Advanced Categorical Statistics: Issues and Applications in Communication Research

Communication scholars frequently use cross-tabulation and chi-square analysis in conducting research. Advanced categorical statistics such as log-linear modeling and logistic regression analysis are less often employed. This article addresses the use of advanced analyses, focusing on their application and why they are important tools. Because variables are examined simultaneously, for instance, log-linear and logistic regression procedures allow scholars to fit both theoretically driven and mathematically parsimonious models to the data under study and to avoid making statistical errors common bivariate comparisons.