Question

Data for weight (in pounds) and age (in months) of babies is entered into a statistics software package and results in a regression equation of ŷ = 17 + 0.8x.

What is the correct interpretation of the slope if the weight is the response variable and the age is the explanatory variable?

Answer 1

The slope of the regression equation (0.8 in this case) represents the average change in the response variable (weight in this case) per unit change in the explanatory variable (age in this case). In this case, the slope would indicate that for every 1 month increase in age, the average weight of the babies increases by 0.8 pounds.

It is important to note that this is just the average change, and the actual change may vary for individual babies. The slope is only one part of the regression equation, and the intercept (17 in this case) also plays a role in determining the predicted values for the response variable.

Step-by-step explanation: