

Recall that SSTYPE(1) requests the sequential sum of squares associated
with Method 3 as described in section€7.3. Are the results different? Explain.
2. An investigator has the following 2 × 4 MANOVA data set for two dependent
variables:

B
7, 8

A

11, 8
7, 6
10, 5
6, 12
9, 7
11, 14

13, 16
11, 15
17, 18

9, 11
8, 8
14, 9
13, 11

21, 19
18, 15
16, 13

10, 12
11, 13
14, 10

14, 12
10, 8
11, 13

11, 10
9, 8
8, 15
17, 12
13, 14

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(a)Run the factorial MANOVA on SPSS using the commands:
GLM Y1 Y2 BY FACA€FACB

/EMMEANS=TABLES(FACA)
/EMMEANS=TABLES(FACB)

/EMMEANS=TABLES(FACA*FACB)
/PRINT=HOMOGENEITY.

(b) Which of the multivariate tests for the three effects are significant at the .05
level?
(c) For the effect(s) that show multivariate significance, which of the individual variables contribute to the multivariate significance at the .025 level?
(d)Is the homogeneity of the covariance matrices assumption for the cells
tenable at the .05 level?
(e)Run the factorial MANOVA on the data set using the sequential sum of
squares (Type I) option of SPSS. Are the univariate F ratios different?
Explain.

REFERENCES
Barcikowski, R.╛S. (1983). Computer packages and research design, Vol.€3: SPSS and SPSSX.
Washington, DC: University Press of America.
Carlson, J.â•›E.,€& Timm, N.â•›H. (1974). Analysis of non-orthogonal fixed effect designs. Psychological Bulletin, 8, 563–570.
Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S.╛G.,€& Aiken, L.╛S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Cronbach, L.â•›J. (1975). Beyond the two disciplines of scientific psychology. American Psychologist, 30, 116–127.
Cronbach, L.,€& Snow, R. (1977). Aptitudes and instructional methods: A€handbook for
research on interactions. New York, NY: Irvington.
Daniels, R.╛L.,€& Stevens, J.╛P. (1976). The interaction between the internal-external locus of
control and two methods of college instruction. American Educational Research Journal,
13, 103–113.
Myers, J.╛L. (1979). Fundamentals of experimental design. Boston, MA: Allyn€& Bacon.
Overall, J.╛E.,€& Spiegel, D.╛K. (1969). Concerning least squares analysis of experimental data.
Psychological Bulletin, 72, 311–322.
Warner, R.â•›M. (2012). Applied statistics: From bivariate through multivariate techniques (2nd
ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:€Sage.

Chapter 8

ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE

8.1╇INTRODUCTION
Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) is a statistical technique that combines regression analysis and analysis of variance. It can be helpful in nonrandomized studies in
drawing more accurate conclusions. However, precautions have to be taken, otherwise
analysis of covariance can be misleading in some cases. In this chapter we indicate
what the purposes of ANCOVA are, when it is most effective, when the interpretation
of results from ANCOVA is “cleanest,” and when ANCOVA should not be used. We
start with the simplest case, one dependent variable and one covariate, with which
many readers may be somewhat familiar. Then we consider one dependent variable
and several covariates, where our previous study of multiple regression is helpful.
Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) is then considered, where there are
several dependent variables and several covariates. We show how to run MANCOVA
on SAS and SPSS, interpret analysis results, and provide a guide for analysis.
8.1.1 Examples of Univariate and Multivariate Analysis of
Covariance
What is a covariate? A€potential covariate is any variable that is significantly correlated with the dependent variable. That is, we assume a linear relationship between
the covariate (x) and the dependent variable (yâ•›). Consider now two typical univariate ANCOVAs with one covariate. In a two-group pretest–posttest design, the pretest
is often used as a covariate, because how the participants score before treatments is
generally correlated with how they score after treatments. Or, suppose three groups
are compared on some measure of achievement. In this situation IQ may be used as a
covariate, because IQ is usually at least moderately correlated with achievement.
You should recall that the null hypothesis being tested in ANCOVA is that the adjusted
population means are equal. Since a linear relationship is assumed between the covariate and the dependent variable, the means are adjusted in a linear fashion. We consider
this in detail shortly in this chapter. Thus, in interpreting output, for either univariate

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or MANCOVA, it is the adjusted means that need to be examined. It is important to
note that SPSS and SAS do not automatically provide the adjusted means; they must
be requested.
Now consider two situations where MANCOVA would be appropriate. A€counselor
wishes to examine the effect of two different counseling approaches on several personality variables. The subjects are pretested on these variables and then posttested 2 months
later. The pretest scores are the covariates and the posttest scores are the dependent variables. Second, a teacher wishes to determine the relative efficacy of two different methods of teaching 12th-grade mathematics. He uses three subtest scores of achievement on
a posttest as the dependent variables. A€plausible set of covariates here would be grade
in math 11, an IQ measure, and, say, attitude toward education. The null hypothesis that
is tested in MANCOVA is that the adjusted population mean vectors are equal. Recall
that the null hypothesis for MANOVA was that the population mean vectors are equal.
Four excellent references for further study of ANCOVA/MANCOVA are available: an
elementary introduction (Huck, Cormier,€& Bounds, 1974), two good classic review
articles (Cochran, 1957; Elashoff, 1969), and especially a very comprehensive and
thorough text by Huitema (2011).
8.2╇ PURPOSES OF ANCOVA
ANCOVA is linked to the following two basic objectives in experimental design:
1. Elimination of systematic€bias
2. Reduction of within group or error variance.
The best way of dealing with systematic bias (e.g., intact groups that differ systematically on several variables) is through random assignment of participants to groups,
thus equating the groups on all variables within sampling error. If random assignment
is not possible, however, then ANCOVA can be helpful in reducing€bias.
Within-group variability, which is primarily due to individual differences among the
participants, can be dealt with in several ways: sample selection (participants who are
more homogeneous will vary less on the criterion measure), factorial designs (blocking), repeated-measures analysis, and ANCOVA. Precisely how covariance reduces
error will be considered soon. Because ANCOVA is linked to both of the basic objectives of experimental design, it certainly is a useful tool if properly used and interpreted.
In an experimental study (random assignment of participants to groups) the main purpose of covariance is to reduce error variance, because there will be no systematic bias.
However, if only a small number of participants can be assigned to each group, then
chance differences are more possible and covariance is useful in adjusting the posttest
means for the chance differences.

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In a nonexperimental study the main purpose of covariance is to adjust the posttest
means for initial differences among the groups that are very likely with intact groups.
It should be emphasized, however, that even the use of several covariates does not
equate intact groups, that is, does not eliminate bias. Nevertheless, the use of two or
three appropriate covariates can make for a fairer comparison.
We now give two examples to illustrate how initial differences (systematic bias) on
a key variable between treatment groups can confound the interpretation of results.
Suppose an experimental psychologist wished to determine the effect of three methods of extinction on some kind of learned response. There are three intact groups to
which the methods are applied, and it is found that the average number of trials to
extinguish the response is least for Method 2. Now, it may be that Method 2 is more
effective, or it may be that the participants in Method 2 didn’t have the response as
thoroughly ingrained as the participants in the other two groups. In the latter case, the
response would be easier to extinguish, and it wouldn’t be clear whether it was the
method that made the difference or the fact that the response was easier to extinguish
that made Method 2 look better. The effects of the two are confounded, or mixed
together. What is needed here is a measure of degree of learning at the start of the
extinction trials (covariate). Then, if there are initial differences between the groups,
the posttest means will be adjusted to take this into account. That is, covariance will
adjust the posttest means to what they would be if all groups had started out equally
on the covariate.
As another example, suppose we are comparing the effect of two different teaching
methods on academic achievement for two different groups of students. Suppose
we learn that prior to implementing the treatment methods, the groups differed on
motivation to learn. Thus, if the academic performance of the group with greater
initial motivation was better than the other group at posttest, we would not know if
the performance differences were due to the teaching method or due to this initial
difference on motivation. Use of ANCOVA may provide for a fairer comparison
because it compares posttest performance assuming that the groups had the same
initial motivation.
8.3╇ADJUSTMENT OF POSTTEST MEANS AND REDUCTION OF
ERROR VARIANCE
As mentioned earlier, ANCOVA adjusts the posttest means to what they would be if
all groups started out equally on the covariate, at the grand mean. In this section we
derive the general equation for linearly adjusting the posttest means for one covariate.
Before we do that, however, it is important to discuss one of the assumptions underlying the analysis of covariance. That assumption for one covariate requires equal
within-group population regression slopes. Consider a three-group situation, with 15
participants per group. Suppose that the scatterplots for the three groups looked as
given in Figure€8.1.

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 Figure 8.1:╇ Scatterplots of y and x for three groups.
y

Group 1

y

Group 2

x

y

x

Group 3

x

Recall from beginning statistics that the x and y scores for each participant determine
a point in the plane. Requiring that the slopes be equal is equivalent to saying that the
nature of the linear relationship is the same for all groups, or that the rate of change
in y as a function of x is the same for all groups. For these scatterplots the slopes are
different, with the slope being the largest for group 2 and smallest for group 3. But the
issue is whether the population slopes are different and whether the sample slopes differ sufficiently to conclude that the population values are different. With small sample
sizes as in these scatterplots, it is dangerous to rely on visual inspection to determine
whether the population values are equal, because of considerable sampling error. Fortunately, there is a statistic for this, and later we indicate how to obtain it on SAS and
SPSS. In deriving the equation for the adjusted means we are going to assume the
slopes are equal. What if the slopes are not equal? Then ANCOVA is not appropriate,
and we indicate alternatives later in the chapter.
The details of obtaining the adjusted mean for the ith group (i.e., any group) are
given in Figure€ 8.2. The general equation follows from the definition for the slope
of a straight line and some basic algebra. In Figure€8.3 we show the adjusted means
geometrically for a hypothetical three-group data set. A€positive correlation is assumed
between the covariate and the dependent variable, so that a higher mean on x implies
a higher mean on y. Note that because group 3 scored below the grand mean on the
covariate, its mean is adjusted upward. On the other hand, because the mean for group
2 on the covariate is above the grand mean, covariance estimates that it would have
scored lower on y if its mean on the covariate was lower (at grand mean), and therefore
the mean for group 2 is adjusted downward.
8.3.1 Reduction of Error Variance
Consider a teaching methods study where the dependent variable is chemistry achievement and the covariate is IQ. Then, within each teaching method there will be considerable variability on chemistry achievement due to individual differences among
the students in terms of ability, background, attitude, and so on. A€sizable portion
of this within-variability, we assume, is due to differences in IQ. That is, chemistry

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 Figure 8.2:╇ Deriving the general equation for the adjusted means in covariance.
y

Regression line

(x, yi)
yi – yi
(xi, yi)

x – xi

yi

x

xi
Slope of straight line = b =

x

change in y

change in x
y –y
b= i i
x – xi

b(x – xi) = yi – yi
yi = yi + b(x – xi)
yi = yi – b(xi – x)

achievement scores differ partly because the students differ in IQ. If we can statistically remove this part of the within-variability, a smaller error term results, and hence
a more powerful test of group posttest differences can be obtained. We denote the correlation between IQ and chemistry achievement by rxy. Recall that the square of a correlation can be interpreted as “variance accounted for.” Thus, for example, if rxy€=€.71,
then (.71)2€=€.50, or 50% of the within-group variability on chemistry achievement can
be accounted for by variability on€IQ.
We denote the within-group variability of chemistry achievement by MSw, the usual
error term for ANOVA. Now, symbolically, the part of MSw that is accounted for by
IQ is MSwrxy2. Thus, the within-group variability that is left after the portion due to the
covariate is removed,€is

(

)

MS w − MS w rxy2 =−
MS w 1 rxy2 ,

(1)

and this becomes our new error term for analysis of covariance, which we denote by
MSw*. Technically, there is an additional factor involved,

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 Figure 8.3:╇ Regression lines and adjusted means for three-group analysis of covariance.
y
Gp 2

b

Gp 1

a

Gp 3
y2

c

y2

y3
x3

y3

x
Grand mean

x2

x

a positive correlation assumed between x and y
b

ws on the regression lines indicate that the adjusted
means can be obtained by sliding the mean up (down) the
regression line until it hits the line for the grand mean.

c y2 is actual mean for Gp 2 and y2 represents the adjusted mean.

(

)

=
MS w* MS w 1 − rxy2 {1 + 1 ( f e − 2 )} , (2)
where fe is error degrees of freedom. However, the effect of this additional factor is
slight as long as N ≥€50.
To show how much of a difference a covariate can make in increasing the sensitivity
of an experiment, we consider a hypothetical study. An investigator runs a one-way
ANOVA (three groups with 20 participants per group), and obtains F€=€200/100€=€2,
which is not significant, because the critical value at .05 is 3.18. He had pretested the
subjects, but did not use the pretest as a covariate because the groups didn’t differ
significantly on the pretest (even though the correlation between pretest and posttest
was .71). This is a common mistake made by some researchers who are unaware of an
important purpose of covariance, that of reducing error variance. The analysis is redone
by another investigator using ANCOVA. Using the equation that we just derived for
the new error term for ANCOVA she finds:

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MS w* ≈ 100[1 − (.71)2 ] = 50
Thus, the error term for ANCOVA is only half as large as the error term for ANOVA! It
is also necessary to obtain a new MSb for ANCOVA; call it MSb*. Because the formula
for MSb* is complicated, we do not pursue it. Let us assume the investigator obtains
the following F ratio for covariance analysis:
F*€=€190 / 50€= 3.8
This is significant at the .05 level. Therefore, the use of covariance can make the difference between not finding significance and finding significance due to the reduced
error term and the subsequent increase in power. Finally, we wish to note that MSb*
can be smaller or larger than MSb, although in a randomized study the expected values
of the two are equal.
8.4 CHOICE OF COVARIATES
In general, any variables that theoretically should correlate with the dependent variable, or variables that have been shown to correlate for similar types of participants,
should be considered as possible covariates. The ideal is to choose as covariates variables that of course are significantly correlated with the dependent variable and that
have low correlations among themselves. If two covariates are highly correlated (say
.80), then they are removing much of the same error variance from y; use of x2 will
not offer much additional power. On the other hand, if two covariates (x1 and x2) have
a low correlation (say .20), then they are removing relatively distinct pieces of the
error variance from y, and we will obtain a much greater total error reduction. This
is illustrated in Figure€8.4 with Venn diagrams, where the circle represents error variance on€y.
The shaded portion in each case represents the additional error reduction due to adding x2 to the model that already contains x1, that is, the part of error variance on y it
removes that x1 did not. Note that this shaded area is much smaller when x1 and x2 are
highly correlated.
 Figure 8.4:╇ Venn diagrams with solid lines representing the part of variance on y that x1
accounts for and dashed lines representing the variance on y that x2 accounts€for.
x1 and x2 Low correl.

x1 and x2 High correl.
Solid lines—part of
variance on y that x1
accounts for.
Dashed lines—part of
variance on y that x2
accounts for.

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If the dependent variable is achievement in some content area, then one should always
consider the possibility of at least three covariates:
1. A measure of ability in that specific content€area
2. A measure of general ability (IQ measure)
3. One or two relevant noncognitive measures (e.g., attitude toward education, study
habits, etc.).
An example of this was given earlier, where we considered the effect of two different
teaching methods on 12th-grade mathematics achievement. We indicated that a plausible set of covariates would be grade in math 11 (a previous measure of ability in mathematics), an IQ measure, and attitude toward education (a noncognitive measure).
In studies with small or relatively small group sizes, it is particularly imperative to
consider the use of two or three covariates. Why? Because for small or medium effect
sizes, which are very common in social science research, power for the test of a treatment will be poor for small group size. Thus, one should attempt to reduce the error
variance as much as possible to obtain a more sensitive (powerful)€test.
Huitema (2011, p.€231) recommended limiting the number of covariates to the extent
that the€ratio
C + ( J − 1)
N

< .10, (3)

where C is the number of covariates, J is the number of groups, and N is total sample size.
Thus, if we had a three-group problem with a total of 60 participants, then (C + 2) / 60 < .10
or C < 4. We should use fewer than four covariates. If this ratio is > .10, then the estimates
of the adjusted means are likely to be unstable. That is, if the study were replicated, it
could be expected that the equation used to estimate the adjusted means in the original
study would yield very different estimates for another sample from the same population.
8.4.1 Importance of Covariates Being Measured Before Treatments
To avoid confounding (mixing together) of the treatment effect with a change on the
covariate, one should use information from only those covariates gathered before treatments are administered. If a covariate that was measured after treatments is used and
that variable was affected by treatments, then the change on the covariate may be correlated with change on the dependent variable. Thus, when the covariate adjustment is
made, you will remove part of the treatment effect.
8.5 ASSUMPTIONS IN ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE
Analysis of covariance rests on the same assumptions as analysis of variance. Note that
when assessing assumptions, you should obtain the model residuals, as we show later,

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and not the within-group outcome scores (where the latter may be used in ANOVA).
Three additional assumptions are a part of ANCOVA. That is, ANCOVA also assumes:
1. A linear relationship between the dependent variable and the covariate(s).*
2. Homogeneity of the regression slopes (for one covariate), that is, that the slope of
the regression line is the same in each group. For two covariates the assumption is
parallelism of the regression planes, and for more than two covariates the assumption is known as homogeneity of the regression hyperplanes.
3. The covariate is measured without error.
Because covariance rests partly on the same assumptions as ANOVA, any violations
that are serious in ANOVA (such as the independence assumption) are also serious
in ANCOVA. Violation of all three of the remaining assumptions of covariance may
be serious. For example, if the relationship between the covariate and the dependent
variable is curvilinear, then the adjustment of the means will be improper. In this case,
two possible courses of action€are:
1. Seek a transformation of the data that is linear. This is possible if the relationship
between the covariate and the dependent variable is monotonic.
2. Fit a polynomial ANCOVA model to the€data.
There is always measurement error for the variables that are typically used as covariates in social science research, and measurement error causes problems in both randomized and nonrandomized designs, but is more serious in nonrandomized designs. As
Huitema (2011) notes, in randomized experimental designs, the power of ANCOVA
is reduced when measurement error is present but treatment effect estimates are not
biased, provided that the treatment does not impact the covariate.
When measurement error is present on the covariate, then treatment effects can be
seriously biased in nonrandomized designs. In Figure€8.5 we illustrate the effect measurement error can have when comparing two different populations with analysis of
covariance. In the hypothetical example, with no measurement error we would conclude that group 1 is superior to group 2, whereas with considerable measurement error
the opposite conclusion is drawn. This example shows that if the covariate means are
not equal, then the difference between the adjusted means is partly a function of the
reliability of the covariate. Now, this problem would not be of particular concern if
we had a very reliable covariate such as IQ or other cognitive variables from a good
standardized test. If, on the other hand, the covariate is a noncognitive variable, or a
variable derived from a nonstandardized instrument (which might well be of questionable reliability), then concern would definitely be justified.
A violation of the homogeneity of regression slopes can also yield misleading results
if ANCOVA is used. To illustrate this, we present in Figure€8.6 a situation where the

* Nonlinear analysis of covariance is possible (cf., Huitema, 2011, chap. 12), but is rarely done.

309

 Figure 8.5:╇ Effect of measurement error on covariance results when comparing subjects from
two different populations.
Group 1
Measurement error—group 2
declared superior to
group 1

Group 2

No measurement error—group 1
declared superior to group 2

x
Regression lines for the groups with no measurement error
Regression line for group 1 with considerable measurement error
Regression line for group 2 with considerable measurement error

 Figure 8.6:╇ Effect of heterogeneous slopes on interpretation in ANCOVA.
Equal slopes
y

adjusted means

(x1, y1)

y1

Superiority of group 1 over group 2,
as estimated by covariance

y2
(x2, y2)

x
Heterogeneous slopes
case 1

Gp 1

For x = a, superiority of
Gp 1 overestimated
by covariance, while
for x = b superiority
of Gp 1 underestimated

x

Heterogeneous slopes
case 2
Gp 1

Gp 2

a

x

b

x

Covariance estimates
no difference
between the Gps.
But, for x = c, Gp 2
superior, while for
x = d, Gp 1 superior.

Gp 2

c

x

d

x

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assumption is met and two situations where the assumption is violated. Notice that
with homogeneous slopes the estimated superiority of group 1 at the grand mean is an
accurate estimate of group 1’s superiority for all levels of the covariate, since the lines
are parallel. On the other hand, for case 1 of heterogeneous slopes, the superiority of
group 1 (as estimated by ANCOVA) is not an accurate estimate of group 1’s superiority
for other values of the covariate. For x€=€a, group 1 is only slightly better than group 2,
whereas for x€=€b, the superiority of group 1 is seriously underestimated by covariance.
The point is, when the slopes are unequal there is a covariate by treatment interaction.
That is, how much better group 1 is depends on which value of the covariate we specify.
For case 2 of heterogeneous slopes, the use of covariance would be totally misleading. Covariance estimates no difference between the groups, while for x€=€c,
group 2 is quite superior to group 1. For x€=€d, group 1 is superior to group 2. We
indicate later in the chapter, in detail, how the assumption of equal slopes is tested
on€SPSS.
8.6╇ USE OF ANCOVA WITH INTACT GROUPS
It should be noted that some researchers (Anderson, 1963; Lord, 1969) have argued
strongly against using ANCOVA with intact groups. Although we do not take this
position, it is important that you be aware of the several limitations or possible dangers when using ANCOVA with intact groups. First, even the use of several covariates
will not equate intact groups, and one should never be deluded into thinking it can.
The groups may still differ on some unknown important variable(s). Also, note that
equating groups on one variable may result in accentuating their differences on other
variables.
Second, recall that ANCOVA adjusts the posttest means to what they would be if all
the groups had started out equal on the covariate(s). You then need to consider whether
groups that are equal on the covariate would ever exist in the real world. Elashoff
(1969) gave the following example:
Teaching methods A and B are being compared. The class using A is composed
of high-ability students, whereas the class using B is composed of low-ability
students. A covariance analysis can be done on the posttest achievement scores
holding ability constant, as if A and B had been used on classes of equal and average ability.€.€.€. It may make no sense to think about comparing methods A and
B for students of average ability, perhaps each has been designed specifically for
the ability level it was used with, or neither method will, in the future, be used for
students of average ability. (p.€387)
Third, the assumptions of linearity and homogeneity of regression slopes need to be
satisfied for ANCOVA to be appropriate.

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A fourth issue that can confound the interpretation of results is differential growth of
participants in intact or self-selected groups on some dependent variable. If the natural
growth is much greater in one group (treatment) than for the control group and covariance finds a significance difference after adjusting for any pretest differences, then it
is not clear whether the difference is due to treatment, differential growth, or part of
each. Bryk and Weisberg (1977) discussed this issue in detail and propose an alternative approach for such growth models.
A fifth problem is that of measurement error. Of course, this same problem is present
in randomized studies. But there the effect is merely to attenuate power. In nonrandomized studies measurement error can seriously bias the treatment effect. Reichardt
(1979), in an extended discussion on measurement error in ANCOVA, stated:
Measurement error in the pretest can therefore produce spurious treatment effects
when none exist. But it can also result in a finding of no intercept difference when
a true treatment effect exists, or it can produce an estimate of the treatment effect
which is in the opposite direction of the true effect. (p.€164)
It is no wonder then that Pedhazur (1982), in discussing the effect of measurement
error when comparing intact groups,€said:
The purpose of the discussion here was only to alert you to the problem in the hope
that you will reach two obvious conclusions: (1) that efforts should be directed to
construct measures of the covariates that have very high reliabilities and (2) that
ignoring the problem, as is unfortunately done in most applications of ANCOVA,
will not make it disappear. (p.€524)
Huitema (2011) discusses various strategies that can be used for nonrandomized
designs having covariates.
Given all of these problems, you may well wonder whether we should abandon the
use of ANCOVA when comparing intact groups. But other statistical methods for
analyzing this kind of data (such as matched samples, gain score ANOVA) suffer
from many of the same problems, such as seriously biased treatment effects. The
fact is that inferring cause–effect from intact groups is treacherous, regardless of the
type of statistical analysis. Therefore, the task is to do the best we can and exercise
considerable caution, or as Pedhazur (1982) put it, “the conduct of such research,
indeed all scientific research, requires sound theoretical thinking, constant vigilance,
and a thorough understanding of the potential and limitations of the methods being
used” (p.€525).
8.7╇ ALTERNATIVE ANALYSES FOR PRETEST–POSTTEST DESIGNS
When comparing two or more groups with pretest and posttest data, the following
three other modes of analysis are possible:

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1. An ANOVA is done on the difference or gain scores (posttest–pretest).
2. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA (this will be covered in Chapter€12)
is done. This is called a one between (the grouping variable) and one within
(pretest–posttest part) factor ANOVA.
3. An ANOVA is done on residual scores. That is, the dependent variable is regressed
on the covariate. Predicted scores are then subtracted from observed dependent
scores, yielding residual scores (e^ i ). An ordinary one-way ANOVA is then performed on these residual scores. Although some individuals feel this approach is
equivalent to ANCOVA, Maxwell, Delaney, and Manheimer (1985) showed the
two methods are not the same and that analysis on residuals should be avoided.
The first two methods are used quite frequently. Huck and McLean (1975) and Jennings (1988) compared the first two methods just mentioned, along with the use of
ANCOVA for the pretest–posttest control group design, and concluded that ANCOVA
is the preferred method of analysis. Several comments from the Huck and McLean article are worth mentioning. First, they noted that with the repeated-measures approach
it is the interaction F that is indicating whether the treatments had a differential effect,
and not the treatment main effect. We consider two patterns of means to illustrate the
interaction of interest.
Situation 1
Pretest
Treatment
Control

70
60

Situation 2

Posttest
80
70

Pretest
Treatment
Control

65
60

Posttest
80
68

In Situation 1 the treatment main effect would probably be significant, because there
is a difference of 10 in the row means. However, the difference of 10 on the posttest
just transferred from an initial difference of 10 on the pretest. The interaction would
not be significant here, as there is no differential change in the treatment and control groups here. Of course, in a randomized study, we should not observe such
between-group differences on the pretest. On the other hand, in Situation 2, even
though the treatment group scored somewhat higher on the pretest, it increased 15
points from pretest to posttest, whereas the control group increased just 8 points. That
is, there was a differential change in performance in the two groups, and this differential change is the interaction that is being tested in repeated measures ANOVA.
One way of thinking of an interaction effect is as a “difference in the differences.”
This is exactly what we have in Situation 2, hence a significant interaction effect.
Second, Huck and McLean (1975) noted that the interaction F from the repeatedmeasures ANOVA is identical to the F ratio one would obtain from an ANOVA on the
gain (difference) scores. Finally, whenever the regression coefficient is not equal to
1 (generally the case), the error term for ANCOVA will be smaller than for the gain
score analysis and hence the ANCOVA will be a more sensitive or powerful analysis.

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Although not discussed in the Huck and McLean paper, we would like to add a caution concerning the use of gain scores. It is a fairly well-known measurement fact that
the reliability of gain (difference) scores is generally not good. To be more specific,
as the correlation between the pretest and posttest scores approaches the reliability
of the test, the reliability of the difference scores goes to 0. The following table from
Thorndike and Hagen (1977) quantifies things:
Average reliability of two tests
Correlation between tests

.50

.60

.70

.80

.90

.95

.00
.40
.50
.60
.70
.80
.90
.95

.50
.17
.00

.60
.33
.20
.00

.70
.50
.40
.25
.00

.80
.67
.60
.50
.33
.00

.90
.83
.80
.75
.67
.50
.00

.95
.92
.90
.88
.83
.75
.50
.00

If our dependent variable is some noncognitive measure, or a variable derived from a
nonstandardized test (which could well be of questionable reliability), then a reliability
of about .60 or so is a definite possibility. In this case, if the correlation between pretest
and posttest is .50 (a realistic possibility), the reliability of the difference scores is only
.20. On the other hand, this table also shows that if our measure is quite reliable (say
.90), then the difference scores will be reliable provided that the correlation is not too
high. For example, for reliability€=€.90 and pre–post correlation€=€.50, the reliability of
the differences scores is .80.
8.8╇ERROR REDUCTION AND ADJUSTMENT OF POSTTEST
MEANS FOR SEVERAL COVARIATES
What is the rationale for using several covariates? First, the use of several covariates
may result in greater error reduction than can be obtained with just one covariate. The
error reduction will be substantially greater if the covariates have relatively low intercorrelations among themselves (say < .40). Second, with several covariates, we can
make a better adjustment for initial differences between intact groups.
For one covariate, the amount of error reduction is governed primarily by the magnitude
of the correlation between the covariate and the dependent variable (see Equation€2).
For several covariates, the amount of error reduction is determined by the magnitude
of the multiple correlation between the dependent variable and the set of covariates
(predictors). This is why we indicated earlier that it is desirable to have covariates
with low intercorrelations among themselves, for then the multiple correlation will

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be larger, and we will achieve greater error reduction. Also, because R2 has a variance
accounted for interpretation, we can speak of the percentage of within variability on
the dependent variable that is accounted for by the set of covariates.
Recall that the equation for the adjusted posttest mean for one covariate was given€by:
yi* = yi − b ( xi − x), (4)
where b is the estimated common regression slope.
With several covariates (x1, x2, .€.€., xk), we are simply regressing y on the set of xs, and
the adjusted equation becomes an extension:

(

)

(

(

)

)

y *j = y j − b1 x1 j − x1 − b2 x2 j − x2 −  − bk xkj − xk , (5)

where the bi are the regression coefficients, x1 j is the mean for the covariate 1 in group

j, x 2 j is the mean for covariate 2 in group j, and so on, and the x− i are the grand means
for the covariates. We next illustrate the use of this equation on a sample MANCOVA
problem.

8.9╇MANCOVA—SEVERAL DEPENDENT VARIABLES AND
SEVERAL COVARIATES
In MANCOVA we are assuming there is a significant relationship between the set of
dependent variables and the set of covariates, or that there is a significant regression
of the ys on the xs. This is tested through the use of Wilks’ Λ. We are also assuming,
for more than two covariates, homogeneity of the regression hyperplanes. The null
hypothesis that is being tested in MANCOVA is that the adjusted population mean
vectors are equal:
H 0 : µ1adj = µ 2adj = µ3adj =  = µ jadj
In testing the null hypothesis in MANCOVA, adjusted W and T matrices are needed;
we denote these by W* and T*. In MANOVA, recall that the null hypothesis was
tested using Wilks’ Λ. Thus, we€have:
MANOVA MANCOVA
Test
=
Λ
Statistic

W
=
Λ*
T

W*
T*

The calculation of W* and T* involves considerable matrix algebra, which we wish
to avoid. For those who are interested in the details, however, Finn (1974) has a nicely
worked out example.

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In examining the output from statistical packages it is important to first make two
checks to determine whether MANCOVA is appropriate:
1. Check to see that there is a significant relationship between the dependent variables and the covariates.
2. Check to determine that the homogeneity of the regression hyperplanes is satisfied.
If either of these is not satisfied, then covariance is not appropriate. In particular, if
condition 2 is not met, then one should consider using the Johnson–Neyman technique,
which determines a region of nonsignificance, that is, a set of x values for which the
groups do not differ, and hence for values of x outside this region one group is superior
to the other. The Johnson–Neyman technique is described by Huitema (2011), and
extended discussion is provided in Rogosa (1977, 1980).
Incidentally, if the homogeneity of regression slopes is rejected for several groups,
it does not automatically follow that the slopes for all groups differ. In this case, one
might follow up the overall test with additional homogeneity tests on all combinations
of pairs of slopes. Often, the slopes will be homogeneous for many of the groups. In
this case one can apply ANCOVA to the groups that have homogeneous slopes, and
apply the Johnson–Neyman technique to the groups with heterogeneous slopes. At
present, neither SAS nor SPSS offers the Johnson–Neyman technique.
8.10╇TESTING THE ASSUMPTION OF HOMOGENEOUS
HYPERPLANES ON€SPSS
Neither SAS nor SPSS automatically provides the test of the homogeneity of the
regression hyperplanes. Recall that, for one covariate, this is the assumption of equal
regression slopes in the groups, and that for two covariates it is the assumption of
parallel regression planes. To set up the syntax to test this assumption, it is necessary
to understand what a violation of the assumption means. As we indicated earlier (and
displayed in Figure€8.4), a violation means there is a covariate-by-treatment interaction. Evidence that the assumption is met means the interaction is not present, which is
consistent with the use of MANCOVA.
Thus, what is done on SPSS is to set up an effect involving the interaction (for a given
covariate), and then test whether this effect is significant. If so, this means the assumption is not tenable. This is one of those cases where researchers typically do not want
significance, for then the assumption is tenable and covariance is appropriate. With
the SPSS GLM procedure, the interaction can be tested for each covariate across the
multiple outcomes simultaneously.
Example 8.1: Two Dependent Variables and One Covariate
We call the grouping variable TREATS, and denote the dependent variables by
Y1 and Y2, and the covariate by X1. Then, the key parts of the GLM syntax that

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produce a test of the assumption of no treatment-covariate interaction for any of the
outcomes€are
GLM Y1 Y2 BY TREATS WITH€X1
/DESIGN=TREATS X1 TREATS*X1.

Example 8.2: Three Dependent Variables and Two Covariates
We denote the dependent variables by Y1, Y2, and Y3, and the covariates by X1 and X2.
Then, the relevant syntax€is
GLM Y1 Y2 Y3 BY TREATS WITH X1€X2
/DESIGN=TREATS X1 X2 TREATS*X1 TREATS*X2.

These two syntax lines will be embedded in others when running a MANCOVA on
SPSS, as you can see in a computer example we consider later. With the previous two
examples and the computer examples, you should be able to generalize the setup of the
control lines for testing homogeneity of regression hyperplanes for any combination of
dependent variables and covariates.
8.11╇EFFECT SIZE MEASURES FOR GROUP COMPARISONS IN
MANCOVA/ANCOVA
A variety of effect size measures are available to describe the differences in adjusted
means. A€raw score (unstandardized) difference in adjusted means should be reported
and may be sufficient if the scale of the dependent variable is well known and easily
understood. In addition, as discussed in Olejnik and Algina (2000) a standardized difference in adjusted means between two groups (essentially a Cohen’s d measure) may
be computed€as
d=

yadj1 − yadj 2
MSW 1/ 2

,

where MSW is the pooled mean squared error from a one-way ANOVA that includes
the treatment as the only explanatory variable (thus excluding any covariates). This
effect size measure, among other things, assumes that (1) the covariates are participant
attribute variables (or more properly variables whose variability is intrinsic to the population of interest, as explained in Olejnik and Algina, 2000) and (2) the homogeneity
of variance assumption for the outcome is satisfied.
In addition, one may also use proportion of variance explained effect size measures
for treatment group differences in MANOVA/ANCOVA. For example, for a given
outcome, the proportion of variance explained by treatment group differences may be
computed€as
η2 =

SS

effect
,
SS
total

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where SSeffect is the sum of squares due to the treatment from the ANCOVA and SStotal is
the total sum of squares for a given dependent variable. Note that computer software
commonly reports partial η2, which is not the effect size discussed here and which
removes variation due to the covariate from SStotalâ•›. Conceptually, η2 describes the
strength of the treatment effect for the general population, whereas partial η2 describes
the strength of the treatment for participants having the same values on the covariates
(i.e., holding scores constant on all covariates). In addition, an overall multivariate
strength of association, multivariate eta square (also called tau square), can be computed and€is
η2multivariate = 1 − Λ

1

r,

where Λ is Wilk’s lambda and r is the smaller of (p, q), where p is the number of
dependent variables and q is the degrees of freedom for the treatment effect. This
effect size is interpreted as the proportion of generalized variance in the set of outcomes that is due the treatment. Use of these effect size measures is illustrated in
Example 8.4.
8.12 TWO COMPUTER EXAMPLES
We now consider two examples to illustrate (1) how to set up syntax to run MANCOVA on SAS GLM and then SPSS GLM, and (2) how to interpret the output, including determining whether use of covariates is appropriate. The first example uses
artificial data and is simpler, having just two dependent variables and one covariate,
whereas the second example uses data from an actual study and is a bit more complex,
involving two dependent variables and two covariates. We also conduct some preliminary analysis activities (checking for outliers, assessing assumptions) with the second
example.
Example 8.3: MANCOVA on SAS€GLM
This example has two groups, with 15 participants in group 1 and 14 participants in
group 2. There are two dependent variables, denoted by POSTCOMP and POSTHIOR
in the SAS GLM syntax and on the printout, and one covariate (denoted by PRECOMP). The syntax for running the MANCOVA analysis is given in Table€8.1, along
with annotation.
Table€8.2 presents two multivariate tests for determining whether MANCOVA is
appropriate, that is, whether there is a significant relationship between the two dependent variables and the covariate, and whether there is no covariate by group interaction.
The multivariate test at the top of Table€8.2 indicates there is a significant relationship
between the covariate and the set of outcomes (F€=€21.46, p€=€.0001). Also, the multivariate test in the middle of the table shows there is not a covariate-by-group interaction effect (F€=€1.90, p < .1707). This supports the decision to use MANCOVA.

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 Table 8.1:╇ SAS GLM Syntax for Two-Group MANCOVA: Two Dependent Variables and
One Covariate


TITLE ‘MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE’; DATA COMP;
INPUT GPID PRECOMP POSTCOMP POSTHIOR @@;
LINES;
1 15 17 3 1 10 6 3 1 13 13 1 1 14 14 8
1 12 12 3 1 10 9 9 1 12 12 3 1 8 9 12
1 12 15 3 1 8 10 8 1 12 13 1 1 7 11 10
1 12 16 1 1 9 12 2 1 12 14 8
2 9 9 3 2 13 19 5 2 13 16 11 2 6 7 18
2 10 11 15 2 6 9 9 2 16 20 8 2 9 15 6
2 10 8 9 2 8 10 3 2 13 16 12 2 12 17 20
2 11 18 12 2 14 18 16
PROC PRINT;
PROC REG;
MODEL POSTCOMP POSTHIOR = PRECOMP;
MTEST;
PROC GLM;
CLASS GPID;
MODEL POSTCOMP POSTHIOR = PRECOMP GPID PRECOMP*GPID;
MANOVA H = PRECOMP*GPID;
PROC GLM;
CLASS GPID;
MODEL POSTCOMP POSTHIOR = PRECOMP GPID;
MANOVA H = GPID;
LSMEANS GPID/PDIFF;
RUN;

╇ PROC REG is used to examine the relationship between the two dependent variables and the covariate.
The MTEST is needed to obtain the multivariate test.
╇Here GLM is used with the MANOVA statement to obtain the multivariate test of no overall PRECOMP
BY GPID interaction effect.
╇ GLM is used again, along with the MANOVA statement, to test whether the adjusted population mean
vectors are equal.
╇ This statement is needed to obtain the adjusted means.

The multivariate null hypothesis tested in MANCOVA is that the adjusted population
mean vectors are equal, that€is,
* 
* 
 µ11
 µ12
H0 :  *  =  *  .
 µ 21   µ 22 

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Analysis of Covariance

 Table 8.2:╇ Multivariate Tests for Significant Regression, Covariate-by-Treatment Interaction, and Group Differences
Multivariate Test:
Multivariate Statistics and Exact F Statistics
S€=€1

M€=€0

N€=€12

Statistic

Value

F

Num DF

Den DF

Pr > F

Wilks’ Lambda
Pillar’s Trace
Hotelling-Lawley Trace
Roy’s Greatest Root

0.37722383
0.62277617
1.65094597
1.65094597

21.46
21.46
21.46
21.46

2
2
2
2

26
26
26
26

0.0001
0.0001
0.0001
0.0001

MANOVA Test Criteria and Exact F Statistics for the Hypothesis
of no Overall PRECOMP*GPID Effect
H€=€Type III SS&CP Matrix for PRECOMP*GPID
S€=€1

M€=€0

E€=€Error SS&CPMatrix

N€=€11

Statistic

Value

F

Num DF

Den DF

Pr > F

Wilks’ Lambda
Pillar’s Trace
Hotelling-Lawley Trace
Roy’s Greatest Root

0.86301048
0.13698952
0.15873448
0.15873448

1.90
1.90
1.90
1.90

2
2
2
2

24
24
24
24

0.1707
0.1707
0.1707
0.1707

MANOVA Test Criteria and Exact F Statistics for the Hypothesis of no Overall GPID Effect
H€=€Type III SS&CP Matrix for GPID
S€=€1

M€=€0

E€=€Error SS&CP Matrix
N€=€11.5

Statistic

Value

F

Num DF

Den DF

Pr > F

Wilks’ Lambda
Pillar’s Trace
Hotelling-Lawley Trace
Roy’s Greatest Root

0.64891393
0.35108107
0.54102455
0.54102455

6.76
6.76
6.76
6.76

2
2
2
2

25
25
25
25

0.0045
0.0045
0.0045
0.0045

The multivariate test at the bottom of Table€8.2 (F€=€6.76, p€=€.0045) shows that
we reject the multivariate null hypothesis at the .05 level, and hence conclude that
the groups differ on the set of adjusted means. The univariate ANCOVA follow-up F
tests in Table€8.3 (F€=€5.26 for POSTCOMP, p€=€.03, and F€=€9.84 for POSTHIOR,
p€=€.004) indicate that adjusted means differ for each of the dependent variables. The
adjusted means for the variables are also given in Table€8.3.
Can we have confidence in the reliability of the adjusted means? From Huitema’s
inequality we need C + (J − 1) / N < .10. Because here J€=€2 and N€=€29, we obtain

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 Table 8.3:╇ Univariate Tests for Group Differences and Adjusted€Means
Source

DF

Type I€SS

Mean Square

F Value

Pr > F

PRECOMP
GPID

1
1

237.6895679
28.4986009

237.6895679
28.4986009

43.90
5.26

<0.001
0.0301

Source

DF

Type III SS

Mean Square

F Value

Pr > F

PRECOMP
GPID

1
1

247.9797944
28.4986009

247.9797944
28.4986009

45.80
5.26

<0.001
0.0301

Source

DF

Type I€SS

Mean Square

F Value

Pr > F

PRECOMP
GPID

1
1

17.6622124
211.5902344

17.6622124
211.5902344

0.82
9.84

0.3732
0.0042

Source

DF

Type III SS

Mean Square

F Value

Pr > F

PRECOMP
GPID

1
1

10.2007226
211.5902344

10.2007226
211.5902344

0.47
9.84

0.4972
0.0042

General Linear Models Procedure Least Squares Means
GPID
1
2
GPID
1
2

POSTCOMP
LSMEAN
12.0055476
13.9940562
POSTHIOR
LSMEAN
5.0394385
10.4577444

Pr > |T| H0:
LSMEAN1€=€LSMEAN2
0.0301
Pr > |T| H0:
LSMEAN1€=€LSMEAN2
0.0042

(C + 1) / 29 < .10 or C < 1.9. Thus, we should use fewer than two covariates for reliable
results, and we have used just one covariate.
Example 8.4: MANCOVA on SPSS MANOVA
Next, we consider a social psychological study by Novince (1977) that examined the
effect of behavioral rehearsal (group 1) and of behavioral rehearsal plus cognitive
restructuring (combination treatment, group 3) on reducing anxiety (NEGEVAL) and
facilitating social skills (AVOID) for female college freshmen. There was also a control group (group 2), with 11 participants in each group. The participants were pretested and posttested on four measures, thus the pretests were the covariates.
For this example we use only two of the measures: avoidance and negative evaluation. In Table€8.4 we present syntax for running the MANCOVA, along with annotation explaining what some key subcommands are doing. Table€8.5 presents syntax
for obtaining within-group Mahalanobis distance values that can be used to identify
multivariate outliers among the variables. Tables€8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9, and 8.10 present
selected analysis results. Specifically, Table€ 8.6 presents descriptive statistics for
the study variables, Table€8.7 presents results for tests of the homogeneity of the

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Analysis of Covariance

regression planes, and Table€8.8 shows tests for homogeneity of variance. Table€8.9
provides the overall multivariate tests as well as follow-up univariate tests for the
MANCOVA, and Table€8.10 presents the adjusted means and Bonferroni-adjusted
comparisons for adjusted mean differences. As in one-way MANOVA, the Bonferroni adjustments guard against type I€error inflation due to the number of pairwise
comparisons.
Before we use the MANCOVA procedure, we examine the data for potential outliers,
examine the shape of the distributions of the covariates and outcomes, and inspect
descriptive statistics. Using the syntax in Table€8.5, we obtain the Mahalanobis distances for each case to identify if multivariate outliers are present on the set of dependent variables and covariates. The largest obtained distance is 7.79, which does not
exceed the chi-square critical value (.001, 4) of 18.47. Thus, no multivariate outliers

 Table 8.4:╇ SPSS MANOVA Syntax for Three-Group Example: Two Dependent Variables
and Two Covariates
TITLE ‘NOVINCE DATA — 3 GP ANCOVA-2 DEP VARS AND 2 COVS’.
DATA LIST FREE/GPID AVOID NEGEVAL PREAVOID PRENEG.
BEGIN DATA.
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
3
3

91 81 70 102
137 119 123 117
127 101 121 85
107 88 116 97
104 107 105 113
94 87 85 96
121 134 96 96
139 124 122 105
120 123 80 77

END DATA.

1
1
1
2
2
2
3
3
3

107 132 121 71
138 132 112 106
114 138 80 105
76 95 77 64
96 84 97 92
92 80 82 88
140 130 120 110
121 123 119 122
140 140 121 121

1
1
1
2
2
2
3
3
3

121 97 89 76
133 116 126 97
118 121 101 113
116 87 111 86
127 88 132 104
128 109 112 118
148 123 130 111
141 155 104 139
95 103 92 94

1 86 88 80 85
1 114 72 112 76
2 126 112 121 106
2 99 101 98 81
3 147 155 145 118
3 143 131 121 103

LIST.

GLM AVOID NEGEVAL BY GPID WITH PREAVOID PRENEG
/PRINT=DESCRIPTIVE ETASQ
╇/DESIGN=GPID PREAVOID PRENEG GPID*PREAVOID GPID*PRENEG.
╇GLM AVOID NEGEVAL BY GPID WITH PREAVOID PRENEG
/EMMEANS=TABLES(GPID) COMPARE ADJ(BONFERRONI)
â•…/PLOT=RESIDUALS
â•… /SAVE=RESID ZRESID
â•… /PRINT=DESCRIPTIVE ETASQ HOMOGENEITY
â•… /DESIGN=PREAVOID PRENEG GPID.
╇ With the first set of GLM commands, the design subcommand requests a test of the equality of regression
planes assumption for each outcome. In particular, GPID*PREAVOID GPID*PRENEG creates the
product variables needed to test the interactions of interest.
╇ This second set of GLM commands produces the standard MANCOVA results. The EMMEANS subcommand requests comparisons of adjusted means using the Bonferroni procedure.

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 Table 8.5:╇ SPSS Syntax for Obtaining Within-Group Mahalanobis Distance Values
â•… SORT CASES BY gpid(A).
SPLIT FILE by gpid.

â•…REGRESSION
/STATISTICS COEFF OUTS R ANOVA
/DEPENDENT case
/METHOD=ENTER avoid negeval preavoid preneg
/SAVE MAHAL.
EXECUTE.
SPLIT FILE OFF.
╇ To obtain the Mahalanobis’ distances within groups, cases must first be sorted by the grouping variable.
The SPLIT FILE command is needed to obtain the distances for each group separately.
╇ The regression procedure obtains the distances. Note that case (which is the case ID) is the
dependent variable, which is irrelevant here because the procedure uses information from the
“predictors” only in computing the distance values. The “predictor” variables here are the dependent
variables and covariates used in the MANCOVA, which are entered with the METHOD subcommand.

are indicated. We also computed within-group z scores for each of the variables separately and did not find any observation lying more than 2.5 standard deviations from
the respective group mean, suggesting no univariate outliers are present. In addition,
examining histograms of each of the variables as well as scatterplots of each outcome
and each covariate for each group did not suggest any unusual values and suggested
that the distributions of each variable appear to be roughly symmetrical. Further,
examining the scatterplots suggested that each covariate is linearly related to each of
the outcome variables, supporting the linearity assumption.
Table€8.6 shows the means and standard deviations for each of the study variables
by treatment group (GPID). Examining the group means for the outcomes (AVOID,
NEGEVAL) indicates that Group 3 has the highest means for each outcome and Group
2 has the lowest. For the covariates, Group 3 has the highest mean and the means for
Groups 2 and 1 are fairly similar. Given that random assignment has been properly
done, use of MANCOVA (or ANCOVA) is preferable to MANOVA (or ANOVA) for
the situation where covariate means appear to differ across groups because use of the
covariates properly adjusts for the differences in the covariates across groups. See
Huitema (2011, pp.€202–208) for a discussion of this issue.
Having some assurance that there are no outliers present, the shapes of the distributions
are fairly symmetrical, and linear relationships are present between the covariates and
the outcomes, we now examine the formal assumptions associated with the procedure.
(Note though that the linearity assumption has already been assessed.) First, Table€8.7
provides the results for the test of the assumption that there is no treatment-covariate
interaction for the set of outcomes, which the GLM procedure performs separately for

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 Table 8.6:╇ Descriptive Statistics for the Study Variables by€Group
Report
GPID
1.00

2.00

3.00

Mean

AVOID

NEGEVAL

PREAVOID

PRENEG

116.9091

108.8182

103.1818

93.9091

N

11

11

11

11

Std. deviation

17.23052

22.34645

20.21296

16.02158

Mean

105.9091

94.3636

103.2727

95.0000

N

11

11

11

11

Std. deviation

16.78961

11.10201

17.27478

15.34927

Mean

132.2727

131.0000

113.6364

108.7273

N

11

11

11

11

Std. deviation

16.16843

15.05988

18.71509

16.63785

each covariate. The results suggest that there is no interaction between the treatment
and PREAVOID for any outcome, multivariate F€=€.277, p€=€.892 (corresponding to
Wilks’ Λ) and no interaction between the treatment and PRENEG for any outcome,
multivariate F€=€.275, p€=€.892. In addition, Box’s M test, M = 6.689, p€=€.418, does
not indicate the variance-covariance matrices of the dependent variables differs across
groups. Note that Box’s M does not test the assumption that the variance-covariance
matrices of the residuals are similar across groups. However, Levene’s test assesses
whether the residuals for a given outcome have the same variance across groups. The
results of these tests, shown in Table€8.8, provide support that this assumption is not
violated for the AVOID outcome, F€=€1.184, p€=€.320 and for the NEGEVAL outcome,
F = 1.620, p€=€.215. Further, Table€8.9 shows that PREAVOID is related to the set of
outcomes, multivariate F€=€17.659, p < .001, as is PRENEG, multivariate F€=€4.379,
p€=€.023.
Having now learned that there is no interaction between the treatment and covariates for any outcome, that the residual variance is similar across groups for each
outcome, and that the each covariate is related to the set of outcomes, we attend to
the assumption that the residuals from the MANCOVA procedure are independently
distributed and follow a multivariate normal distribution in each of the treatment
populations. Given that the treatments were individually administered and individuals completed the assessments on an individual basis, we have no reason to suspect that the independence assumption is violated. To assess normality, we examine
graphs and compute skewness and kurtosis of the residuals. The syntax in Table€8.4
obtains the residuals from the MANCOVA procedure for the two outcomes for each
group. Inspecting the histograms does not suggest a serious departure from normality, which is supported by the skewness and kurtosis values, none of which exceeds
a magnitude of 1.5.

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 Table 8.7:╇ Multivariate Tests for No Treatment-Covariate Interactions
Multivariate Testsa

Effect
Intercept

GPID

PREAVOID

PRENEG

GPID *
PREAVOID

GPID *
PRENEG

Hypothesis
df

Error
df

Sig.

Partial
eta
squared

b

Value

F

Pillai’s Trace
Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest Root
Pillai’s Trace
Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest Root
Pillai’s Trace
Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest Root
Pillai’s Trace
Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest Root
Pillai’s Trace

.200
.800
.249
.249
.143
.862
.156
.111
.553
.447
1.239
1.239
.235
.765
.307
.307
.047

2.866
2.866b
2.866b
2.866b
.922
.889b
.856
1.334c
14.248b
14.248b
14.248b
14.248b
3.529b
3.529b
3.529b
3.529b
.287

2.000
2.000
2.000
2.000
4.000
4.000
4.000
2.000
2.000
2.000
2.000
2.000
2.000
2.000
2.000
2.000
4.000

23.000
23.000
23.000
23.000
48.000
46.000
44.000
24.000
23.000
23.000
23.000
23.000
23.000
23.000
23.000
23.000
48.000

.077
.077
.077
.077
.459
.478
.498
.282
.000
.000
.000
.000
.046
.046
.046
.046
.885

.200
.200
.200
.200
.071
.072
.072
.100
.553
.553
.553
.553
.235
.235
.235
.235
.023

Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest Root
Pillai’s Trace

.954
.048
.040
.047

.277b
.266
.485c
.287

4.000
4.000
2.000
4.000

46.000
44.000
24.000
48.000

.892
.898
.622
.885

.023
.024
.039
.023

Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest Root

.954
.048
.035

.275b
.264
.415c

4.000
4.000
2.000

46.000
44.000
24.000

.892
.900
.665

.023
.023
.033

a

Design: Intercept + GPID + PREAVOID + PRENEG + GPID * PREAVOID + GPID * PRENEG
Exact statistic
c
The statistic is an upper bound on F that yields a lower bound on the significance level.
b

 Table 8.8:╇ Homogeneity of Variance Tests for MANCOVA
Box’s test of equality of covariance matricesa
Box’s M
F
df1
df2
Sig.

6.689
1.007
6
22430.769
.418

Tests the null hypothesis that the observed covariance matrices of the
dependent variables are equal across groups.
a
Design: Intercept + PREAVOID + PRENEG + GPID

325

Levene’s test of equality of error variancesa
AVOID
NEGEVAL

F

df1

df2

Sig.

1.184
1.620

2
2

30
30

.320
.215

Tests the null hypothesis that the error variance of the dependent variable is equal across groups.
a
Design: Intercept + PREAVOID + PRENEG + GPID

 Table 8.9:╇ MANCOVA and ANCOVA Test Results
Multivariate testsa
Effect
Intercept

PREAVOID

PRENEG

GPID

Value
Pillai’s Trace
Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest
Root
Pillai’s Trace
Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest
Root
Pillai’s Trace
Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest
Root
Pillai’s Trace
Wilks’ Lambda
Hotelling’s Trace
Roy’s Largest
Root

F

Hypothesis
df

Error
df

Sig.

Partial eta
squared

.219
.781
.280
.280

3.783b
3.783b
3.783b
3.783b

2.000
2.000
2.000
2.000

27.000
27.000
27.000
27.000

.036
.036
.036
.036

.219
.219
.219
.219

.567
.433
1.308
1.308

17.659b
17.659b
17.659b
17.659b

2.000
2.000
2.000
2.000

27.000
27.000
27.000
27.000

.000
.000
.000
.000

.567
.567
.567
.567

.245
.755
.324
.324

4.379b
4.379b
4.379b
4.379b

2.000
2.000
2.000
2.000

27.000
27.000
27.000
27.000

.023
.023
.023
.023

.245
.245
.245
.245

.491
.519
.910
.889

4.555
5.246b
5.913
12.443c

4.000
4.000
4.000
2.000

56.000
54.000
52.000
28.000

.003
.001
.001
.000

.246
.280
.313
.471

a

Design: Intercept + PREAVOID + PRENEG +€GPID
Exact statistic
c
The statistic is an upper bound on F that yields a lower bound on the significance level.
b

Tests of between-subjects effects

Source

Dependent
variable

Type III sum
of squares

Corrected
model

AVOID
NEGEVAL

9620.404a
9648.883b

df

Mean
square

F

Sig.

Partial
eta
squared

4
4

2405.101
2412.221

25.516
10.658

.000
.000

.785
.604

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Tests of between-subjects effects

Source
Intercept
PREAVOID
PRENEG
GPID
Error
Total
Corrected
Total
a
b

Dependent
variable

Type III sum
of squares

df

AVOID
NEGEVAL
AVOID
NEGEVAL
AVOID
NEGEVAL
AVOID
NEGEVAL
AVOID
NEGEVAL
AVOID
NEGEVAL
AVOID
NEGEVAL

321.661
1479.664
3402.401
262.041
600.646
1215.510
1365.612
4088.115
2639.232
6336.995
474588.000
425470.000
12259.636
15985.879

1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
28
28
33
33
32
32

Mean
square
321.661
1479.664
3402.401
262.041
600.646
1215.510
682.806
2044.057
94.258
226.321

F

Sig.

Partial
eta
squared

3.413
6.538
36.097
1.158
6.372
5.371
7.244
9.032

.075
.016
.000
.291
.018
.028
.003
.001

.109
.189
.563
.040
.185
.161
.341
.392

R Squared€=€.785 (Adjusted R Squared€=€.754)
R Squared€=€.604 (Adjusted R Squared€=€.547)

Having found sufficient support for using MANCOVA, we now focus on the primary
test of interest, which assesses whether or not there is a difference in adjusted means
for the set of outcomes. The multivariate F€=€5.246 (p€=€.001), shown in first output
selection of Table€8.9, indicates that the adjusted means differ in the population for
the set of outcomes, with η2multivariate = 1 − .5191/ 2 = .28. The univariate ANCOVAs on
the bottom part of Table€8.9 suggest that the adjusted means differ across groups for
AVOID, F€=€7.24, p€ =€ .003, with η2€=€1365.61 / 12259.64€=€.11, and NEGEVAL
F = 9.02, p€=€.001, with η2€=€4088.12 / 15985.88€=€.26. Note that we ignore the partial
eta squares that are in the table.
Since group differences on the adjusted means are present for both outcomes, we
consider the adjusted means and associated pairwise comparisons for each outcome,
which are shown in Table€8.10. Considering the social skills measure first (AVOID),
examining the adjusted means indicates that the combination treatment (Group 3)
has the greatest mean social skills, after adjusting for the covariates, compared to the
other groups, and that the control group (Group 2) has the lowest social skills. The
results of the pairwise comparisons, using a Bonferroni adjusted alpha (i.e., .05 / 3),
indicates that the two treatment groups (Groups 1 and 3) have similar adjusted mean
social skills and that each of the treatment groups has greater adjusted mean social
skills than the control group. Thus, for this outcome, behavioral rehearsal seems to

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be an effective way to improve social skills, but the addition of cognitive restructuring does not seem to further improve these skills. The d effect size measure, using
MSW of 280.067 (MSW╛1/2€=€16.74) with no covariates in the analysis model, is 0.27
for Group 3 versus Group 1, 0.68 for Group 1 versus Group 2, and 0.95 for Group
3 versus Group€2.
For the anxiety outcome (NEGEVAL), where higher scores indicate less anxiety,
inspecting the adjusted means at the top part of Table€8.10 suggests a similar pattern. However, the error variance is much greater for this outcome, as evidenced
by the larger standard errors shown in Table€8.10. As such, the only difference in
adjusted means present in the population for NEGEVAL is between Group 3 and
the control, where d€=€29.045 / 16.83€=€1.73 (with MSW€=€283.14). Here, then the
behavioral rehearsal and cognitive restructuring treatment shows promise as this

 Table 8.10:╇ Adjusted Means and Bonferroni-Adjusted Pairwise Comparisons
Estimates
95% Confidence interval
Dependent variable

GPID

Mean

AVOID

1.00
2.00
3.00
1.00
2.00
3.00

120.631
109.250a
125.210a
111.668a
96.734a
125.779a

NEGEVAL

a

Std. error

Lower bound

Upper bound

2.988
2.969
3.125
4.631
4.600
4.843

114.510
103.168
118.808
102.183
87.310
115.860

126.753
115.331
131.612
121.154
106.158
135.699

a

Covariates appearing in the model are evaluated at the following values: PREAVOID€=€106.6970,
PRENEG = 99.2121.

Pairwise comparisons

Mean
Dependent
difference
variable
(I) GPID (J) GPID (I-J)
Std. error Sig.b
AVOID

1.00
2.00
3.00

2.00
3.00
1.00
3.00
1.00
2.00

11.382*
−4.578
−11.382*
−15.960*
4.578
15.960*

4.142
4.474
4.142
4.434
4.474
4.434

.031
.945
.031
.004
.945
.004

95% Confidence interval
for differenceb
Lower
bound

Upper bound

.835
−15.970
−21.928
−27.252
−6.813
4.668

21.928
╇6.813
╇−.835
−4.668
15.970
27.252

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Pairwise comparisons

Mean
Dependent
difference
variable
(I) GPID (J) GPID (I-J)
Std. error Sig.b
NEGEVAL

1.00
2.00
3.00

2.00
3.00
1.00
3.00
1.00
2.00

14.934
−14.111
−14.934
−29.045*
14.111
29.045*

6.418
6.932
6.418
6.871
6.932
6.871

.082
.154
.082
.001
.154
.001

95% Confidence interval
for differenceb
Lower
bound

Upper bound

−1.408
−31.763
−31.277
−46.543
−3.541
11.548

31.277
3.541
1.408
−11.548
31.763
46.543

Based on estimated marginal€means
*
The mean difference is significant at the .050 level.
b
Adjustment for multiple comparisons: Bonferroni.

group had much less mean anxiety, after adjusting for the covariates, than the control group.
Can we have confidence in the reliability of the adjusted means for this study? Huitema’s inequality suggests we should be somewhat cautious, because the inequality sugC + ( J − 1)
in this example is
gests we should just use one covariate, as the ratio
N
2 + ( 3 − 1)
= .12, which is larger than the recommended value of .10. Thus, replication
33
of this study using a larger sample size would provide for more confidence in the
results.
8.13╇ NOTE ON POST HOC PROCEDURES
Note that in previous editions of this text, the Bryant-Paulson (1976) procedure was
used to conduct inferences for pairwise differences among groups in MANCOVA (or
ANCOVA). This procedure was used, instead of the Tukey (or Tukey–Kramer) procedure because the covariate(s) used in social science research are essentially always
random, and it was thought to be important that this information be incorporated into
the post hoc procedures, which the Tukey procedure does not. Huitema (2011), however, notes that Hochberg and Varon-Salomon (1984) found that the Tukey procedure
adequately controls for the inflation of the family-wise type I€error rate for pairwise
comparisons when a covariate is random and has greater power (and provides narrower intervals) than other methods. As such, Huitema (2011, chaps. 9–10) recommends use of the procedure to obtain simultaneous confidence intervals for pairwise

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Analysis of Covariance

comparisons. However, at present, SPSS does not incorporate this procedure for
MANCOVA (or ANCOVA). Readers interested in using the Tukey procedure may
consult Huitema. We used the Bonferroni procedure because it can be readily obtained
with SAS and SPSS, but note that this procedure is somewhat less powerful than the
Tukey approach.
8.14╇ NOTE ON THE USE OF€MVMM
An alternative to traditional MANCOVA is available with multivariate multilevel
modeling (MVMM; see Chapter€14). In addition to the advantages associated with
MVMM discussed there, MVMM also allows for different covariates to be used for
each outcome. The more traditional general linear model (GLM) procedure, as implemented in this chapter with SPSS and SAS, requires that any covariate that appears in
the model be included as an explanatory variable for every dependent variable, even
if a given covariate were not related to a given outcome. Thus, MVMM, in addition
to other benefits, allows for more flexible use of covariates for multiple analysis of
covariance models.

8.15╇ EXAMPLE RESULTS SECTION FOR MANCOVA
For the example results section, we use the study discussed in Example 8.4.
The goal of this study was to determine whether female college freshmen randomly
assigned to either behavioral rehearsal or behavioral rehearsal plus cognitive restructuring (called combined treatment) have better social skills and reduced anxiety after
treatment compared to participants in a control condition. A€one-way multivariate
analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was conducted with two dependent variables,
social skills and anxiety, where higher scores on these variables reflect greater social
skills and less anxiety. Given the small group size available (n€=€11), we administered pretest measures of each outcome, which we call pre-skills and pre-anxiety, to
allow for greater power in the analysis. Each participant reported complete data for
all measures.
Prior to conducting MANCOVA, the data were examined for univariate and multivariate outliers, with no such observations found. We also assessed whether the MANCOVA
assumptions seemed tenable. First, tests of the homogeneity of regression assumption
indicated that there was no interaction between treatment and pre-skills, Λ€ =€ .954,
F(4, 46)€=€.277, p€ =€ .892, and between treatment and pre-anxiety, Λ€ =€ .954,
F(4, 46)€=€.275, p€=€.892, for any outcome. In addition, no violation of the
variance-covariance matrices assumption was indicated (Box’s M = 6.689, p€=€.418),
and the variance of the residuals was not different across groups for social skills, Levene’s F(2, 30)€=€1.184, p€=€.320, and anxiety, F(2, 30) = 1.620, p€=€.215. Further,
there were no substantial departures from normality, as suggested by inspection of

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histograms of the residuals for each group and that all values for skewness and kurtosis
of the residuals were smaller than |1.5|. Further, examining scatterplots suggested that
each covariate is positively and linearly related to each of the outcome variables. Test
results from the MANCOVA indicated that pre-skills is related to the set of outcomes,
Λ€ =€ .433, F(2, 27)€=€17.66, p < .001, as is pre-anxiety, Λ€ =€ .755, F(2, 27)€=€4.38,
p€=€.023. Finally, we did not consider there to be any violations of the independence
assumption because the treatments were individually administered and participants
responded to the measures on an individual basis.
Table€1 displays the group means, which show that participants in the combined treatment had greater posttest mean scores for social skills and anxiety (less anxiety) than
those in the other groups, and performance in the control condition was worst. Note
that while sample pretest means differ somewhat, use of covariance analysis provides
proper adjustments for these preexisting differences, with these adjusted means shown
in Table€1. MANCOVA results indicated that the adjusted group means differ on the set
of outcomes, λ€=€.519, F(4, 54)€=€5.23, p€=€.001. Univariate ANCOVAs indicated that
group adjusted mean differences are present for social skills, F(2, 28)€=€7.24, p€=€.003,
and anxiety, F(2, 28)€=€9.03, p€=€.001.

 Table 1:╇ Observed (SD) and Adjusted Means for the Analysis Variables (n = 11)
Group

Pre-skills

Social skills

Social
skills1

Pre-anxiety

Anxiety

Anxiety1

Combined

113.6 (18.7)

132.3 (16.2)

125.2

108.7 (16.6)

131.0 (15.1)

125.8

Behavioral
Rehearsal

103.2 (20.2)

116.9 (17.2)

120.6

93.9 (16.0)

108.8 (22.2)

111.7

Control

103.3 (17.3)

105.9 (16.8)

109.3

95.0 (15.3)

94.4 (11.1)

╇96.7

1

This column shows the adjusted group means.

Table€2 presents information on the pairwise contrasts. Comparisons of adjusted
means were conducted using the Bonferroni approach to provide type I€error control for the number of pairwise comparisons. Table€2 shows that adjusted mean
social skills are greater in the combined treatment and behavioral rehearsal group
compared to the control group. The contrast between the two intervention groups
is not statistically significant. For social skills, Cohen’s d values indicate the presence of fairly large effects associated with the interventions, relative to the control
group.
For anxiety, the only difference in adjusted means present in the population is between
the combined treatment and control condition. Cohen’s d for this contrast indicates
that this mean difference is quite large relative to the other effects in this study.

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 Table 2:╇ Pairwise Contrasts for the Adjusted€Means
Outcome

Contrast

Contrast (SE)

Cohen’s d

Social skills

Combined vs. control
Behavioral rehearsal vs. control
Combined vs. behavioral rehearsal
Combined vs. control
Behavioral rehearsal vs. control
Combined vs. behavioral rehearsal

15.96* (4.43)
11.38* (4.14)
4.58 (4.47)
29.05* (6.87)
14.93 (6.42)
14.11 (6.93)

0.95
0.68
0.27
1.73
0.89
0.84

Anxiety

Note: * indicates a statistically significant contrast (p < .05) using the Bonferroni procedure.

8.16 SUMMARY
The numbered list below highlights the main points of the chapter.
1. In analysis of covariance a linear relationship is assumed between the dependent
variable(s) and the covariate(s).
2. Analysis of covariance is directly related to the two basic objectives in experimental design of (1) eliminating systematic bias and (2) reduction of error variance. Although ANCOVA does not eliminate bias, it can reduce bias. This can be
helpful in nonexperimental studies comparing intact groups. The bias is reduced
by adjusting the posttest means to what they would be if all groups had started out
equally on the covariate(s), that is, at the grand mean(s). There is disagreement
among statisticians about the use of ANCOVA with intact groups, and several
precautions were mentioned in section€8.6.
3. The main reason for using ANCOVA in an experimental study (random assignment
of participants to groups) is to reduce error variance, yielding a more powerful test
of group differences. When using several covariates, greater error reduction may
occur when the covariates have low intercorrelations among themselves.
4. Limit the number of covariates (C) so€that
C + ( J − 1)
N

< .10,

where J is the number of groups and N is total sample size, so that stable estimates
of the adjusted means are obtained.
5. In examining output from the statistical packages, make two checks to determine
whether MANCOVA is appropriate: (1) Check that there is a significant relationship between the dependent variables and the covariates, and (2) check that the
homogeneity of the regression hyperplanes assumption is tenable. If either of
these is not satisfied, then MANCOVA is not appropriate. In particular, if (2) is not
satisfied, then the Johnson–Neyman technique may provide for a better analysis.
6. Measurement error for covariates causes loss of power in randomized designs, and
can lead to seriously biased treatment effects in nonrandomized designs. Thus, if

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one has a covariate of low or questionable reliability, then true score ANCOVA
should be considered.
7. With three or more groups, use the Tukey or Bonferroni procedure to obtain confidence intervals for pairwise differences.
8.17 ANALYSIS SUMMARY
The key analysis procedures for one-way MANCOVA€are:
I. Preliminary Analysis
A. Conduct an initial screening of the€data.
1) Purpose: Determine if the summary measures seem reasonable and support the use of MANCOVA. Also, identify the presence and pattern (if
any) of missing€data.
2) Procedure: Compute various descriptive measures for each group (e.g.,
means, standard deviations, medians, skewness, kurtosis, frequencies) for
the covariate(s) and dependent variables. If there is missing data, conduct
missing data analysis.
B. Conduct a case analysis.
1) Purpose: Identify any problematic individual observations that may
change important study results.
2)Procedure:
i) Inspect bivariate scatterplots of each covariate and outcome for
each group to identify apparent outliers. Compute and inspect
within-group Mahalanobis distances for the covariate(s) and outcome(s) and within-group z-scores for each variable. From the final
analysis model, obtain standardized residuals. Note that absolute values larger than 2.5 or 3 for these residuals indicate outlying values.
ii) If any potential outliers are identified, consider doing a sensitivity
study to determine the impact of one or more outliers on major study
results.
C. Assess the validity of the statistical assumptions.
1) Purpose: Determine if the standard MANCOVA procedure is valid for the
analysis of the€data.
2) Some procedures:
i) Homogeneity of regression: Test treatment-covariate interactions.
A€nonsignificant test result supports the use of MANCOVA.
ii) Linearity of regression: Inspect the scatterplot of each covariate and
each outcome within each group to assess linearity. If the association
appears to be linear, test the association between the covariate(s) and
the set of outcomes to assess if the covariates should be included in
the final analysis model.
iii) Independence assumption: Consider study circumstances to identify
possible violations.

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iv) Equality of covariance matrices assumption of the residuals: Levene’s test can be used to identify if the residual variation is the same
across groups for each outcome. Note that Box’s M test assesses if
the covariance matrices of outcome scores (not residuals) are equal
across groups.
v) Multivariate normality: Inspect the distribution of the residuals for
each group. Compute within-group skewness and kurtosis values,
with values exceeding |2| indicative of nonnormality.
vi) Each covariate is measured with perfect reliability: Report a measure
of reliability for the covariate scores (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha). Consider using an alternate technique (e.g., structural equation modeling)
when low reliability is combined with a decision to retain the null
hypothesis of no treatment effects.
3) Decision/action: Continue with the standard MANCOVA when there is
(a) no evidence of violations of any assumptions or (b) there is evidence
of a specific violation but the technique is known to be robust to an existing violation. If the technique is not robust to an existing violation, use an
alternative analysis technique.
II. Primary Analysis
A. Test the overall multivariate null hypothesis of no difference in adjusted
means for the set of outcomes.
1) Purpose: Provide “protected testing” to help control the inflation of the
overall type I€error€rate.
2) Procedure: Examine the results of the Wilks’ lambda test associated with
the treatment.
3) Decision/action: If the p-value associated with this test is sufficiently
small, continue with further testing as described later. If the p-value is not
small, do not continue with any further testing.
B. If the multivariate null hypothesis has been rejected, test for group differences
on each dependent variable.
1) Purpose: Describe the adjusted mean outcome differences among the
groups for each of the dependent variables.
2)Procedures:
i) Test the overall ANCOVA null hypothesis for each dependent variable using a conventional alpha (e.g., .05) that provides for greater
power when the number of outcomes is relatively small (i.e., two or
three) or with a Bonferroni adjustment for a larger number of outcomes or whenever there is great concern about committing type
I€�errors.
ii) For each dependent variable for which the overall univariate null
hypothesis is rejected, follow up (if more than two groups are
present) with tests and interval estimates for all pairwise contrasts
using a Bonferroni adjustment for the number of pairwise comparisons.

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C. Report and interpret at least one of the following effect size measures.
1) Purpose: Indicate the strength of the relationship between the dependent
variable(s) and the factor (i.e., group membership).
2) Procedure: Adjusted means and their differences should be reported. Other possibilities include (a) the proportion of generalized total variation
explained by group membership for the set of dependent variables (multivariate eta square), (b) the proportion of variation explained by group
membership for each dependent variable (univariate eta square), and/or
(c) Cohen’s d for two-group contrasts.
8.18 EXERCISES
1. Consider the following data from a two-group MANCOVA with two dependent
variables (Y1 and Y2) and one covariate (X):

GPID

X

Y1

Y2

1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00
2.00

12.00
10.00
11.00
14.00
13.00
10.00
8.00
8.00
12.00
10.00
12.00
7.00
12.00
9.00
12.00
9.00
16.00
11.00
8.00
10.00
7.00
16.00
9.00
10.00
8.00
16.00
12.00
15.00
12.00

13.00
6.00
17.00
14.00
12.00
6.00
12.00
6.00
12.00
12.00
13.00
14.00
16.00
9.00
14.00
10.00
16.00
17.00
16.00
14.00
18.00
20.00
12.00
11.00
13.00
19.00
15.00
17.00
21.00

3.00
5.00
2.00
8.00
6.00
8.00
3.00
12.00
7.00
8.00
2.00
10.00
1.00
2.00
10.00
6.00
8.00
8.00
21.00
15.00
12.00
7.00
9.00
7.00
4.00
6.00
20.00
7.00
14.00

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Run a MANCOVA using SAS or€SPSS.
(a)Is MANCOVA appropriate? Explain.
(b)If MANCOVA is appropriate, then are the adjusted mean vectors significantly different at the .05 level?
(c) Are adjusted group mean differences present for both variables?
(d) What are the adjusted means? Which group has better performance?
(e) Compute Cohen’s d for the two contrasts (which requires a MANOVA to
obtain the relevant MSW for each outcome).

2. Consider a three-group study (randomized) with 24 participants per group. The
correlation between the covariate and the dependent variable is .25, which is
statistically significant at the .05 level. Is ANCOVA going to be very useful in
this study? Explain.
3. Suppose we were comparing two different teaching methods and that the
covariate was IQ. The homogeneity of regression slopes is tested and rejected,
implying a covariate-by-treatment interaction. Relate this to what we would
have found had we blocked (or formed groups) on IQ and ran a factorial
ANOVA (IQ by methods) on achievement.
4. In this example, three tasks were employed to ascertain differences between
good and poor undergraduate writers on recall and manipulation of information: an ordered letters task, an iconic memory task, and a letter reordering
task. In the following table are means and standard deviations for the percentage of correct letters recalled on the three dependent variables. There were 15
participants in each group.

Good writers

Poor writers

Task

M

SD

M

SD

Ordered letters
Iconic memory
Letter reordering

57.79
49.78
71.00

12.96
14.59
4.80

49.71
45.63
63.18

21.79
13.09
7.03

Consider this results section:

The data were analyzed via a multivariate analysis of covariance using the
background variables (English usage ACT subtest, composite ACT, and grade
point average) as covariates, writing ability as the independent variable, and
task scores (correct recall in the ordered letters task, correct recall in the iconic
memory task, and correct recall in the letter reordering task) as the dependent
variables. The global test was significant, F(3, 23)€=€5.43, p < .001. To control for
experiment-wise type I€error rate at .05, each of the three univariate analyses

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was conducted at a per comparison rate of .017. No significant difference was
observed between groups on the ordered letters task, univariate F(1, 25)€=€1.92,
p > .10. Similarly, no significant difference was observed between groups on
the iconic memory task, univariate F < 1. However, good writers obtained significantly higher scores on the letter reordering task than the poor writers,
univariate F(1, 25)€=€15.02, p < .001.
(a)From what was said here, can we be confident that covariance is appropriate€here?
(b)The “global” multivariate test referred to is not identified as to whether it
is Wilks’ Λ, Roy’s largest root, and so on. Would it make a difference as to
which multivariate test was employed in this€case?
(c)The results mention controlling the experiment-wise error rate at .05 by
conducting each test at the .017 level of significance. Which post hoc procedure is being used€here?
(d)Is there a sufficient number of participants for us to have confidence in the
reliability of the adjusted means?
5. What is the main reason for using covariance analysis in a randomized
study?

REFERENCES
Anderson, N.â•›H. (1963). Comparison of different populations: Resistance to extinction and
transfer. Psychological Bulletin, 70, 162–179.
Bryant, J.â•›L.,€& Paulson, A.â•›S. (1976). An extension of Tukey’s method of multiple comparisons to experimental design with random concomitant variables. Biometrika, 63(3),
631–638.
Bryk, A.╛D.,€& Weisberg, H.╛I. (1977). Use of the nonequivalent control group design when
subjects are growing. Psychological Bulletin, 85, 950–962.
Cochran, W.â•›G. (1957). Analysis of covariance: Its nature and uses. Biometrics, 13, 261–281.
Elashoff, J.╛D. (1969). Analysis of covariance: A€delicate instrument. American Educational
Research Journal, 6, 383–401.
Finn, J. (1974). A general model for multivariate analysis. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart€&
Winston.
Hochberg, Y.,€& Varon-Salomon, Y. (1984). On simultaneous pairwise comparisons in analysis of covariance. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 79, 863–866.
Huck, S., Cormier, W.,€& Bounds, W. (1974). Reading statistics and research. New York, NY:
Harper€&€Row.
Huck, S.,€& McLean, R. (1975). Using a repeated measures ANOVA to analyze the data from a
pretest–posttest design: A€potentially confusing task. Psychological Bulletin, 82, 511–518.
Huitema, B.â•›E. (2011). The analysis of covariance and alternatives: Statistical methods for
experiments (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

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Jennings, E. (1988). Models for pretest-posttest data: Repeated measures ANOVA revisited.
Journal of Educational Statistics, 13, 273–280.
Lord, F. (1969). Statistical adjustments when comparing pre-existing groups. Psychological
Bulletin, 70, 162–179.
Maxwell, S., Delaney, H.â•›D.,€& Manheimer, J. (1985). ANOVA of residuals and ANCOVA: Correcting an illusion by using model comparisons and graphs. Journal of Educational Statistics, 95, 136–147.
Novince, L. (1977). The contribution of cognitive restructuring to the effectiveness of behavior rehearsal in modifying social inhibition in females. Unpublished doctoral dissertation,
University of Cincinnati,€OH.
Olejnik, S.,€& Algina, J. (2000). Measures of effect size for comparative studies: Applications,
interpretations, and limitations. Contemporary Educational Psychology 25, 241–286.
Pedhazur, E. (1982). Multiple regression in behavioral research (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Holt,
Rinehart€& Winston.
Reichardt, C. (1979). The statistical analysis of data from nonequivalent group designs. In T.
Cook€& D. Campbell (Eds.), Quasi-experimentation: Design and analysis issues for field
settings (pp.€147–206). Chicago, IL: Rand McNally.
Rogosa, D. (1977). Some results for the Johnson-Neyman technique. Unpublished doctoral
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Thorndike, R.,€& Hagen, E. (1977). Measurement and evaluation in psychology and education. New York, NY: Wiley.

Chapter 9

EXPLORATORY FACTOR
ANALYSIS
9.1 INTRODUCTION
Consider the following two common classes of research situations:
1. Exploratory regression analysis: An experimenter has gathered a moderate to large
number of predictors (say 15 to 40) to predict some dependent variable.
2. Scale development: An investigator has assembled a set of items (say 20 to 50)
designed to measure some construct(s) (e.g., attitude toward education, anxiety,
sociability). Here we think of the items as the variables.
In both of these situations the number of simple correlations among the variables is
very large, and it is quite difficult to summarize by inspection precisely what the pattern of correlations represents. For example, with 30 items, there are 435 simple correlations. Some way is needed to determine if there is a small number of underlying
constructs that might account for the main sources of variation in such a complex set
of correlations.
Furthermore, if there are 30 items, we are undoubtedly not measuring 30 different constructs; hence, it makes sense to use a variable reduction procedure that will indicate
how the variables cluster or hang together. Now, if sample size is not large enough
(how large N needs to be is discussed in section€9.6), then we need to resort to a logical
clustering (grouping) based on theoretical or substantive grounds. On the other hand,
with adequate sample size an empirical approach is preferable. Two basic empirical
approaches are (1) principal components analysis for variable reduction, and (2) factor
analysis for identifying underlying factors or constructs. In both approaches, the basic
idea is to find a smaller number of entities (components or factors) that account for
most of the variation or the pattern of correlations. In factor analysis a mathematical
model is set up and factor scores may be estimated, whereas in components analysis
we are simply transforming the original variables into a new set of linear combinations
(the principal components).

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eXpLoratorY Factor AnaLYSIS

In this edition of the text, we focus this chapter on exploratory factor analysis (not principal components analysis) because researchers in psychology, education, and the social
sciences in general are much more likely to use exploratory factor analysis, particularly
as it used to develop and help validate measuring instruments. We do, though, begin the
chapter with the principal components method. This method has been commonly used
to extract factors in factor analysis (and remains the default method in SPSS and SAS).
Even when different extraction methods, such as principal axis factoring, are used in
factor analysis, the principal components method is often used in the initial stages of
exploratory factor analysis. Thus, having an initial exposure to principal components
will allow you to make an easy transition to principal axis factoring, which is presented
later in the chapter, and will also allow you to readily see some underlying differences
between these two procedures. Note that confirmatory factor analysis, covered in this
chapter in previous editions of the text, is now covered in Chapter€16.
9.2╇ THE PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS METHOD
If we have a single group of participants measured on a set of variables, then principal
components partitions the total variance (i.e., the sum of the variances for the original
variables) by first finding the linear combination of the variables that accounts for the
maximum amount of variance:
y1 = a11 x1 + a12 x2 +  + a1 p x p ,
where y1 is called the first principal component, and if the coefficients are scaled such
that a1′a1€=€1 [where a1′€=€(a11, a12, .€.€., a1p)] then the variance of y1 is equal to the largest eigenvalue of the sample covariance matrix (Morrison, 1967, p.€224). The coefficients of the principal component are the elements of the eigenvector corresponding to
the largest eigenvalue.
Then the procedure finds a second linear combination, uncorrelated with the first component, such that it accounts for the next largest amount of variance (after the variance
attributable to the first component has been removed) in the system. This second component, y2,€is
y2 = a21 x1 + a22 x2 +  + a2 p x p ,
and the coefficients are scaled so that a2′a2= 1, as for the first component. The fact that
the two components are constructed to be uncorrelated means that the Pearson correlation between y1 and y2 is 0. The coefficients of the second component are the elements
of the eigenvector associated with the second largest eigenvalue of the covariance
matrix, and the sample variance of y2 is equal to the second largest eigenvalue.
The third principal component is constructed to be uncorrelated with the first two, and
accounts for the third largest amount of variance in the system, and so on. The principal

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components method is therefore still another example of a mathematical maximization
procedure, where each successive component accounts for the maximum amount of
the variance in the original variables that is€left.
Thus, through the use of principal components, a set of correlated variables is transformed into a set of uncorrelated variables (the components). The goal of such an analysis is to obtain a relatively small number of components that account for a significant
proportion of variance in the original set of variables. When this method is used to
extract factors in factor analysis, you may also wish to make sense of or interpret the
factors.
The factors are interpreted by using coefficients that describe the association between a
given factor and observed variable (called factor or component loadings) that are sufficiently large in absolute magnitude. For example, if the first factor loaded high and
positive on variables 1, 3, 5, and 6, then we could interpret that factor by attempting
to determine what those four variables have in common. The analysis procedure has
empirically clustered the four variables, and the psychologist may then wish to give a
name to the factor to make sense of the composite variable.
In the preceding example we assumed that the loadings were all in the same direction
(all positive for a given component). Of course, it is possible to have a mixture of high
positive and negative loadings on a particular component. In this case we have what
is called a bipolar component. For example, in factor analyses of IQ tests, the second
factor may be bipolar contrasting verbal abilities against spatial-perceptual abilities.
Social science researchers often extract factors from a correlation matrix. The reason
for this standardization is that scales for tests used in educational, sociological, and
psychological research are usually arbitrary. If, however, the scales are reasonably
commensurable, performing a factor analysis on the covariance matrix is preferable
for statistical reasons (Morrison, 1967, p.€ 222). The components obtained from the
correlation and covariance matrices are, in general, not the same. The option of doing
factor analysis on either the correlation or covariance matrix is available on SAS and
SPSS. Note though that it is common practice to conduct factor analysis using a correlation matrix, which software programs will compute behind the scenes from raw data
prior to conducting the analysis.
A precaution that researchers contemplating a factor analysis with a small sample
size (certainly any N less than 100) should take, especially if most of the elements in
the sample correlation matrix are small (< |.30|), is to apply Bartlett’s sphericity test
(Cooley€& Lohnes, 1971, p.€103). This procedure tests the null hypothesis that the variables in the population correlation matrix are uncorrelated. If one fails to reject with
this test, then there is no reason to do the factor analysis because we cannot conclude
that the variables are correlated. Logically speaking, if observed variables do not “hang
together,” an analysis that attempts to cluster variables based on their associations does
not make sense. The sphericity test is available on both the SAS and SPSS packages.

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Also, when using principal components extraction in factor analysis, the composite variables are sometimes referred to as components. However, since we are using principal
components simply as a factor extraction method, we will refer to the entities obtained
as factors. Note that when principal axis factoring is used, as it is later in the chapter, the
entities extracted in that procedure are, by convention, referred to as factors.
9.3╇CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING HOW MANY FACTORS TO
RETAIN USING PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS EXTRACTION
Perhaps the most difficult decision in factor analysis is to determine the number of factors that should be retained. When the principal components method is used to extract
factors, several methods can be used to decide how many factors to retain.
1. A widely used criterion is that of Kaiser (1960): Retain only those factors having
eigenvalues are greater than 1. Although using this rule generally will result in
retention of only the most important factors, blind use could lead to retaining
factors that may have no practical importance (in terms of percent of variance
accounted€for).
Studies by Cattell and Jaspers (1967), Browne (1968), and Linn (1968) evaluated the
accuracy of the eigenvalue > 1 criterion. In all three studies, the authors determined
how often the criterion would identify the correct number of factors from matrices
with a known number of factors. The number of variables in the studies ranged from
10 to 40. Generally, the criterion was accurate to fairly accurate, with gross overestimation occurring only with a large number of variables (40) and low communalities
(around .40). Note that the communality of a variable is the amount of variance for a
variable accounted for by the set of factors. The criterion is more accurate when the
number of variables is small (10 to 15) or moderate (20 to 30) and the communalities
are high (> .70). Subsequent studies (e.g., Zwick€& Velicer, 1982, 1986) have shown
that while use of this rule can lead to uncovering too many factors, it may also lead
to identifying too few factors.
2. A graphical method called the scree test has been proposed by Cattell (1966). In
this method the magnitude of the eigenvalues (vertical axis) is plotted against their
ordinal numbers (whether it was the first eigenvalue, the second, etc.). Generally
what happens is that the magnitude of successive eigenvalues drops off sharply
(steep descent) and then tends to level off. The recommendation is to retain all
eigenvalues (and hence factors) in the sharp descent before the first one on the line
where they start to level off. This method will generally retain factors that account
for large or fairly large and distinct amounts of variances (e.g., 31%, 20%, 13%,
and 9%). However, blind use might lead to not retaining factors that, although they
account for a smaller amount of variance, might be meaningful. Several studies
(Cattell€& Jaspers, 1967; Hakstian, Rogers,€& Cattell, 1982; Tucker, Koopman,€&
Linn, 1969) support the general accuracy of the scree procedure. Hakstian et€al.
note that for N > 250 and a mean communality > .60, either the Kaiser or scree

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rules will yield an accurate estimate for the number of true factors. They add that
such an estimate will be just that much more credible if the Q / P ratio is < .30 (P is
the number of variables and Q is the number of factors). With mean communality
.30 or Q / P > .3, the Kaiser rule is less accurate and the scree rule much less accurate. A€primary concern associated with the use of the scree plot is that it requires
subjective judgment in determining the number of factors present, unlike the
numerical criterion provided by Kaiser’s rule and parallel analysis, discussed€next.
3. A procedure that is becoming more widely used is parallel analysis (Horn, 1965),
where a “parallel” set of eigenvalues is created from random data and compared to
eigenvalues from the original data set. Specifically, a random data set having the
same number of cases and variables is generated by computer. Then, factor analysis
is applied to these data and eigenvalues are obtained. This process of generating random data and factor analyzing them is repeated many times. Traditionally, you then
compare the average of the “random” eigenvalues (for a given factor across these
replicated data sets) to the eigenvalue obtained from the original data set for the
corresponding factor. The rule for retaining factors is to retain a factor in the original
data set only if its eigenvalue is greater than the average eigenvalue for its random
counterpart. Alternatively, instead of using the average of the eigenvalues for a given
factor, the 95th percentile of these replicated values can be used as the comparison
value, which provides a somewhat more stringent test of factor importance.
Fabrigar and Wegener (2012, p.€60) note that while the performance of parallel
process analysis has not been investigated exhaustively, studies to date have shown
it to perform fairly well in detecting the proper number of factors, although the
procedure may suggest the presence of too many factors at times. Nevertheless,
given that none of these methods performs perfectly under all conditions, the use of
parallel process analysis has been widely recommended for factor analysis. While
not available at present in SAS or SPSS, parallel analysis can be implemented using
syntax available at the website of the publisher of Fabrigar and Wegener’s text. We
illustrate the use of this procedure in section€9.12.
4. There is a statistical significance test for the number of factors to retain that was
developed by Lawley (1940). However, as with all statistical tests, it is influenced
by sample size, and large sample size may lead to the retention of too many factors.
5. Retain as many factors as will account for a specified amount of total variance. Generally, one would want to account for a large proportion of the total variance. In some
cases, the investigator may not be satisfied unless 80–85% of the variance is accounted
for. Extracting factors using this method, though, may lead to the retention of factors
that are essentially variable specific, that is, load highly on only a single variable,
which is not desirable in factor analysis. Note also that in some applications, the actual
amount of variance accounted for by meaningful factors may be 50% or lower.
6. Factor meaningfulness is an important consideration in deciding on the number of
factors that should be retained in the model. The other criteria are generally math­
ematical, and their use may not always yield meaningful or interpretable factors. In
exploratory factor analysis, your knowledge of the research area plays an important
role in interpreting factors and deciding if a factor solution is worthwhile. Also, it is

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not uncommon that use of the different methods shown will suggest different numbers of factors present. In this case, the meaningfulness of different factor solutions
takes precedence in deciding among solutions with empirical support.
So what criterion should be used in deciding how many factors to retain? Since the
methods look at the issue from different perspectives and have certain strengths and
limitations, multiple criteria should be used. Since the Kaiser criterion has been shown
to be reasonably accurate when the number of variables is < 30 and the communalities are > .70, or when N > 250 and the mean communality is > .60, we would use
it under these circumstances. For other situations, use of the scree test with an N >
200 will probably not lead us too far astray, provided that most of the communalities
are reasonably large. We also recommend general use of parallel analysis as it has
performed well in simulation studies. Note that these methods can be relied upon to a
lesser extent when researchers have some sense of the number of factors that may be
present. In addition, when the methods conflict in the number of factors that should be
retained, you can conduct multiple factor analyses directing your software program to
retain different numbers of factors. Given that the goal is to arrive at a coherent final
model, the solution that seems most interpretable (most meaningful) can be reported.
9.4╇INCREASING INTERPRETABILITY OF FACTORS BY
ROTATION
Although a few factors may, as desired, account for most of the variance in a large set
of variables, often the factors are not easily interpretable. The factors are derived not to
provide interpretability but to maximize variance accounted for. Transformation of the
factors, typically referred to as rotation, often provides for much improved interpretability. Also, as noted by Fabrigar and Wegener (2012, p.€79), it is important to know
that rotation does not change key statistics associated with model fit, including (1) the
total amount (and proportion) of variance explained by all factors and (2) the values of
the communalities. In other words, unrotated and rotated factor solutions have the same
mathematical fit to the data, regardless of rotation method used. As such, it makes sense
to use analysis results based on those factor loadings that facilitate factor interpretation.
Two major classes of rotations are available:
1. Orthogonal (rigid) rotations—Here the new factors obtained by rotation are still
uncorrelated, as were the initially obtained factors.
2. Oblique rotations—Here the new factors are allowed to be correlated.
9.4.1 Orthogonal Rotations
We discuss two such rotations:
1. Quartimax—Here the idea is to clean up the variables. That is, the rotation is
done so that each variable loads mainly on one factor. Then that variable can be

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considered to be a relatively pure measure of the factor. The problem with this
approach is that most of the variables tend to load on a single factor (producing the
“g factor” in analyses of IQ tests), making interpretation of the factor difficult.
2. Varimax—Kaiser (1960) took a different tack. He designed a rotation to clean
up the factors. That is, with his rotation, each factor has high correlations with a
smaller number of variables and low or very low correlations with the other variables. This will generally make interpretation of the resulting factors easier. The
varimax rotation is available in SPSS and€SAS.
It should be mentioned that when rotation is done, the maximum variance property
of the originally obtained factors is destroyed. The rotation essentially reallocates the
loadings. Thus, the first rotated factor will no longer necessarily account for the maximum amount of variance. The amount of variance accounted for by each rotated factor
has to be recalculated.
9.4.2 Oblique Rotations
Numerous oblique rotations have been proposed: for example, oblimax, quartimin,
maxplane, orthoblique (Harris–Kaiser), promax, and oblimin. Promax and oblimin are
available on SPSS and€SAS.
Many have argued that correlated factors are much more reasonable to assume in
most cases (Cliff, 1987; Fabrigar€ & Wegener, 2012; Pedhazur€ & Schmelkin, 1991;
Preacher€& MacCallum, 2003), and therefore oblique rotations are generally preferred.
The following from Pedhazur and Schmelkin (1991) is interesting:
From the perspective of construct validation, the decision whether to rotate factors orthogonally or obliquely reflects one’s conception regarding the structure of
the construct under consideration. It boils down to the question: Are aspects of a
postulated multidimensional construct intercorrelated? The answer to this question is relegated to the status of an assumption when an orthogonal rotation is
employed.€ .€ .€ . The preferred course of action is, in our opinion, to rotate both
orthogonally and obliquely. When, on the basis of the latter, it is concluded that
the correlations among the factors are negligible, the interpretation of the simpler
orthogonal solution becomes tenable. (p.€615)
You should know, though, that when using an oblique solution, interpretation of the
factors becomes somewhat more complicated, as the associations between variables
and factors are provided in two matrices:
1. Factor pattern matrix—The elements here, called pattern coefficients, are analogous to standardized partial regression coefficients from a multiple regression analysis. From a factor analysis perspective, a given coefficient indicates the unique
importance of a factor to a variable, holding constant the other factors in the model.
2. Factor structure matrix—The elements here, known as structure coefficients, are
the simple correlations of the variables with the factors.

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For orthogonal rotations or completely orthogonal factors these two matrices are
identical.
9.5╇WHAT COEFFICIENTS SHOULD BE USED FOR
INTERPRETATION?
Two issues arise in deciding which coefficients are to be used to interpret factors.
The first issue has to do with the type of rotation used: orthogonal or oblique. When
an orthogonal rotation is used, interpretations are based on the structure coefficients
(as the structure and pattern coefficients are identical). When using an oblique rotation, as mentioned, two sets of coefficients are obtained. While it is reasonable to
examine structure coefficients, Fabrigar and Wegener (2012) argue that using pattern
coefficients is more consistent with the use of oblique rotation because the pattern
coefficients take into account the correlation between factors and are parameters of a
correlated-factor model, whereas the structure coefficients are not. As such, they state
that focusing exclusively on the structure coefficients in the presence of an oblique
rotation is “inherently inconsistent with the primary goals of oblique rotation” (p.€81).
Given that we have selected the type of coefficient (structure or pattern), the second
issue pertains to which observed variables should be used to interpret a given factor.
While there is no universal standard available to make this decision, the idea is to use
only those variables that have a strong association with the factor. A€threshold value that
can be used for a structure or pattern coefficient is one that is equal to or greater than a
magnitude of .40. For structure coefficients, using a value of |.40| would imply that an
observed variable shares more than 15% of its variance (.42€=€.16) with the factor that it
is going to be used to help name. Other threshold values that are used are .32 (because it
corresponds to approximately 10% variance explained) and .50, which is a stricter standard corresponding to 25% variance explained. This more stringent value seems sensible
to use when sample size is relatively small and may also be used if it improves factor
interpretability. For pattern coefficients, although a given coefficient cannot be squared
to obtain the proportion of shared variance between an observed variable and factor,
these different threshold values are generally considered to represent a reasonably strong
association for standardized partial regression coefficients in general (e.g., Kline, 2005,
p.€122). To interpret what the variables with high loadings have in common, that is, to
name the component, a researcher with expertise in the content area is typically needed.
Also, we should point out that standard errors associated with factor loadings are not
available for some commonly used factor analysis methods, including principal component and principal axis factoring. As such, statistical tests for the loadings are not
available with these methods. One exception involves the use of maximum likelihood
estimation to extract factors. This method, however, assumes the observed variables
follow a multivariate normal distribution in the population and would require a user to
rely on the procedure to be robust to this violation. We do not cover maximum likelihood factor extraction in this chapter, but interested readers can consult Fabrigar and
Wegener (2012), who recommend use of this procedure.

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9.6 SAMPLE SIZE AND RELIABLE FACTORS
Various rules have been suggested in terms of the sample size required for reliable
factors. Many of the popular rules suggest that sample size be determined as a function
of the number of variables being analyzed, ranging anywhere from two participants
per variable to 20 participants per variable. And indeed, in a previous edition of this
text, five participants per variable as the minimum needed were suggested. However, a
Monte Carlo study by Guadagnoli and Velicer (1988) indicated, contrary to the popular
rules, that the most important factors are factor saturation (the absolute magnitude of
the loadings) and absolute sample size. Also, the number of variables per factor is somewhat important. Subsequent research (MacCallum, Widaman, Zhang,€& Hong, 1999;
MacCallum, Widaman, Preacher,€& Hong, 2001; Velicer€& Fava, 1998) has highlighted
the importance of communalities along with the number and size of loadings.
Fabrigar and Wegener (2012) discuss this research and minimal sample size requirements as related to communalities and the number of strong factor loadings. We summarize the minimal sample size requirements they suggest as follows:
1. When the average communality is .70 or greater, good estimates can be obtained
with sample sizes as low as 100 (and possibly lower) provided that there are at
least three substantial loadings per factor.
2. When communalities range from .40 to .70 and there are at least three strong loadings per factor, good estimates may be obtained with a sample size of about€200.
3. When communalities are small (< .40) and when there are only two substantial
loadings on some factors, sample sizes of 400 or greater may be needed.
These suggestions are useful in establishing at least some empirical basis, rather than
a seat-of-the-pants judgment, for assessing what factors we can have confidence in.
Note though that they cover only a certain set of situations, and it may be difficult in
the planning stages of a study to have a good idea of what communalities and loadings
may actually be obtained. If that is the case, Fabrigar and Wegener (2012) suggest
planning on “moderate” conditions to hold in your study, as described by the earlier
second point, which implies a minimal sample size of€200.
9.7╇SOME SIMPLE FACTOR ANALYSES USING PRINCIPAL
COMPONENTS EXTRACTION
We provide a simple hypothetical factor analysis example with a small number of
observed variables (items) to help you get a better handle on the basics of factor analysis. We use a small number of variables in this section to enable better understanding of
key concepts. Section€9.12 provides an example using real data where a larger number
of observed variables are involved. That section also includes extraction of factors
with principal axis factoring.
For the example in this section, we assume investigators are developing a scale to
measure the construct of meaningful professional work, have written six items related

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to meaningful professional work, and would like to identify the number of constructs underlying these items. Further, we suppose that the researchers have carefully reviewed relevant literature and have decided that the concept of meaningful
professional work involves two interrelated constructs: work that one personally finds
engaging and work that one feels is valued by one’s workplace. As such, they have
written three items intended to reflect engagement with work and another three items
designed to reflect the idea of feeling valued in the workplace. The engagement items,
we suppose, ask workers to indicate the degree to which they find work stimulating
(item 1), challenging (item 2), and interesting (item 3). The “feeling valued” concept
is thought to be adequately indicated by responses to items asking workers to indicate
the degree to which they feel recognized for effort (item 4), appreciated for good work
(item 5), and fairly compensated (item 6). Responses to these six items—stimulate,
challenge, interest, recognize, appreciate, and compensate—have been collected, we
suppose from a sample of 300 employees who each provided responses for all six
items. Also, higher scores for each item reflect greater properties of the attribute being
measured (e.g., more stimulating, more challenging work, and so€on).
9.7.1 Principal Component Extraction With Three€Items
For instructional purposes, we initially use responses from just three items: stimulate,
challenge, and interest. The correlations between these items are shown in Table€9.1. Note
each correlation is positive and indicates a fairly strong relationship between variables.
Thus, the items seem to share something in common, lending support for a factor analysis.
In conducting this analysis, the researchers wish to answer the following research
questions:
1. How many factors account for meaningful variation in the item scores?
2. Which items are strongly related to any resultant factors?
3. What is the meaning of any resultant factor(s)?
To address the first research question about the number of factors that are present, we
apply multiple criteria including, for the time being, inspecting eigenvalues, examining
a scree plot, and considering the meaningfulness of any obtained factors. Note that we
add to this list the use of parallel analysis in section€9.12. An eigenvalue indicates the
strength of relationship between a given factor and the set of observed variables. As we
know, the strength of relationship between two variables is often summarized by a correlation coefficient, with values larger in magnitude reflecting a stronger association.
 Table 9.1:╇ Bivariate Correlations for Three Work-Related€Items
Correlation matrix

Stimulate
Challenge
Interest

1

2

3

1.000
.659
.596

.659
1.000
.628

.596
.628
1.000

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Another way to describe the strength of association between two variables is to square
the value of the correlation coefficient. When the correlation is squared, this measure
may be interpreted as the proportion of variance in one variable that is explained by
another. For example, if the correlation between a factor and an observed variable is
.5, the proportion of variance in the variable that is explained by the factor is .25. In
factor analysis, we are looking for factors that are not just associated with one variable
but are strongly related to, or explain the variance of, a set of variables (here, items).
With principal components extraction, an eigenvalue is the amount of variance in the
set of observed variables that is explained by a given factor and is also the variance of
the factor. As you will see, this amount of variance can be converted to a proportion of
explained variance. In brief, larger eigenvalues for a factor means that it explains more
variance in the set of variables and is indicative of important factors.
Table€9.2 shows selected summary results using principal components extraction with
the three work-related items. In the Component column of the first table, note that three
factors (equal to the number of variables) are formed in the initial solution. In the Total
column, the eigenvalue for the first factor is 2.256, which represents the total amount
of variance in the three items that is explained by this factor. Recall that the total maximum variance in a set of variables is equal to the number of variables. So, the total
amount of variance that could have been explained is three. Therefore, the proportion
of the total variance that is accounted for by the first factor is 2.256 / 3, which is about
.75 or 75%, and is shown in the third (and fourth column) for the initial solution. The
remaining factors have eigenvalues well below 1, and using Kaiser’s rule would not be
considered as important in explaining the remaining item variance. Therefore, applying
Kaiser’s rule suggests that one factor explains important variation in the set of items.
Further, examining the scree plot shown in Table€ 9.2 provides support for the
single-factor solution. Recall that the scree plot displays the eigenvalues as a function
of the factor number. Notice that the plot levels off or is horizontal at factor two. Since
the procedure is to retain only those factors that appear before the leveling off occurs,
only one factor is to be retained for this solution. Thus, applying Kaiser’s rule and
inspecting the scree plot provides empirical support for a single-factor solution.
To address the second research question—which items are related to the factor—we
examine the factor loadings. When one factor has been extracted (as in this example),
a factor loading is the correlation between a given factor and variable (also called a
structure coefficient). Here, in determining if a given item is related to the factor, we
use a loading of .40 in magnitude or greater. The loadings for each item are displayed
in the component matrix of Table€9.2, with each loading exceeding .80. Thus, each
item is related to the single factor and should be used for interpretation.
Now that we have determined that each item is important in defining the factor, we
can attempt to label the factor to address the final research question. Generally, since
the factor loadings are all positive, we can say that employees with high scores on
the factor also have high scores on stimulate, challenge, and interest (with an analogous statement holding for low scores on the factor). Of course, in this example,

349

% of Variance

75.189
13.618
11.193

Total

2.256
.409
.336

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

1

2
Factor Number

Scree Plot

75.189
88.807
100.000

3

Cumulative %

Initial eigenvalues

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

1
2
3

Component

Total variance explained

Component matrixa

75.189

% of Variance

.867
.881
.852

1

Component

75.189

Cumulative %

Extraction sums of squared loadings

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

Stimulate
Challenge
Interest

2.256

Total

 Table 9.2:╇ Selected Results Using Principal Components Extraction for Three€Items

Eigenvalue

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the researchers have deliberately constructed the items so that they reflect the idea of
engaging professional work. This analysis, then, provides empirical support for referring to this construct as engagement with€work.
9.7.2╇A€Two-Factor Orthogonal Model Using
Principal Components Extraction
A second illustrative factor analysis using principal components extraction includes all
six work-related variables and will produce uncorrelated factors (due to an orthogonal
rotation selected). The reason we will present an analysis that constrains the factors
to be uncorrelated is that it is sometimes used in factor analysis. In section€9.7.4, we
present an analysis that allows the factors to be correlated. We will also examine how
the results of the orthogonal and oblique factor solutions differ.
For this example, factor analysis with principal components extraction is used to
address the following research questions:
1. How many factors account for substantial variation in the set of items?
2. Is each item strongly related to factors that are obtained?
3. What is the meaning of any resultant factor(s)?
When the number of observed variables is fairly small and/or the pattern of their correlations is revealing, inspecting the bivariate correlations may provide an initial indication
of the number of factors that are present. Table€9.3 shows the correlations among the
six items. Note that the first three items are strongly correlated with each other and last
three items are strongly correlated with each other. However, the correlations between
these two apparent sets of items are, perhaps, only moderately correlated. Thus, this
“eyeball” analysis suggests that two distinct factors are associated with the six items.
Selected results of a factor analysis using principal components extraction for these
data are shown in Table€9.4. Inspecting the initial eigenvalues suggests, applying Kaiser’s rule, that two factors are related to the set of items, as the eigenvalues for the first
two factors are greater than 1. In addition, the scree plot provides additional support
for the two-factor solution, as the plot levels off after the second factor. Note that the
two factors account for 76% of the variance in the six items.
 Table 9.3:╇ Bivariate Correlations for Six Work-Related€Items
Variable

1

2

3

4

5

6

Stimulate
Challenge
Interest
Recognize
Appreciate
Compensate

1.000
.659
.596
.177
.112
.140


1.000
.628
.111
.109
.104



1.000
.107
.116
.096




1.000
.701
.619





1.000
.673






1.000

351

% of Variance

44.205
32.239
6.954
6.408
5.683
4.511

Total

2.652
1.934
.417
.384
.341
.271

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

1

2

3
4
Factor Number

Scree Plot

44.205
76.445
83.398
89.806
95.489
100.000

5

Cumulative %

Initial eigenvalues

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

1
2
3
4
5
6

Component

Total variance explained

2.652
1.934

Total

6

44.205
32.239

% of Variance
44.205
76.445

Cumulative %

Extraction sums of squared loadings

 Table 9.4:╇ Selected Results from a Principal Components Extraction Using an Orthogonal Rotation

Eigenvalue

2.330
2.256

Total
38.838
37.607

% of Variance

38.838
76.445

Cumulative %

Rotation sums of squared loadings

.651
.628
.609
.706
.706
.682

.572
.619
.598
-.521
-.559
-.532

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.
a
2 components extracted.

Stimulate
Challenge
Interest
Recognize
Appreciate
Compensate

.100
.052
.052
.874
.899
.863
.880
.851
.086
.058
.062

Extraction Method: Principal Component �Analysis.
Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser
�Normalization.
a
Rotation converged in 3 iterations.

Stimulate
Challenge
Interest
Recognize
Appreciate
Compensate

2
.861

1

1

2

Component

Rotated component matrixa

Component

Component matrixa

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With a multifactor solution, factor interpretability is often more readily accomplished
with factor rotation. This analysis was conducted with varimax rotation, an orthogonal
rotation that assumes factors are uncorrelated (and keeps them that way). When factors
are extracted and rotated, the variance accounted for by a given factor is referred to as
the sum of squared loadings. These sums, following rotation, are shown in Table€9.4,
under the heading Rotation Sums of Squared Loadings. Note that the sums of squared
loadings for each factor are more alike following rotation. Also, while the sums of
squared loadings (after rotation) are numerically different from the original eigenvalues,
the total amount and percent of variance accounted for by the set of factors is the same
pre- and post-rotation. Note in this example that after rotation, each factor accounts
for about the same percent of item variance (e.g., 39%, 38%). Note, then, that if you
want to compare the relative importance of the factors, it makes more sense to use the
sum of squared loadings following rotation, because the factor extraction procedure is
designed to yield initial (unrotated) factors that have descending values for the amount
of variance explained (i.e., the first factor will have the largest eigenvalue and so€on).
Further, following rotation, the factor loadings will generally be quite different from
the unrotated loadings. The unrotated factor loadings (corresponding to the initially
extracted factors) are shown in the component matrix in Table€ 9.4. Note that these
structure coefficients are difficult to interpret as the loadings for the first factor are all
positive and fairly strong whereas the loadings for the second factor are positive and
negative. This pattern is fairly common in multifactor solutions.
A much more interpretable solution, consistent in this case with the item correlations,
is achieved after factor rotation. The Rotated Component Matrix displays the rotated
loadings, and with an orthogonal rotation, the loadings still represent the correlation
between a component and given item. Thus, using the criteria in the previous section
(loadings greater than .40 represent a strong association), we see that the variables
stimulate, challenge, and interest load highly only on factor two and that variables
recognize, appreciate, and compensate load highly only on the other factor. As such, it
is clear that factor two represents the engagement factor, as labeled previously. Factor
one is composed of items where high scores on the factor, given the positive loadings on the important items, are indicative of employees who have high scores on the
items recognize, appreciate, and compensate. Therefore, there is empirical support for
believing that these items tap the degree to which employees feel valued at the workplace. Thus, answering the research questions posed at the beginning of this section,
two factors (an engagement and a valued factor) are strongly related to the set of items,
and each item is related to only one of the factors.
Note also that the values of the structure coefficients in the Rotated Component Matrix
of Table€ 9.4 are characteristic of a specific form of what is called simple structure.
Simple structure is characterized by (1) each observed variable having high loadings
on only some components and (2) each component having multiple high loadings and
the rest of the loadings near zero. Thus, in a multifactor model each factor is defined
by a subset of variables, and each observed variable is related to at least one factor.
With these data, using rotation achieves a very interpretable pattern where each item

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loads on only one factor. Note that while this is often desired because it eases interpretation, simple structure does not require that a given variable load on only one factor.
For example, consider a math problem-solving item on a standardized test. Performance on such an item may be related to examinee reading and math ability. Such
cross-loading associations may be expected in a factor analysis and may represent a
reasonable and interpretable finding. Often, though, in instrument development, such
items are considered to be undesirable and removed from the measuring instrument.
9.7.3 Calculating the Sum of the Squared Loadings and
Communalities From Factor Loadings
Before we consider results from the use of an oblique rotation, we show how the sum
of squared loadings and communalities can be calculated given the item-factor correlations. The sum of squared loadings can be computed by squaring the item-factor correlations for a given factor and summing these squared values for that factor (column).
Table€9.5 shows the rotated loadings from the two-factor solution with an orthogonal
(varimax) rotation from the previous section with the squares to be taken for each
value. As shown in the bottom of the factor column, this value is the sum of squared
loadings for the factor and represents the amount of variance explained by a factor
for the set of items. As such, it is an aggregate measure of the strength of association
between a given factor and set of observed variables. Here it is useful to think of a
given factor as an independent variable explaining variation in a set of responses. Thus,
a low value for the sum of squared loadings suggests that a factor is not strongly related
to the set of observed variables. Recall that such factors (factors 3–6) have already been
removed from this analysis because their eigenvalues were each smaller than€1.
The communalities, on the other hand, as shown in Table€9.5, are computed by summing the squared loadings across each of the factors for a given observed variable
and represent the proportion of variance in a variable that is due to the factors. Thus,
 Table 9.5:╇ Variance Calculations from the Two-Factor Orthogonal€Model
Items
Stimulate
Challenge
Interest
Recognize
Appreciate
Compensate
Sum down the
column

Value factor

.100
.0522
.0522
.8742
.8992
.8632
.1002 + .0522 +
.0522 + .8742 +
.8992 + .8632
Amount of variance = 2.33
(sum of squared
loadings)
2

Engagement factor
.861
.8802
.8512
.0862
.0582
.0622
.8612 + .8802 + .8512 +
.0862 + .0582 + .0622
2

= 2.25

Sum across the
row

Communality

.100 + .861
.0522 + .8802
.0522 + .8512
.8742 + .0862
.8992 + .0582
.8632 + .0622

= .75
= .78
= .73
= .77
= .81
= .75

2

2

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a communality is an aggregate measure of the strength of association between a given
variable and a set of factors. Here, it is useful to think of a given observed variable as
a dependent variable and the factors as independent variables, with the communality
representing the r-square (or squared multiple correlation) from a regression equation with the factors as predictors. Thus, a low communality value suggests that an
observed variable is not related to any of the factors. Here, all variables are strongly
related to the factors, as the factors account for (minimally) 73% of the variance in the
Interest variable and up to 81% of the variance in the Appreciate variable.
Variables with low communalities would likely not be related to any factor (which
would also then be evident in the loading matrix), and on that basis would not be used
to interpret a factor. In instrument development, such items would likely be dropped
from the instrument and/or undergo subsequent revision. Note also that communalities
do not change with rotation, that is, these values are the same pre- and post-rotation.
Thus, while rotation changes the values of factor loadings (to improve interpretability)
and the amount of variance that is due to a given factor, rotation does not change the
values of the communalities and the total amount of variance explained by both factors.
9.7.4╇A€Two-Factor Correlated Model Using Principal
Components€Extraction
The final illustrative analysis we consider with the work-related variables presents results
for a two-factor model that allows factors to be correlated. By using a varimax rotation, as
we did in section€9.7.2, the factors were constrained to be completely uncorrelated. However, assuming the labels we have given to the factors (engagement and feeling valued in
the workplace) are reasonable, you might believe that these factors are positively related.
If you wish to estimate the correlation among factors, an oblique type of rotation must be
used. Note that using an oblique rotation does not force the factors to be correlated but
rather allows this correlation to be nonzero. The oblique rotation used here is direct quartimin, which is also known as direct oblimin when the parameter that controls the degree
of correlation (called delta or tau) is at its recommended default value of zero. This oblique
rotation method is commonly used. For this example, the same three research questions
that appeared in section€9.7.2 are of interest, but we are now interested in an additional
research question: What is the direction and magnitude of the factor correlation?
Selected analysis results for these data are shown in Table€ 9.6. As in section€ 9.7.2,
examining the initial eigenvalues suggests, applying Kaiser’s rule, that two factors
are strongly related to the set of items, and inspecting the scree plot provides support
for this solution. Note though the values in Table€9.6 under the headings Initial Eigenvalues and Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings are identical to those provided in
Table€ 9.4 even though we have requested an oblique rotation. The reason for these
identical results is that the values shown under these headings are from a model where
the factors have not been rotated. Thus, using various rotation methods does not affect
the eigenvalues that are used to determine the number of important factors present in
the data. After the factors have been rotated, the sums of squared loadings associated

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with each factor are located under the heading Rotation Sums of Squared Loadings.
Like the loadings for the orthogonal solution, these sums of squared loadings are more
similar for the two factors than before rotation. However, unlike the values for the
orthogonal rotation, these post-rotation values cannot be meaningfully summed to provide a total amount of variance explained by the two factors, as such total variance
obtained by this sum would now include the overlapping (shared) variance between
factors. (Note that the total amount of variance explained by the two factors remains
2.652 + 1.934€=€4.586.) The post-rotation sum of squared loadings can be used, though,
 Table 9.6:╇ Selected Analysis Results Using Oblique Rotation and Principal
Components Extraction
Total variance explained

Initial eigenvalues

Extraction sums of squared
loadings

Rotation
sums of
squared
loadingsa

Component

Total

% of
Variance

Cumulative
%
Total

% of
Variance

Cumulative
%
Total

1
2
3
4
5
6

2.652
1.934
.417
.384
.341
.271

44.205
32.239
6.954
6.408
5.683
4.511

44.205
76.445
83.398
89.806
95.489
100.000

44.205
32.239

44.205
76.445

2.652
1.934

2.385
2.312

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.
a
When components are correlated, sums of squared loadings cannot be added to obtain a total variance.
Scree Plot

3.0

Eigenvalue

2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
1

2

3
4
Component Number

5

6

(Continued )

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 Table€9.6:╇ (Continued)
Pattern matrix

Structure matrix
Component

Stimulate
Challenge
Interest
Recognize
Appreciate
Compensate

1

2

.033
−.017
−.015
.875
.902
.866

.861
.884
.855
.018
−.012
−.005

Component

Stimulate
Challenge
Interest
Recognize
Appreciate
Compensate

1

2

.167
.120
.118
.878
.900
.865

.867
.882
.853
.154
.128
.129

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.
Rotation Method: Oblimin with Kaiser
�Normalization.

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.
Rotation Method: Oblimin with Kaiser
�Normalization.

Component correlation matrix
Component

1

2

1
2

1.000
.155

.155
1.000

to make a rough comparison of the relative importance of each factor. Here, given that
three items load on each factor, and that the each factor has similarly large and similarly small loadings, each factor is about the same in importance.
As noted in section€9.4.2, with an oblique rotation, two types of matrices are provided.
Table€9.6 shows the pattern matrix, containing values analogous to standardized partial
regression coefficients, and the structure matrix, containing the correlation between
the factors and each observed variable. As noted, using pattern coefficients to interpret
factors is more consistent with an oblique rotation. Further, using the pattern coefficients often provides for a clearer picture of the factors (enhanced simple structure).
In this case, using either matrix leads to the same conclusion as the items stimulate,
challenge, and interest are related strongly (pattern coefficient >. 40) to only one factor
and the items recognize, appreciate, and compensate are related strongly only to the
other factor.
Another new piece of information provided by use of the oblique rotation is the factor
correlation. Here, Table€ 9.6 indicates a positive but not strong association of .155.
Given that the factors are not highly correlated, the orthogonal solution would not be
unreasonable to use here, although a correlation of this magnitude (i.e., > |.10|) can be
considered as small but meaningful (Cohen, 1988).

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Thus, addressing the research questions for this example, two factors are important
in explaining variation in the set of items. Further, inspecting the values of the pattern coefficients suggested that each item is related to only its hypothesized factor.
Using an oblique rotation to estimate the correlation between factors, we found that
the two factors—engagement and feeling valued in the workplace—are positively but
modestly correlated at 0.16.
Before proceeding to the next section, we wish to make a few additional points. Nunnally (1978, pp.€ 433–436) indicated several ways in which one can be fooled by factor analysis. One point he made that we wish to comment on is that of ignoring the
simple correlations among the variables after the factors have been derived—that
is, not checking the correlations among the variables that have been used to define a
factor—to see if there is communality among them in the simple sense. As Nunnally noted, in some cases, variables used to define a factor may have simple correlations near zero. For our example this is not the case. Examination of the simple
correlations in Table€9.3 for the three variables used to define factor 1 shows that the correlations are fairly strong. The same is true for the observed variables used to define factor€2.
9.8╇ THE COMMUNALITY€ISSUE
With principal components extraction, we simply transform the original variables into
linear combinations of these variables, and often a limited number of these combinations (i.e., the components or factors) account for most of the total variance. Also, we
use 1s in the diagonal of the correlation matrix. Factor analysis using other extraction
methods differs from principal components extraction in two ways: (1) the hypothetical factors that are derived in pure or common factor analysis can only be estimated
from the original variables whereas with principal components extraction, because the
components are specific linear combinations, no estimate is involved; and (2) numbers
less than 1, the communalities, are put in the main diagonal of the correlation matrix in
common factor analysis. A€relevant question is: Will different factors emerge if communalities (e.g., the squared multiple correlation of each variable with all the others)
are placed in the main diagonal?
The following quotes from five different sources give a pretty good sense of what might
be expected in practice under some conditions. Cliff (1987) noted that “the choice of
common factors or components methods often makes virtually no difference to the
conclusions of a study” (p.€349). Guadagnoli and Velicer (1988) cited several studies
by Velicer et€al. that “have demonstrated that principal components solutions differ
little from the solutions generated from factor analysis methods” (p.€266). Harman
(1967) stated, “as a saving grace, there is much evidence in the literature that for all
but very small data sets of variables, the resulting factorial solutions are little affected
by the particular choice of communalities in the principal diagonal of the correlation
matrix” (p.€83). Nunnally (1978) noted, “it is very safe to say that if there are as many
as 20 variables in the analysis, as there are in nearly all exploratory factor analysis, then

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it does not matter what one puts in the diagonal spaces” (p.€418). Gorsuch (1983) took
a somewhat more conservative position: “If communalities are reasonably high (e.g.,
.7 and up), even unities are probably adequate communality estimates in a problem
with more than 35 variables” (p.€108). A€general, somewhat conservative conclusion
from these is that when the number of variables is moderately large (say > 30), and
the analysis contains virtually no variables expected to have low communalities (e.g.,
.4), then practically any of the factor procedures will lead to the same interpretations.
On the other hand, principal components and common factor analysis may provide
different results when the number of variables is fairly small (< 20), and some communalities are low. Further, Fabrigar and Wegener (2012) state, despite the Nunnally
assertion described earlier, that these conditions (relatively low communalities and a
small number of observed variables or loadings on a factor) are not that unusual for
social science research. For this reason alone, you may wish to use a common factor
analysis method instead of, or along with, principal components extraction. Further, as
we discuss later, the common factor analysis method is conceptually more appropriate
when you hypothesize that latent variables are present. As such, we now consider the
common factor analysis model.
9.9╇ THE FACTOR ANALYSIS€MODEL
As mentioned, factor analysis using principal components extraction may provide similar results to other factor extraction methods. However, the principal components and
common factor model, discussed later, have some fundamental differences and may
at times lead to different results. We briefly highlight the key differences between
the principal component and common factor models and point out general conditions
where use of the common factor model may have greater appeal. A€key difference
between the two models has to do with the goal of the analysis. The goal of principal
component analysis is to obtain a relatively small number of variates (linear combinations of variables) that account for as much variance in the set of variables as
possible. In contrast, the goal of common factor analysis is to obtain a relatively small
number of latent variables that account for the maximum amount of covariation in a
set of observed variables. The classic example of this latter situation is when you are
developing an instrument to measure a psychological attribute (e.g., motivation) and
you write items that are intended to tap the unobservable latent variable (motivation).
The common factor analysis model assumes that respondents with an underlying high
level of motivation will respond similarly across the set of motivation items (e.g., have
high scores across such items) because these items are caused by a common factor
(here motivation). Similarly, respondents who have low motivation will provide generally low responses across the same set of items, again due to the common underlying
factor. Thus, if you assume that unobserved latent variables are causing individuals
to respond in predictable ways across a set of items (or observed variables), then the
common factor model is conceptually better suited than use of principal components
for this purpose.

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A visual display of the key elements of a factor analysis model helps further highlight
differences between the common factor and principal component models. Figure€9.1
is a hypothesized factor analysis model using the previous example involving the
work-related variables. The ovals at the bottom of Figure€ 9.1 represent the hypothesized “engagement” and “valued” constructs or latent variables. As shown by the
single-headed arrows, these constructs, which are unobservable, are hypothesized to
cause responses in the indicators (the engagement items, E1–E3, and the value items,
V1–V3). Contrary to that shown in Figure€9.1, note that in exploratory factor analysis, each construct is assumed to linearly impact each of the observed variables.
That is, arrows would appear from the engagement oval to each of the value variables
(V1–V3) and from the valued oval to variables E1–E3. In exploratory factor analysis such cross-loadings cannot be set a priori to zero. So, the depiction in Figure€9.1
represents the researcher’s hypothesis of interest. If this hypothesis is correct, these
undepicted cross-loadings would be essentially zero. Note also that the double-headed
curved arrow linking the two constructs at the bottom of Figure€9.1 means that the constructs are assumed to be correlated. As such, an oblique rotation that allows for such a
correlation would be used. Further, the ovals at the top of Figure€9.1 represent unique
variance that affects each observed variable. This unique variance, according to the
factor analysis model, is composed of two entities: systematic variance that is inherent
or specific to a given indicator (e.g., due to the way an item is presented or written)
and variance due to random measurement error. Note that in the factor analysis model
this unique variance (composed of these two entities) is removed from the observed
variables (i.e., removed from E1, E2, and so€on).

 Figure 9.1:╇ A€hypothesized factor analysis model with three engagement (E1–E3) and three
value items (V1–V3).
Ue1

Ue2

Ue3

Uv1

Uv2

Uv3

E1

E2

E3

V1

V2

V3

Engagement

Valued

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So, how does this depiction compare to the principal components model? First, the
principal components model does not acknowledge the presence of the unique variances associated with the items as shown in the top of Figure€9.1. Thus, the principal
components model assumes that there is no random measurement error and no specific
variance associated with each indicator. As such, in the principal components model,
all variation associated with a given variable is included in the analysis. In contrast,
in common factor analysis, only the variation that is shared or is in common among
the indicators (assumed to be in common or shared because of underlying factors)
can be impacted by the latent variables. This common variance is referred to as the
communality, which is often measured initially by the proportion of variance in an
observed variable that is common to all of the other observed variables. When the
unique variance is small (or the communalities are high), as noted, factor analysis and
the principal components method may well lead to the same analysis results because
they are both analyzing essentially the same variance (i.e., the common variance and
total variable variance are almost the same).
Another primary difference between factor and principal components analysis is the
assumed presence of latent variables in the factor analysis model. In principal components, the composite variables (the components) are linear combinations of observed
variables and are not considered to be latent variables, but instead are weighted sums of
the observed variables. In contrast, the factor analysis model, with the removal of the
unique variance, assumes that latent variables are present and underlie (as depicted in
Figure€9.1) responses to the indicators. Thus, if you are attempting to identify whether
latent variables underlie responses to observed variables and explain why observed
variables are associated (as when developing a measuring instrument or attempting to
develop theoretical constructs from a set of observed variables), the exploratory factor
analysis model is consistent with the latent variable hypothesis and is, theoretically, a
more suitable analysis model.
Also, a practical difference between principal components and common factor analysis is the possibility that in common factor analysis unreasonable parameter estimates may be obtained (such as communalities estimated to be one or greater). Such
occurrences, called Heywood cases, may be indicative of a grossly misspecified factor
analysis model (too many or too few factors), an overly small sample size, or data that
are inconsistent with the assumptions of exploratory factor analysis. On the positive
side, then, Heywood cases could have value in alerting you to potential problems with
the model or€data.
9.10╇ ASSUMPTIONS FOR COMMON FACTOR ANALYSIS
Now that we have discussed the factor analysis model, we should make apparent the
assumptions underlying the use of common factor analysis. First, as suggested by Figure€9.1, the factors are presumed to underlie or cause responses among the observed
variables. The observed variables are then said to be “effect” or “reflective” indicators.

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This presumed causal direction is the reason why observed variables that are caused
by a common factor should be fairly highly correlated. While this causal direction
may be reasonable for many situations, indicators are sometimes thought to cause
changes in the factors. For example, it may be reasonable to assume indicators of
socioeconomic status (SES, such as income or salary) are causally related to an SES
factor, with increases in the observed indicators (e.g., inheriting a fortune) causing an
increase in the SES construct. Common factor analysis is not intended for such causal
or formative-indicator models. Having a good conceptual understanding of the variables being studied will help you determine if it is believable that observed variables are
effect indicators. Further discussion of causal indicator and other related models can
be found in, for example, Bollen and Bauldry (2011).
A second assumption of the factor analysis model is that the factors and observed
variables are linearly related. Given that factors are unobservable, this assumption is
difficult to assess. However, there are two things worth keeping in mind regarding the
linearity assumption. First, factor analysis results that are not meaningful (i.e., uninterpretable factors) may be due to nonlinearity. In such a case, if other potential causes
are ruled out, such as obtaining too few factors, it may be possible to use data transformations on the observed variables to obtain more sensible results. Second, considering the measurement properties of the observed variables can help us determine if
linearity is reasonable to assume. For example, observed variables that are categorical or strictly ordinal in nature are generally problematic for standard factor analysis
because linearity presumes an approximate equal interval between scale values. That
is, the interpretation of a factor loading—a 1-unit change in the factor producing a certain unit change in a given observed variable—is not meaningful without, at least, an
approximate equal interval. With such data, factor analysis is often implemented with
structural equation modeling or other specialized software to take into account these
measurement properties. Note that Likert-scaled items are, perhaps, often considered
to operate in the gray area between the ordinal and interval property and are sometimes
said to have a quasi-interval like property. Floyd and Widamen (1995) state that standard factor analysis often performs well with such scales, especially those having five
to seven response options.
Another assumption for common factor analysis is that there is no perfect multicollinearity present among the observed variables. This situation is fairly straightforward
to diagnose with the collinearity diagnostics discussed in this book. Note that this
assumption implies that a given observed variable is not a linear sum or composite of
other variables involved in the factor analysis. If a composite variable (i.e., y3€=€y1 +
y2) and its determinants (i.e., y1, y2) were included in the analysis, software programs
would typically provide an error message indicating the correlation matrix is not positive definite, with no further results being provided.
An assumption that is NOT made when principal components or principal axis factoring is used is multivariate or univariate normality. Given that these two procedures are almost always implemented without estimating standard errors or using

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statistical inference, there is no assumption that the observed variables follow
a multivariate or univariate normal distribution. Note though that related to the
quasi-interval measurement property just discussed, more replicable factor analysis
results are generally obtained when scores do not deviate grossly from a normal
distribution.
One important nonstatistical consideration has to do with the variables included in
the factor analysis. The variables selected should be driven by the constructs one is
hypothesizing to be present. If constructs are poorly defined or if the observed variables poorly represent a construct of interest, then factor analysis results may not be
meaningful. As such, hypothesized factors may not emerge or may only be defined by
a single indicator.
9.11╇DETERMINING HOW MANY FACTORS ARE PRESENT WITH
PRINCIPAL AXIS FACTORING
In this section, we discuss criteria for determining the number of factors in exploratory factor analysis given the use of principal axis factoring. Principal axis factoring
is a factor extraction method suitable for the common factor model. While there are
several methods that can be used to extract factors in exploratory factor analysis, some
of which are somewhat better at approximating the observed variable correlations,
principal axis factoring is a readily understood and commonly used method. Further,
principal axis factoring has some advantages relative to other extraction methods, as it
does not assume multivariate normality and is not as likely to run into estimation problems as is, for example, maximum likelihood extraction (Fabrigar€& Wegener, 2012).
As mentioned, mathematically, the key difference between principal components and
principal axis factoring is that in the latter estimates of communalities replace the 1s
used in the diagonal of the correlation matrix. This altered correlation matrix, with
estimated communalities in the diagonal, is often referred to as the reduced correlation
matrix.
While the analysis procedures associated with principal axis factoring are very similar
to those used with principal components extraction, the use of the reduced correlation
matrix complicates somewhat the issue of using empirical indicators to determine the
number of factors present. Recall that with principal components extraction, the use of
Kaiser’s rule (eigenvalues > 1) to identify the number of factors is based on the idea
that a given factor, if important, ought to account for at least as much as the variance
of a given observed variable. However, in common factor analysis, the variance of
the observed variables that is used in the analysis excludes variance unique to each
variable. As such, the observed variable variance included in the analysis is smaller
when principal axis factoring is used. Kaiser’s rule, then, as applied to the reduced
correlation matrix is overly stringent and may lead to overlooking important factors.
Further, no similar rule (eigenvalues > 1) is generally used for the eigenvalues from
the reduced correlation matrix.

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Thus, the multiple criteria used in factor analysis to identify the number of important
factors are somewhat different from those used with the principal components method.
Following the suggestion in Preacher and MacCallum (2003), we will still rely on
Kaiser’s rule except that this rule will be applied to the matrix used with principal components extraction, the unreduced correlation matrix—that is, the unaltered or conventional correlation matrix of the observed variables with 1s on the diagonal. Even
though this correlation matrix is not used in common factor analysis, Preacher and
MacCallum note that this procedure may identify the proper number of factors (especially when communalities are high) and is reasonable to use provided other criteria
are used to identify the number of factors. Second, although the application of Kaiser’s
rule is not appropriate for the reduced correlation matrix, you can still examine the
scree plot of the eigenvalues obtained from use of the reduced correlation matrix to
identify the number of factors. Third, parallel analysis based on the reduced correlation
matrix can be used to identify the number of factors. Note that the eigenvalues from
the reduced correlation matrix are readily obtained with the use of SAS software, but
SPSS does not, at present, provide these eigenvalues. Further, neither software program provides the eigenvalues for the parallel analysis procedure. The eigenvalues
from the reduced correlation matrix as well as the eigenvalues produced via the parallel analysis procedure can be obtained using syntax found in Fabrigar and Wegener
(2012). Further, the publisher’s website for that text currently provides the needed
syntax in electronic form, which makes it easier to implement these procedures. Also,
as before, we will consider the meaningfulness of any retained factors as an important
criterion. This interpretation depends on the pattern of factor loadings as well as, for
an oblique rotation, the correlation among the factors.
9.12╇EXPLORATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS EXAMPLE WITH
PRINCIPAL AXIS FACTORING
We now present an example using exploratory factor analysis with principal axis factoring. In this example, the observed variables are items from a measure of test anxiety
known as the Reactions to Tests (RTT) scale. The RTT questionnaire was developed
by Sarason (1984) to measure the four hypothesized dimensions of worry, tension,
test-irrelevant thinking, and bodily symptoms. The summary data (i.e., correlations)
used here are drawn from a study of the scale by Benson and Bandalos (1992), who
used confirmatory factor analysis procedures. Here, we suppose that there has been
no prior factor analytic work with this scale (as when the scale is initially developed),
which makes exploratory factor analysis a sensible choice. For simplicity, only three
items from each scale are used. Each item has the same four Likert-type response
options, with larger score values indicating greater tension, worry, and so on. In this
example, data are collected from 318 participants, which, assuming at least moderate
communalities, is a sufficiently large sample€size.
The hypothesized factor model is shown in Figure€9.2. As can be seen from the figure,
each of the three items for each scale is hypothesized to load only on the scale it was

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written to measure (which is typical for an instrument development context), and the
factors are hypothesized to correlate with each other. The 12 ovals in the top of the
figure (denoted by U1, U2, and so on) represent the unique variance associated with
each indicator, that is, the variance in a given item that is not due to the presumed
underlying latent variable. Given the interest in determining if latent variables underlie
responses to the 12 items (i.e., account for correlations across items), a common factor
analysis is suitable.
9.12.1 Preliminary Analysis
Table€9.7 shows the correlations for the 12 items. Examining these correlations suggests that the associations are fairly strong within each set and weaker across the sets
(e.g., strong correlations among the tension items, among the worry items, and so on,
but not across the different sets). The exception occurs with the body items, which
have reasonably strong correlations with other body items but appear to be somewhat
similarly correlated with the tension items. The correlation matrix suggests multiple
factors are present but it is not clear if four distinct factors are present. Also, note that
correlations are positive as expected, and several correlations exceed a magnitude of
.30, which supports the use of factor analysis.
We do not have the raw data and cannot perform other preliminary analysis activities, but we can describe the key activities. Histograms (or other plots) of the scores
of each item and associated z-scores should be examined to search for outlying
values. Item means and standard deviations should also be computed and examined
to see if they are reasonable values. All possible bivariate scatterplots could also
be examined to check for bivariate outliers, although this becomes less practical as
the number of item increases. Further, the data set should be inspected for missing
data. Note that if it were reasonable to assume that data are missing at random,
use of the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm can be an effective missing
data analysis strategy, given that no hypothesis testing is conducted (i.e., no standard errors need to be estimated). Further, multicollinearity diagnostics should be

 Figure 9.2:╇ Four-factor test anxiety model with three indicators per factor.
U1

U2

U3

U4

U5

U6

U7

U8

U9

U10

U11

U12

Ten1

Ten2

Ten3

Wor1

Wor2

Wor3

Tirt1

Tirt2

Tirt3

Body1

Body2

Body3

Tension

Worry

Testirrelevant
thinking

Bodily
symptoms

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 Table 9.7:╇ Item Correlations for the Reactions-to-Tests€Scale
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Ten1 1.000
Ten2
.657 1.000
Ten3
.652 .660 1.000
Wor1
.279 .338 .300 1.000
Wor2
.290 .330 .350 .644 1.000
Wor3
.358 .462 .440 .659 .566 1.000
Tirt1
.076 .093 .120 .317 .313 .367 1.000
Tirt2
.003 .035 .097 .308 .305 .329 .612 1.000
Tirt3
.026 .100 .097 .305 .339 .313 .674 .695 1.000
Body1 .287 .312 .459 .271 .307 .351 .122 .137 .185 1.000
Body2 .355 .377 .489 .261 .277 .369 .196 .191 .197 .367 1.000
Body3 .441 .414 .522 .320 .275 .383 .170 .156 .101 .460 .476 1.000

examined, as estimation with principal axis factoring will fail if there is perfect
multicollinearity.
Note also that you can readily obtain values for the Mahalanobis distance (to identify
potential multivariate outliers) and variance inflation factors (to determine if excessive
multicollinearity is present) from SPSS and SAS. To do this, use the regression package of the respective software program and regress ID or case number (a meaningless
dependent variable) on the variables used in the factor analysis. Be sure to request
values for the Mahalanobis distance and variance inflation factors, as these values will
then appear in your data set and/or output. See sections€3.7 and 3.14.6 for a discussion
of the Mahalanobis distance and variance inflation factors, respectively. Sections€9.14
and 9.15 present SPSS and SAS instructions for factor analysis.
9.12.2 Primary Analysis
Given that a four-factor model is hypothesized, we begin by requesting a four-factor
solution from SPSS (and SAS) using principal axis factoring with an oblique rotation,
which allows us to estimate the correlations among the factors. The oblique rotation
we selected is the commonly used direct quartimin. The software output shown next is
mostly from SPSS, which we present here because of the somewhat more complicated
nature of results obtained with the use of this program. Table€9.8 presents the eigenvalues SPSS provides when running this factor analysis. The initial eigenvalues on the left
side of Table€9.8 are those obtained with a principal components solution (because that
is what SPSS reports), that is, from the correlation matrix with 1s in the diagonal. While
this is not the most desirable matrix to use when using principal axis factoring (which
uses communalities on the diagonal), we noted previously that Kaiser’s rule, which
should not be applied to the reduced matrix, can at times identify the correct number
of factors when applied to the standard correlation matrix. Here, applying Kaiser’s rule

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suggests the presence of three factors, as the eigenvalues associated with factors 1–3
are each larger than 1. Note though that under the heading Extraction Sums of Squared
Loadings four factors are extracted, as we asked SPSS to disregard Kaiser’s rule and
simply extract four factors. Note that the values under the extracted heading are the
sum of squared loadings obtained via principal axis factoring prior to rotation, while
those in the final column are the sum of squared loadings after factor rotation. Neither
of these latter estimates are the initial or preliminary eigenvalues from the reduced correlation matrix that are used to identify (or help validate) the number of factors present.
In addition to Kaiser’s rule, a second criterion we use to identify if the hypothesized
four-factor model is empirically supported is to obtain the initial eigenvalues from the
reduced matrix and examine a scree plot associated with these values. In SAS, these
values would be obtained when you request extraction with principal axis factoring.
With SPSS, these initial eigenvalues are currently not part of the standard output, as
we have just seen, but can be obtained by using syntax mentioned previously and provided in Fabrigar and Wegener (2012). These eigenvalues are shown on the left side
of Table€9.9. Note that, as discussed previously, it is not appropriate to apply Kaiser’s

 Table 9.8:╇ Eigenvalues and Sum-of-Squared Loadings Obtained from SPSS for the
Four-Factor€Model
Total variance explained

Initial eigenvalues
Factor

Total

% of
�Variance

Cumulative
%

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

4.698
2.241
1.066
.850
.620
.526
.436
.385
.331
.326
.278
.243

39.149
18.674
8.886
7.083
5.167
4.381
3.636
3.210
2.762
2.715
2.314
2.024

39.149
57.823
66.709
73.792
78.959
83.339
86.975
90.186
92.947
95.662
97.976
100.000

Extraction sums of squared
loadings

Rotation
sums of
squared
loadingsa

Total

% of
Variance

Cumulative
%

Total

4.317
1.905
.720
.399

35.972
15.875
5.997
3.322

35.972
51.848
57.845
61.168

3.169
2.610
3.175
3.079

Extraction Method: Principal Axis Factoring.
a
When factors are correlated, sums of squared loadings cannot be added to obtain a total variance.

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rule to these eigenvalues, but it is appropriate to inspect a scree plot of these values,
which is shown in Table€9.9. Note that this scree plot of initial eigenvalues from the
reduced correlation matrix would not be produced by SPSS, as it produces a scree plot
of the eigenvalues associated with the standard or unreduced correlation matrix. So,
with SPSS, you need to request a scatterplot (i.e., outside of the factor analysis procedure) with the initial eigenvalues from the reduced correlation matrix appearing on
the vertical axis and the factor number on the horizontal axis. This scatterplot, shown
in Table€9.9, appears to indicate the presence of at least two factors and possibly up to
 Table 9.9:╇ Eigenvalues From Principal Axis Extraction and Parallel Process Analysis
Raw Data Eigenvalues From
Reduced Correlation Matrix
Root
Eigen.
1.000000
4.208154
2.000000
1.790534
3.000000
.577539
4.000000
.295796
5.000000
.014010
6.000000
-.043518
7.000000
-.064631
8.000000
-.087582
9.000000
-.095449
10.000000
-.156846
11.000000
-.169946
12.000000
-.215252

Random Data Eigenvalues From
Parallel Analysis
Root
Means
1.000000
.377128
2.000000
.288660
3.000000
.212321
4.000000
.150293
5.000000
.098706
6.000000
.046678
7.000000
-.006177
8.000000
-.050018
9.000000
-.099865
10.000000
-.143988
11.000000
-.194469
12.000000
-.249398

Prcntyle
.464317
.356453
.260249
.188854
.138206
.082671
.031410
-.015718
-.064311
-.112703
-.160554
-.207357

5.0

Eigenvalue

4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
–1.0
0

2

4

6
Factor

8

10

12

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Exploratory Factor Analysis

four factors, as there is a bit of a drop after the fourth factor, with the plot essentially
leveling off completely after the fourth factor. As mentioned previously, use of this
plot can be somewhat subjective.
A third criterion that we use to help us assess if the four-factor model is reasonable
involves parallel analysis. Recall that with use of parallel analysis a set of eigenvalues
is obtained from replicated random datasets (100 used in this example), and these
values are compared to the eigenvalues from the data set being analyzed (here, the
initial eigenvalues from the reduced matrix). Table€ 9.9 shows the eigenvalues from
the reduced matrix on the left side. The right side of the table shows the mean eigenvalue as well as the value at the 95th percentile for each factor from the 100 replicated
random data sets. Note that the first eigenvalue from the analyzed factor model (4.21)
is greater than the mean eigenvalue (.377), as well as the value at the 95th percentile
(.464) for the corresponding factor from parallel analysis. The same holds for factors two through four but not for factor five. Thus, use of parallel analysis supports
a four-factor solution, as the variation associated with the first four factors is greater
than variation expected by chance. (Note that is common to obtain negative eigenvalues when the reduced correlation matrix is analyzed. The factors associated with such
eigenvalues are obviously not important.)
Before we consider the factor loadings and correlations to see if the four factors are
interpreted as hypothesized, we consider the estimated communalities, which are
shown in Table€9.10, and indicate the percent of item variance explained by the four
extracted factors. An initial communality (a best guess) is the squared multiple correlation between a given item and all other items, whereas the values in the extraction column represent the proportion of variance in each item that is due to the four extracted
factors obtained from the factor model. Inspecting the extracted communalities suggests that each item is at least moderately related to the set of factors. As such, we
would expect that each item will have reasonably high loadings on at least one factor.
Although we do not show the communalities as obtained via SAS, note that SPSS and
SAS provide identical values for the communalities. Note also, as shown in the seventh
column of Table€9.8, that the four factors explain 61% of the variance in the items.
Table€9.11 shows the pattern coefficients, structure coefficients, and the estimated correlations among the four factors. Recall that the pattern coefficients are preferred over
the structure coefficients for making factor interpretations given the use of an oblique
rotation. Inspecting the pattern coefficients and applying a value of |.40| to identify
important item-factor associations lends support to the hypothesized four-factor solution. That is, factor 1 is defined by the body items, factor 2 by the test-irrelevant thinking items, factor 3 by the worry items, and factor 4 by the tension items. Note the
inverse association among the items and factors for factors 3 and 4. For example, for
factor 3, participants scoring higher on the worry items (greater worry) have lower
scores on the factor. Thus, higher scores on factor three reflect reduced anxiety (less
worry) related to tests whereas higher scores on factor 2 are suggestive of greater anxiety (greater test-irrelevant thinking).

 Table 9.10:╇ Item Communalities for the Four-Factor€Model
Communalities

TEN1
TEN2
TEN3
WOR1
WOR2
WOR3
IRTHK1
IRTHK2
IRTHK3
BODY1
BODY2
BODY3

Initial

Extraction

.532
.561
.615
.552
.482
.565
.520
.542
.606
.322
.337
.418

.636
.693
.721
.795
.537
.620
.597
.638
.767
.389
.405
.543

Extraction Method: Principal Axis Factoring.

 Table 9.11:╇ Pattern, Structure, and Correlation Matrices From the Four-Factor€Model
Pattern matrixa
Factor

TEN1
TEN2
TEN3
WOR1
WOR2
WOR3
IRTHK1
IRTHK2
IRTHK3
BODY1
BODY2
BODY3

1

2

3

4

.022
−.053
.361
−.028
.028
.110
−.025
.066
−.038
.630
.549
.710

−.027
.005
.005
−.056
.071
.087
.757
.776
.897
−.014
.094
−.034

−.003
−.090
.041
−.951
−.659
−.605
−.039
−.021
.030
−.068
.027
−.014

−.783
−.824
−.588
.052
−.049
−.137
−.033
.094
−.027
.061
−.102
−.042

Extraction Method: Principal Axis Factoring.
Rotation Method: Oblimin with Kaiser Normalization.
a
Rotation converged in 8 iterations.

(Continued )

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Exploratory Factor Analysis

 Table€9.11:╇ (Continued)
Structure matrix
Factor

TEN1
TEN2
TEN3
WOR1
WOR2
WOR3
IRTHK1
IRTHK2
IRTHK3
BODY1
BODY2
BODY3

1

2

3

4

.529
.532
.727
.400
.411
.527
.227
.230
.214
.621
.628
.735

.047
.102
.135
.376
.390
.411
.771
.796
.875
.187
.242
.173

−.345
−.426
−.400
−.888
−.728
−.761
−.394
−.375
−.381
−.351
−.337
−.373

−.797
−.829
−.806
−.341
−.362
−.481
−.097
−.023
−.064
−.380
−.457
−.510

Extraction Method: Principal Axis Factoring.
Rotation Method: Oblimin with Kaiser Normalization.

Factor correlation matrix
Factor

1

2

3

4

1
2
3
4

1.000
.278
−.502
−.654

.278
1.000
−.466
−.084

−.502
−.466
1.000
.437

−.654
−.084
.437
1.000

Extraction Method: Principal Axis Factoring.
Rotation Method: Oblimin with Kaiser Normalization.

These factor interpretations are important when you examine factor correlations,
which are shown in Table€ 9.11. Given these interpretations, the factor correlations
seem sensible and indicate that factors are in general moderately correlated. One
exception to this pattern is the correlation between factors 2 (test irrelevant thinking)
and 4 (tension), where the correlation is near zero. We note that the near-zero correlation between test-irrelevant thinking and tension is not surprising, as other studies
have found the test-irrelevant thinking factor to be the most distinct of the four factors.
A€second possible exception to the moderate correlation pattern is the fairly strong
association between factors 1 (body) and 4 (tension). This fairly high correlation might
suggest to some that these factors may not be that distinct. Recall that we made a similar observation when we examined the correlations among the observed variables, and
that applying Kaiser’s rule supported the presence of three factors.

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Thus, to explore this issue further, you could estimate a factor model requesting software to extract three factors. You can then inspect the pattern coefficients and factor
correlations to determine if the three-factor solution seems meaningful. When we did
this, we found that the body and tensions items loaded only on one factor, the worry
items loaded only on a second factor, and the test-irrelevant thinking items loaded only
on a third factor. Further, the factor correlations were reasonable. Thus, assuming that
it is reasonable to consider that the tension and body items reflect a single factor, there
is support for both the three- and four-factor models. In such a case, a researcher might
present both sets of results and/or offer arguments for why one solution would be
preferred over another. For example, Sarason (1984, p.€937) preferred the four-factor
model stating that it allowed for a more fine-grained analysis of test anxiety. Alternatively, such a finding, especially in the initial stages of instrument development, might
compel researchers to reexamine the tension and body items and possibly rewrite them
to make them more distinct. It is also possible that this finding is sample specific and
would not appear in a subsequent study. Further research with this scale may then be
needed to resolve this issue.
Before proceeding to the next section, we show some selected output for this same
example that is obtained from SAS software. The top part of Table€ 9.12 shows the
preliminary eigenvalues for the four-factor model. These values are the same as those
shown in Table€9.9, which were obtained with SPSS by use of a specialized macro.
A€scree plot of these values, which can readily be obtained in SAS, would essentially be
the same plot as shown in Table€9.9. Note that inspecting the eigenvalues in Table€9.12
indicates a large drop off after factor 2 and somewhat of a drop off after factor 4, possibly then supporting the four-factor solution. The middle part of Table€9.12 shows the
pattern coefficients for this solution. These values have the same magnitude as those
shown in Table€9.11, but note that the signs for the defining coefficients (i.e., pattern
coefficients > |.40|) here are all positive, suggesting that the signs of the coefficients are
somewhat arbitrary and indeed are done for computational convenience by software.
(In fact, within a given column of pattern or structure coefficients, you can reverse all
of the signs if that eases interpretation.) In this case, the positive signs ease factor interpretation because higher scores on each of the four anxiety components reflect greater
anxiety (i.e., greater tension, worrying, test-irrelevant thinking, and bodily symptoms).
Accordingly, all factor correlations, as shown in Table€9.12, are positive.
9.13 FACTOR SCORES
In some research situations, you may, after you have achieved a meaningful factor
solution, wish to estimate factor scores, which are considered as estimates of the true
underlying factor scores, to use for subsequent analyses. Factor scores can be used as
predictors in a regression analysis, dependent variables in a MANOVA or ANOVA, and
so on. For example, after arriving at the four-factor model, Sarason (1984) obtained
scale scores and computed correlations for each of the four subscales of the RTT questionnaire (discussed in section€9.12) and a measure of “cognitive interference” in order

373

 Table 9.12:╇ Selected SAS Output for the Four-Factor€Model
Preliminary Eigenvalues: Total = 6.0528105 Average = 0.50440088

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

Eigenvalue

Difference

Proportion

Cumulative

4.20815429
1.79053420
0.57753939
0.29579639
0.01401025
–.04351826
–.06463103
–.08758203
–.09544946
–.15684578
–.16994562
–.21525183

2.41762010
1.21299481
0.28174300
0.28178614
0.05752851
0.02111277
0.02295100
0.00786743
0.06139632
0.01309984
0.04530621

0.6952
0.2958
0.0954
0.0489
0.0023
–0.0072
–0.0107
–0.0145
–0.0158
–0.0259
–0.0281
–0.0356

0.6952
0.9911
1.0865
1.1353
1.1377
1.1305
1.1198
1.1053
1.0896
1.0636
1.0356
1.0000

Rotated Factor Pattern (Standardized Regression Coefficients)

TEN1
TEN2
TEN3
WOR1
WOR2
WOR3
TIRT1
TIRT2
TIRT3
BODY1
BODY2
BODY3

Factor1

Factor2

Factor3

Factor4

–0.02649
0.00510
0.00509
–0.05582
0.07103
0.08702
0.75715
0.77575
0.89694
–0.01432
0.09430
–0.03364

0.00338
0.09039
–0.04110
0.95101
0.65931
0.60490
0.03878
0.02069
–0.02998
0.06826
–0.02697
0.01416

0.78325
0.82371
0.58802
–0.05231
0.04864
0.13716
0.03331
–0.09425
0.02734
–0.06017
0.10260
0.04294

0.02214
–0.05340
0.36089
–0.02737
0.02843
0.10978
–0.02514
0.06618
–0.03847
0.62960
0.54821
0.70957

Inter-Factor Correlations

Factor1
Factor2
Factor3
Factor4

Factor1

Factor2

Factor3

Factor4

1.00000
0.46647
0.08405
0.27760

0.46647
1.00000
0.43746
0.50162

0.08405
0.43746
1.00000
0.65411

0.27760
0.50162
0.65411
1.00000

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to obtain additional evidence for the validity of the scales. Sarason hypothesized (and
found) that the worry subscale of the RTT is most highly correlated with cognitive
interference.
While several different methods of estimating factor scores are available, two are commonly
used. One method is to estimate factor scores using a regression method. In this method,
regression weights (not the factor loadings) are obtained and factor scores are created by
multiplying each weight by the respective observed variable, which is in z-score form.
For example, for the six work-related variables that appeared in section€9.7, Table€9.13
shows the regression weights that are obtained when you use principal axis factoring
(weights can also be obtained for the principal components method). With these weights,
scores for the first factor (engagement) are formed as follows: Engagement€ =€ .028 ×
zstimulate + .000 × zchallenge + .001 × zinterest + .329 × zrecognize + .463 × zappreciate + .251 × zcompensate.
Scores for the second factor are computed in a similar way by using the weights in the
next column of that table. Note that SPSS and SAS can do these calculations for you and
place the factor scores in your data set (so no manual calculation is required).
A second, and simpler, method to estimate factor scores especially relevant for scale
construction is to sum or average scores across the observed variables that load highly
on a given factor as observed in the pattern matrix. This method is known as unit
weighting because values of 1 are used to weight important variables as opposed to the
exact regression weights used in the foregoing procedure. To illustrate, consider estimating factor or scale scores for the RTT example in section€9.12. For the first factor,
inspecting the pattern coefficients in Table€9.11 indicated that only the bodily symptom
items (Body1, Body2, Body3) are strongly related to that factor. Thus, scores for this
factor can be estimated as Bodily Symptoms€=€1 × Body1 + 1 × Body2 + 1 × Body3,
which, of course, is the same thing as summing across the three items. When variables

 Table 9.13:╇ Factor Score Regression Weights for the Six Work-Related Variables
Factor score coefficient matrix
Factor

Stimulate
Challenge
Interest
Recognize
Appreciate
Compensate
Extraction Method: Principal Axis Factoring.
Rotation Method: Oblimin with Kaiser Normalization.
Factor Scores Method: Regression.

1

2

.028
.000
.001
.329
.463
.251

.338
.431
.278
.021
.006
.005

375

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Exploratory Factor Analysis

are on the same scale, as they often are in an instrument development context, averaging
the scores can be used here as well, which provides for greater meaning because the
score scale of the observed scores and factor scores are the same, making averaging
an appealing option. Note that if the observed variables are not on the same scale, the
observed variables could first be placed in z-score form and then summed (or averaged).
Note that for some factors the defining coefficients may all be negative. In this case,
negative signs can be used to obtain factor scores. For example, scores for factor 4 in
the RTT example, given the signs of the pattern coefficients in Table€9.11, can be computed as Tension€=€−1 × Ten1 − 1 × Ten2 − 1 × Ten3. However, scale scores in this case
will be negative, which is probably not desired. Given that the coefficients are each
negative, here, a more sensible alternative is to simply sum scores across the tension
items ignoring the negative signs. (Remember that it is appropriate to change signs of
the factor loadings within a given column provided that all signs are changed within
that column.) When that is done, higher scale scores reflect greater tension, which is
consistent with the item scores (and with the output produced by SAS in Table€9.12).
Be aware that the signs of the correlations between this factor and all other factors will
be reversed. For example, in Table€9.11, the correlation between factors 1 (body) and 4
(tension) is negative. If scores for the tension items were simply summed or averaged
(as recommended here), this correlation of scale scores would then be positive, indicating that those reporting greater bodily symptoms also report greater tension. For this
example, then, summing or averaging raw scores across items for each subscale would
produce all positive correlations between factors, as likely desired.
You should know that use of different methods to estimate factor scores, including
these two methods, will not produce the same factor scores (which is referred to as factor score indeterminacy), although such scores may be highly correlated. Also, when
factor scores are estimated, the magnitude of the factor correlations as obtained in the
factor analysis (i.e., like those in Table€9.11) will not be the same as those obtained
if you were to compute factor scores and then compute correlations associated with
these estimated scores. One advantage with regression weighting is that its use maximizes the correlation between the underlying factors and the estimated factor scores.
However, use of regression weights to produce factor scores, while optimal for the
sample at hand, do not tend to hold up well in independent samples. As such, simple
unit weighting is often recommended, and studies examining the performance of unit
weighting support its use in estimating factor scores (Fava€& Velicer, 1992; Grice,
2001; Nunnally, 1978). Note also that this issue does not arise with the principal components method. That is, with principal components extraction and when the regression method is used to obtain factor (or component) scores, the obtained factor score
correlations will match those found via the use of principal components extraction.
9.14╇ USING SPSS IN FACTOR ANALYSIS
This section presents SPSS syntax that can be used to conduct a factor analysis with
principal axis extraction. Note that SPSS can use raw data or just the correlations

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obtained from raw data to implement a factor analysis. Typically, you will have raw
data available and will use that in conducting a factor analysis. Table€9.14 shows syntax needed assuming you are using raw data, and Table€9.15 shows syntax that can
be used when you only have a correlation matrix available. Syntax in Table€9.15 will
allow you to duplicate analysis results presented in section€9.12. Section€9.15 presents
the corresponding SAS syntax.
The left side of Table€9.14 shows syntax that can be used when you wish to apply
Kaiser’s rule to help determine the number of factors present. Note that in the second line of the syntax, where the VARIABLES subcommand appears, you simply
list the observed variables from your study (generically listed here as var1, var2,
and so on). For the ANALYSIS subcommand in the next line, you can list the
same variables again or, as shown here, list the first variable name followed by the
word “to” and then the last variable name, assuming that the variables 1–6 appear
in that order in your data set. Further, SPSS will apply Kaiser’s rule to eigenvalues obtained from the unreduced correlation matrix when you specify MINEIGEN(1) after the CRITERIA subcommand in line 5 of the code. As discussed in
sections€9.11 and 9.12, you must use supplemental syntax to obtain eigenvalues
from the reduced correlation matrix, which is desirable when using principal axis
factoring.
In the next line, following the EXTRACTION subcommand, PAF requests SPSS
to use principal axis factoring. (If PC were used instead of PAF, all analysis results
would be based on the use of principal components extraction). After the ROTATION
command, OBLIMIN requests SPSS to use the oblique rotation procedure known as
direct quartimin. Note that replacing OBLIMIN with VARIMAX would direct SPSS
to use the orthogonal rotation varimax. The SAVE subcommand is an optional line that
requests the estimation of factor scores using the regression procedure discussed in

 Table 9.14:╇ SPSS Syntax for Factor Analysis With Principal Axis Extraction
Using€Raw€Data
Using Kaiser’s Rule
FACTOR
/VARIABLES var1 var2 var3 var4 var5
var6
/ANALYSIS var1 to var6
/PRINT INITIAL EXTRACTION ROTATION
/CRITERIA MINEIGEN(1) ITERATE(25)
/EXTRACTION PAF
/CRITERIA ITERATE(25)
/ROTATION OBLIMIN
/SAVE REG(ALL)
/METHOD=CORRELATION.

Requesting Specific Number of Factors
FACTOR
/VARIABLES var1 var2 var3 var4
var5 var6
/ANALYSIS var1 to var6
/PRINT INITIAL EXTRACTION
ROTATION
/CRITERIA FACTORS(2) ITERATE(25)
/EXTRACTION PAF
/CRITERIA ITERATE(25)
/ROTATION OBLIMIN
/SAVE REG(ALL)
/METHOD=CORRELATION.

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section€9.13. The last line directs SPSS to use correlations (as opposed to covariances)
in conducting the factor analysis.
The right side of the Table€ 9.14 shows syntax that can be used when you wish to
extract a specific number of factors (as done in section€9.12) instead of relying, for
example, on Kaiser’s rule to determine the number of factors to be extracted. Note that
the syntax on the right side of the table is identical to that listed on the left except for
line 5 of the syntax. Here, the previously used MINEIGEN(1) has been replaced with
the statement FACTORS(2). The FACTORS(2) statement in line 5 directs SPSS to
extract two factors, regardless of their eigenvalues. FACTORS(3) would direct SPSS
to extract three factors and so on. Note that neither set of syntax requests a scree plot
of eigenvalues. As described, with SPSS, such a plot would use eigenvalues from the
unreduced correlation matrix. When principal axis factoring is used, it is generally
preferred to obtain a plot of the eigenvalues from the reduced correlation matrix.
Table€9.15 shows SPSS syntax that was used to obtain the four-factor solution presented
in section€9.12.2. The first line is an optional title line. The second line, following the
required phrase MATRIX DATA VARIABLES=, lists the 12 observed variables used
in the analysis. The phrase N_SCALER CORR, after the CONTENTS subcommand,
informs SPSS that a correlation matrix is used as entry and that sample size (N) will
be specified prior to the correlation matrix. After the BEGIN DATA command, you
must indicate the sample size for your data (here, 318), and then input the correlation
matrix. After the END DATA code just below the correlation matrix, the FACTOR
MATRIX IN(COR=*) informs SPSS that the factor analysis will use as data the correlation matrix entered earlier. Note that PAF is the extraction method requested, and
that SPSS will extract four factors no matter what the size of the eigenvalues are. Also,
note that the direct quartimin rotation procedure is requested, given that the factors are
hypothesized to be correlated.
9.15 USING SAS IN FACTOR ANALYSIS
This section presents SAS syntax that can be used to conduct factor analysis using
principal axis extraction. Like SPSS, SAS can implement a factor analysis with raw
data or using just the correlations obtained from raw data. Table€9.16 shows syntax
assuming you are using raw data, and Table€9.17 shows syntax that can be used when
you only have a correlation matrix available. Syntax in Table€9.17 will allow you to
duplicate analysis results presented in section€9.12.
The left side of Table€9.16 shows syntax that can be used when you wish to apply Kaiser’s rule to help determine the number of factors present. The syntax assumes that the
data set named my_data is the active data set in SAS. The first line initiates the factor
analysis procedure in SAS where you must indicate the data set that is being used (simply called my_data here). The second line of the syntax directs SAS to apply Kaiser’s
rule to extract factors having an eigenvalue larger than 1, and the code METHOD=prin

TITLE PAF WITH REACTIONS-TO-TEST DATA.
MATRIX DATA VARIABLES=TEN1 TEN2 TEN3 WOR1 WOR2 WOR3 IRTHK1 IRTHK2 IRTHK3 BODY1 BODY2 BODY3
/CONTENTS=N_SCALER CORR.
BEGIN DATA.
318
1.0
╇.6568918╇1.0
╇.6521357╇╇.6596083╇1.0
╇.2793569╇╇.3381683╇╇.3001235╇1.0
╇.2904172╇╇.3298699╇╇.3498588╇╇.6440856╇1.0
╇.3582053╇╇.4621011╇╇.4395827╇╇.6592054╇╇.5655221╇1.0
╇.0759346╇╇.0926851╇╇.1199888╇╇.3173348╇╇.3125095╇╇.3670677╇1.0
╇.0033904╇╇.0347001╇╇.0969222╇╇.3080404╇╇.3054771╇╇.3286743╇╇.6118786╇1.0
╇.0261352╇╇.1002678╇╇.0967460╇╇.3048249╇╇.3388673╇╇.3130671╇╇.6735513╇╇.6951704╇1.0
╇.2866741╇╇.3120085╇╇.4591803╇╇.2706903╇╇.3068059╇╇.3512327╇╇.1221421╇╇.1374586╇╇.1854188╇1.0
╇.3547974╇╇.3772598╇╇.4888384╇╇.2609631╇╇.2767733╇╇.3692361╇╇.1955429╇╇.1913100╇╇.1966969╇╇.3665290╇1.0
╇.4409109╇╇╛.4144444╇╇╛.5217488╇╇╛.3203353╇╇╛↜渀屮.2749568╇╇╛╛.3834183╇╇╛.1703754╇╇╛╛.1557804╇╇╛.1011165╇╇╛.4602662╇╇╛╛.4760684╇1.0
END DATA.
FACTOR MATRIX IN(COR=*)
/PRINT INITIAL EXTRACTION CORRELATION ROTATION
/CRITERIA FACTORS(4) ITERATE(25)
/EXTRACTION PAF
/CRITERIA ITERATE(25)
/ROTATION OBLIMIN.

 Table 9.15:╇ SPSS Syntax for Factor Analysis With Principal Axis Extraction Using Correlation Input

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 Table 9.16:╇ SAS Syntax for Factor Analysis Using Raw Data
Using Kaiser’s Rule With PC

Requesting Specific Number of Factors
With€PAF

PROC FACTOR DATA = my_data

PROC FACTOR DATA = my_data

MINEIGEN = 1.0 METHOD=prin
�PRIOR=one ROTATE=oblimin;

PRIORS=smc NFACTORS=2 METHOD=prinit
ROTATE=oblimin SCREE SCORE OUTSTAT=fact;

VAR var1 var2 var3 var4 var5 var6; VAR var1 var2 var3 var4 var5 var6;
RUN;

PROC SCORE DATA = my_data SCORE = fact
OUT=scores;
RUN;

PRIOR=one directs SAS to use principal components extraction with values of 1 on
the diagonal of the correlation matrix. Thus, this line requests SAS to use the unreduced correlation matrix and extract any factors whose corresponding eigenvalue is
greater than 1. If you wanted to use principal components extraction only for the purpose of applying Kaiser’s rule (as is done in section€9.12), you would disregard output
from this analysis except for the initial eigenvalues.
To complete the explanation of the syntax, ROTATE=oblimin directs SAS to use the
oblique rotation method direct quartimin. The orthogonal rotation method varimax
can be implemented by replacing the ROTATE=oblimin with ROTATE=varimax.
After the VAR command on the fourth line, you must indicate the variables being used
in€the€analysis, which are generically named here var1, var2, and so on. RUN requests
the procedure to be implemented.
The right side of the Table€9.16 shows syntax that uses principal axis factoring,
requests a specific number of factors be extracted (as done in section€9.12), and
obtains factor scores (which are optional). The code also requests a scree plot
of the eigenvalues using the reduced correlation matrix. The second line of the
code directs SAS to use, initially, squared multiple correlations (smc) as estimates of variable communalities (instead of the 1s used in principal components
extraction). Also, NFACTORS=2 in this same line directs SAS to extract two
factors while METHOD=prinit directs SAS to use an iterative method to obtain
parameter estimates (which is done by default in SPSS). Thus, use of the code
PRIORS=smc and METHOD=prinit requests an iterative principal axis factoring
solution (identical to that used by SPSS earlier). Again, the ROTATE=oblimin
directs SAS to employ the direct quartimin rotation, and SCREE instructs SAS
to produce a scree plot of the eigenvalues from the reduced correlation matrix
(unlike SPSS, which would provide a SCREE plot of the eigenvalues associated
with the unreduced correlation matrix). The SCORE OUTSTAT code is optional

TITLE ‘paf with reaction to tests scale’;
DATA rtsitems (TYPE=CORR);
INFILE CARDS MISSOVER;
_TYPE_= ‘CORR’;
INPUT _NAME_ $ ten1 ten2 ten3 wor1 wor2 wor3 tirtt1 tirtt2 tirt3 body1 body2 body3;
DATALINES;
ten1 1.0
ten2 .6568918 1.0
ten3 .6521357 .6596083 1.0
wor1 .2793569 .3381683 .3001235 1.0
wor2 .2904172 .3298699 .3498588 .6440856 1.0
wor3 .3582053 .4621011 .4395827 .6592054 .565522 1 .0
tirt1 .0759346 .0926851 .1199888 .3173348 .3125095 .3670677 1.0
tirt2 .0033904 .0347001 .0969222 .3080404 .3054771 .3286743.6118786 1.0
tirt3 .0261352 .1002678 .0967460 .3048249 .3388673 .3130671 .6735513 .6951704 1.0
body1 .2866741 .312008 5 .4591803 .2706903 .3068059 .3512327 .1221421 .1374586 .1854188 1.0
body2 .3547974 .3772598 .4888384 .2609631 .2767733 .3692361 .1955429 .1913100 .1966969 .3665290 1.0
body3 .4409109 .4144444 .5217488 .3203353 .2749568 .3834183 .1703754 .1557804 .1011165 .4602662 .4760684
PROC FACTOR PRIORS=smc NFACTORS=4 METHOD=prinit ROTATE=oblimin NOBS=318 SCREE;
RUN;

 Table 9.17╇ SAS Syntax for Factor Analysis With Principal Axis Extraction Using Correlation Input

1.0

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Exploratory Factor Analysis

and requests that the factor score coefficients, used in creating factor scores (as
well as other output), be placed in a file called here fact. Following the variable
line, the next couple of lines is optional and is used to create factor scores using
the regression method and have these scores placed in a data file called here
scores. RUN executes the€code.
Table€9.17 shows SAS syntax that was used to obtain the four-factor solution presented
in section€9.12.2. Line 1 is an optional title line. In lines 2–4, all of the code shown
is required when you are using a correlation matrix as input; the only user option is
to name the dataset (here called rtsitems). In line 5, the required elements include
everything up to and including the dollar sign ($). The remainder of that line includes
the variable names that appear in the study. After the DATALINES command, which
is required, you then provide the correlation matrix with the variable names placed in
the first column. After the correlation matrix is entered, the rest of the code is similar
to that used when raw data are input. The exception is NOBS=318, which you use to
tell SAS how large the sample size is; for this example, the number of observations
(NOBS) is€318.
9.16 EXPLORATORY AND CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS
This chapter has focused on exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The purpose of EFA is
to identify the factor structure for a set of variables. This often involves determining
how many factors exist, as well as the pattern of the factor loadings. Although most
EFA programs allow for the number of factors to be specified in advance, it is not possible in these programs to force variables to load only on certain factors. EFA is generally considered to be more of a theory-generating than a theory-testing procedure. In
contrast, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), which is covered in Chapter€16, is generally based on a strong theoretical or empirical foundation that allows you to specify
an exact factor model in advance. This model usually specifies which variables will
load on which factors, as well as such things as which factors are correlated. It is more
of a theory-testing procedure than is EFA. Although, in practice, studies may contain aspects of both exploratory and confirmatory analyses, it is useful to distinguish
between the two techniques in terms of the situations in which they are commonly
used. Table€9.18 displays some of the general differences between the two approaches.
Let us consider an example of an EFA. Suppose a researcher is developing a scale to
measure self-concept. The researcher does not conceptualize specific self-concept factors in advance and simply writes a variety of items designed to tap into various aspects
of self-concept. An EFA of these items may yield three factors that the researcher then
identifies as physical, social, and academic self-concept. The researcher notes that
items with large loadings on one of the three factors tend to have very small loadings
on the other two, and interprets this as further support for the presence of three distinct
factors or dimensions of underlying self-concept. In scale development, EFA is often
considered to be a better choice.

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 Table 9.18╇ Comparison of Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis
Exploratory—theory generating

Confirmatory—theory testing

Heuristic—weak literature base
Determine the number of factors
Determine whether the factors are correlated
or€uncorrelated
Variables free to load on all factors

Strong theory or strong empirical base
Number of factors fixed a priori
Factors fixed a priori as correlated or uncorrelated
Variables fixed to load on a specific factor or
factors

Continuing the scale development example, as researchers continue to work with this
scale in future research, CFA becomes a viable option. With CFA, you can specify both
the number of factors hypothesized to be present (e.g., the three self-concept factors)
but also specify which items belong to a given dimension. This latter option is not possible in EFA. In addition, CFA is part of broader modeling framework known as structural equation modeling (SEM), which allows for the estimation of more sophisticated
models. For example, the self-concept dimensions in SEM could serve as predictors,
dependent variables, or intervening variables in a larger analysis model. As noted in
Fabrigar and Wegener (2012), the associations between these dimensions and other
variables can then be obtained in SEM without computing factor scores.
9.17╇EXAMPLE RESULTS SECTION FOR EFA OF
REACTIONS-TO-TESTS SCALE
The following results section is based on the example that appeared in section€9.12. In
that analysis, 12 items measuring text anxiety were administered to college students at
a major research university, with 318 respondents completing all items. Note that most
of the next paragraph would probably appear in a method section of a paper.
The goal of this study was to identify the dimensions of text anxiety, as measured by
the newly developed RTT measure. EFA using principal axis factoring (PAF) was used
for this purpose with the oblique rotation method direct quartimin. To determine the
number of factors present, we considered several criteria. These include the number of
factors that (1) had eigenvalues greater than 1 when the unreduced correlation matrix
was used (i.e., with 1s on the diagonal of the matrix), (2) were suggested by inspecting a scree plot of eigenvalues from the reduced correlation matrix (with estimates of
communalities in the diagonal of correlation matrix), which is consistent with PAF,
(3) had eigenvalues larger than expected by random as obtained via parallel analysis,
and (4) were conceptually coherent when all factor analysis results were examined.
The 12 items on the scale represented possible dimensions of anxiety as suggested in
the relevant literature. Three items were written for each of the hypothesized dimensions, which represented tension, worry, test-irrelevant thinking, and bodily symptoms. For each item, a 4-point response scale was used (from “not typical of me” to
“very typical€of€me”).

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Exploratory Factor Analysis

Table€1 reports the correlations among the 12 items. (Note that we list generic item
names here. You should provide some descriptive information about the content of the
items or perhaps list each of the items, if possible.) In general, inspecting the correlations appears to provide support for the four hypothesized dimensions, as correlations
are mostly greater within each dimension than across the assumed dimensions. Examination of Mahalanobis distance values, variance inflation factors, and histograms
associated with the items did not suggest the presence of outlying values or excessive
multicollinearity. Also, scores for most items were roughly symmetrically distributed.
 Table 1:╇ Item Correlations (N€=€318)
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Ten1 1.000
Ten2
.657 1.000
Ten3
.652 .660 1.000
Wor1
.279 .338 .300 1.000
Wor2
.290 .330 .350 .644 1.000
Wor3
.358 .462 .440 .659 .566 1.000
Tirt1
.076 .093 .120 .317 .313 .367 1.000
Tirt2
.003 .035 .097 .308 .305 .329 .612 1.000
Tirt3
.026 .100 .097 .305 .339 .313 .674 .695 1.000
Body1 .287 .312 .459 .271 .307 .351 .122 .137 .185 1.000
Body2 .355 .377 .489 .261 .277 .369 .196 .191 .197 .367 1.000
Body3 .441 .414 .522 .320 .275 .383 .170 .156 .101 .460 .476 1.000

To initiate the exploratory factor analysis, we requested a four-factor solution, given
we selected items from four possibly distinct dimensions. While application of Kaiser’s rule (to eigenvalues from the unreduced correlation matrix) suggested the presence of three factors, parallel analysis indicated four factors, and inspecting the scree
plot suggested the possibility of four factors. Given that these criteria differed on the
number of possible factors present, we also examined the results from a three-factor
solution, but found that the four-factor solution was more meaningful.
Table€2 shows the communalities, pattern coefficients, and sum of squared loadings for
each factor, all of which are shown after factor rotation. The communalities range from
.39 to .80, suggesting that each item is at least moderately and in some cases strongly
related to the set of factors. Inspecting the pattern coefficients shown in Table€2 and
using a magnitude of least .4 to indicate a nontrivial pattern coefficient, we found that
the test-irrelevant thinking items load only on factor 1, the worry items load only on
factor 2, the tension items load only on factor 3, and the bodily symptom items load
only on factor 4. Thus, there is support that the items thought to be reflective of the same
factor are related only to the hypothesized factor. The sums of squared loadings suggest
that the factors are fairly similar in importance. As a whole, the four factors explained
61% of the variation of the item scores. Further, the factors, as expected, are positively
and mostly moderately correlated, as indicated in Table€3. In sum, the factor analysis
provides support for the four hypothesized dimensions underlying text anxiety.

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 Table 2:╇ Selected Factor Analysis Results for the Reaction-to-Tests€Scale
Factors
Item

Test-irrelevant
thinking

Worry

Tension

−0.03
0.01
0.01
−0.06
0.07
0.09
0.76
0.78
0.90
−0.01
0.09
−0.03
2.61

0.00
0.09
−0.04
0.95
0.66
0.60
0.04
0.02
−0.03
0.07
−0.03
0.01
3.17

0.78
0.82
0.59
−0.05
0.05
0.14
0.03
−0.09
0.03
−0.06
0.10
0.04
3.08

Tension1
Tension2
Tension3
Worry1
Worry2
Worry3
TIRT11
TIRT2
TIRT3
Body1
Body2
Body3
Sum of squared
loadings
1

Bodily
symptoms
0.02
−0.05
0.36
−0.03
0.03
0.11
−0.03
0.07
−0.04
0.63
0.55
0.71
3.17

Communality
0.64
0.69
0.72
0.80
0.54
0.62
0.60
0.64
0.77
0.39
0.41
0.54

TIRT€=€test irrelevant thinking.

 Table 3:╇ Factor Correlations
1
Test-irrelevant
thinking
Worry
Tension
Bodily symptoms

2

3

4

1.00
0.44
0.50

1.00
0.65

1.00

1.00
0.47
0.08
0.28

9.18 SUMMARY
Exploratory factor analysis can be used when you assume that latent variables underlie responses to observed variables and you wish to find a relatively small number of
underlying factors that account for relationships among the larger set of variables. The
procedure can help obtain new theoretical constructs and/or provide initial validation
for the items on a measuring instrument. Scores for the observed variables should be
at least moderately correlated and have an approximate interval level of measurement.
Further, unless communalities are expected to be generally high (> .7), a minimal sample size of 200 should be used. The key analysis steps are highlighted€next.
I. Preliminary Analysis
A. Conduct case analysis.
1) Purpose: Identify any problematic individual observations and determine
if scores appear to be reasonable.

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2)Procedure:
i) Inspect the distribution of each observed variable (e.g., via histograms) and identify apparent outliers. Scatterplots may also be inspected to examine linearity and bivariate outliers. Examine descriptive statistics (e.g., means, standard deviations) for each variable to
assess if the scores appear to be reasonable for the sample at€hand.
ii) Inspect the z-scores for each variable, with absolute values larger
than perhaps 2.5 or 3 along with a judgment that a given value is
distinct from the bulk of the scores indicating an outlying value. Examine Mahalanobis distance values to identify multivariate outliers.
iii) If any potential outliers or score abnormalities are identified, check
for data entry errors. If needed, conduct a sensitivity study to determine the impact of one or more outliers on major study results.
Consider use of variable transformations or case removal to attempt
to minimize the effects of one or more outliers.
B. Check to see that data are suitable for factor analysis.
1) Purpose: Determine if the data support the use of exploratory factor analysis. Also, identify the presence and pattern (if any) of missing€data.
2) Procedure: Compute and inspect the correlation matrix for the observed
variables to make sure that correlations (e