The Effects of Data Aggregation in Statistical Analysis

Abstract
The problem of ecological correlation is now widely recognized but detailed analyses of the effects of aggregation on correlation and regression coefficients are rare. A short review of the aggregation problem is followed by an analysis of the specific effect of proximity aggregation on the slope coefficient of a bivariate linear model using data drawn from the Los Angeles Metropolitan region. The evidence suggests that changes in the slope coefficient are best related to the manner in which the covariation between the independent and dependent variables changes with increased aggregation.

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