Standardization in Causal Analysis

Abstract

In comparative study, it is argued that (1) the standardization of variables and scales should be separated from the habitual use of standardized coefficients; (2) the use of standardized coefficients implies standardizing every variable using group specific standards, and, therefore, it is not appropriate even if some variables have group specific metrics or some variables do not possess commonly accepted metrics; and (3) the explicit standardization of some or all variables can be fruitfully combined with the use of unstandardized coefficients.