CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 468Statistical Methods and Bayesian InferenceAdvanced Causal Inference TechniquesStatistical Methods in Epidemiology

Interpreting and Understanding Logits, Probits, and Other Nonlinear Probability Models

Breen, Richard, Karlson, Kristian Bernt, Holm, Anders·2018·Annual Review of Sociology
DOI 10.1146/annurev-soc-073117-041429
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Methods textbooks in sociology and other social sciences routinely recommend the use of the logit or probit model when an outcome variable is binary, an ordered logit or ordered probit when it is ordinal, and a multinomial logit when it has more than two categories. But these methodological guidelines take little or no account of a body of work that, over the past 30 years, has pointed to problematic aspects of these nonlinear probability models and, particularly, to difficulties in interpreting their parameters. In this review, we draw on that literature to explain the problems, show how they manifest themselves in research, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of alternatives that have been suggested, and point to lines of further analysis.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1146/annurev-soc-073117-041429

Cites

4 of 4 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Breen, R., Karlson, K. B., & Holm, A.
Affiliations
  • University of Oxford (GB)
  • University of Copenhagen (DK)
  • Western University (CA)
ORCID
Venue
Annual Review of Sociology
Publisher
Annual Reviews
Published
2018-07-30
Volume
44
Issue
1
Pages
39-54
ISSN
  • 0360-0572 (ISSN-L)
  • 1545-2115
DOI
10.1146/annurev-soc-073117-041429
OpenAlex
W2801195482
Cited by
468
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 45 · 2025: 69 · 2024: 69 · 2023: 67 · 2022: 67 · 2021: 76 · 2020: 54 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 3
FWCI
5.19
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Annual Review of Sociology (publishedVersion)
  • Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods and Bayesian Inference
  • Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Advanced Causal Inference Techniques
  • Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Statistical Methods in Epidemiology
Keywords
logit model, probit model, parameter interpretation, binary response models, multinomial logistic regression, model misspecification, alternative models

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review