A researcher is trying to determine if income (X1) or number of friends (X2) is more important in determining personal happiness (Y). Which of the following would be the most profitable course of action?
A) examine the standardized partial slopes of X1 and X2 on Y
B) examine the unstandardized partial slopes of X1 and X2 on Y
C) compute the partial correlation coefficient for X1 and X2 controlling for Y
D) examine the partial slope of Y on each independent separately

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Examining the standardized partial slopes of X1 and X2 on Y would be the best course of action because it allows us to compare the relative importance of the two independent variables (income and number of friends) in predicting the dependent variable (personal happiness) while controlling for the effects of other variables in the model. Standardized partial slopes also help in measuring the relative contribution of each independent variable in predicting the dependent variable on a common metric.

A Researcher Is Trying to Determine If Income (X1) or Number