ERIC Number: EJ1148265
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Aug
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0049-1241
EISSN: N/A
Detecting Latent Heterogeneity
Pearl, Judea
Sociological Methods & Research, v46 n3 p370-389 Aug 2017
We address the task of determining, from statistical averages alone, whether a population under study consists of several subpopulations, unknown to the investigator, each responding to a given treatment markedly differently. We show that such determination is feasible in three cases: (1) randomized trials with binary treatments, (2) models where treatment effects can be identified by adjustment for covariates, and (3) models in which treatment effects can be identified by mediating instruments. In each of these cases, we provide an explicit condition which, if confirmed empirically, proves that treatment effect is not uniform but varies appreciably across individuals.
Descriptors: Statistical Analysis, Models, Social Science Research, Randomized Controlled Trials, Outcomes of Treatment, Nonparametric Statistics, Evaluation Methods
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF); Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: IIS1249822; N000141310153; N000141010933