APA Dictionary of Psychology

weight

Updated on 04/19/2018

heaviness: the extent of downward gravitational force exerted on an object or body.
a coefficient or multiplier used in an equation or statistical investigation and applied to a particular variable to reflect the contribution to the data. For example, a weighted sample is one in which different values are applied to its different constituent subgroups to reflect their representation within the larger population from which it was taken. Thus, if a population is 50% male and 50% female but the sample studied is 40% and 60%, respectively, different multipliers could be used to adjust the individual subsample results to match the makeup of the population. Similarly, a weighted least squares regression is a version of ordinary least squares regression in which different variables contribute differentially to the analysis process according to their relative importance. See weighting.

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