TY - JOUR
T1 - Interpreting and Understanding Logits, Probits, and other Non-Linear Probability Models
AU - Breen, Richard
AU - Karlson, Kristian Bernt
AU - Holm, Anders
PY - 2018/7/30
Y1 - 2018/7/30
N2 - Methods textbooks in sociology and other social sciences routinely recommend the use of the logit or probit model when an outcome variable is binary, an ordered logit or ordered probit when it is ordinal, and a multinomial logit when it has more than two categories. But these methodological guidelines take little or no account of a body of work that, over the past 30 years, has pointed to problematic aspects of these nonlinear probability models and, particularly, to difficulties in interpreting their parameters. In this review, we draw on that literature to explain the problems, show how they manifest themselves in research, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of alternatives that have been suggested, and point to lines of further analysis.
AB - Methods textbooks in sociology and other social sciences routinely recommend the use of the logit or probit model when an outcome variable is binary, an ordered logit or ordered probit when it is ordinal, and a multinomial logit when it has more than two categories. But these methodological guidelines take little or no account of a body of work that, over the past 30 years, has pointed to problematic aspects of these nonlinear probability models and, particularly, to difficulties in interpreting their parameters. In this review, we draw on that literature to explain the problems, show how they manifest themselves in research, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of alternatives that have been suggested, and point to lines of further analysis.
KW - Faculty of Social Sciences
KW - logit
KW - probit
KW - KHB method
KW - Y-standardization
KW - marginal effects
KW - linear probability model
KW - mediation
U2 - 10.1146/annurev-soc-073117-041429
DO - 10.1146/annurev-soc-073117-041429
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0360-0572
VL - 44
SP - 39
EP - 54
JO - Annual Review of Sociology
JF - Annual Review of Sociology
ER -