Correlation coefficients and linear regression values computed from group averages can differ from correlation coefficients and linear regression values computed using individual scores. This observation known as the ecological fallacy often assumes that all the individual scores are available from a population. In many situations, one must use a sample from the larger population. In such cases, the computed correlation coefficient and linear regression values will depend on the sample that is chosen and the underlying sampling distribution. The sampling distribution of correlation coefficients and linear regression values for group averages will be identical to the sampling distribution for individuals for normally distributed variables for random samples drawn from infinitely large continuous distributions. However, data that is acquired in practice is often acquired when sampling without replacement from a finite population. Our objective is to demonstrate through Monte Carlo simulations that the sampling distributions for correlation and linear regression will also be similar for individuals and group averages when sampling without replacement from normally distributed variables. These simulations suggest that when a random sample from a population is selected, the correlation coefficients and linear regression values computed from individual scores will not be more accurate in estimating the entire population values compared to samples when group averages are used as long as the sample size is the same.
{"title":"Investigating the ecological fallacy through sampling distributions constructed from finite populations","authors":"David J. Torres, Damain Rouson","doi":"10.1515/mcma-2024-2013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/mcma-2024-2013","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Correlation coefficients\u0000and linear regression values computed from group averages can differ from correlation coefficients and linear regression values computed using individual scores. This observation known as the ecological fallacy often assumes that all the individual scores are available from a population. In many situations, one must use a sample from the larger population. In such cases, the computed correlation coefficient and linear regression values will depend on the sample that is chosen and the underlying sampling distribution.\u0000The sampling distribution of correlation coefficients and linear regression values for group averages will be identical to the sampling distribution for individuals for normally distributed variables for random samples drawn from infinitely large continuous distributions.\u0000However, data that is acquired in practice is often acquired when sampling without replacement from a finite population. Our objective is to demonstrate through Monte Carlo simulations that the\u0000sampling distributions for\u0000correlation and linear regression will also be similar for individuals and group averages when sampling without replacement from normally distributed variables. These simulations suggest that when a random sample from a population is selected, the correlation coefficients and linear regression values computed from individual scores will not be more accurate in estimating the entire population values compared to samples when group averages are used as long as the sample size is the same.","PeriodicalId":46576,"journal":{"name":"Monte Carlo Methods and Applications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141927085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract In this paper, we suggest joint application of computational probabilistic analysis and the Monte Carlo method for numerical stochastic modeling problems. We use all the capabilities of computational probabilistic analysis while maintaining all the advantages of the Monte Carlo method. Our approach allows us to efficiently implement a computational hybrid scheme. In this way, we reduce the computation time and present the results in the form of distributions. The crucial new points of our method are arithmetic operations on probability density functions and procedures for constructing on the probabilistic extensions. Relying on specific numerical examples of solving systems of linear algebraic equations with random coefficients, we present the advantages of our approach.
{"title":"Joint application of the Monte Carlo method and computational probabilistic analysis in problems of numerical modeling with data uncertainties","authors":"B. Dobronets, O. Popova","doi":"10.1515/mcma-2024-2006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/mcma-2024-2006","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In this paper, we suggest joint application of computational probabilistic analysis and the Monte Carlo method for numerical stochastic modeling problems. We use all the capabilities of computational probabilistic analysis while maintaining all the advantages of the Monte Carlo method. Our approach allows us to efficiently implement a computational hybrid scheme. In this way, we reduce the computation time and present the results in the form of distributions. The crucial new points of our method are arithmetic operations on probability density functions and procedures for constructing on the probabilistic extensions. Relying on specific numerical examples of solving systems of linear algebraic equations with random coefficients, we present the advantages of our approach.","PeriodicalId":46576,"journal":{"name":"Monte Carlo Methods and Applications","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141334980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}