The Advantages of Using Standardized Scores in Causal Analysis

This article compares the usefulness of standard score results (such as correlations and standardized regression coefficients) to that of raw scores results (such as covariances and raw score regression coefficients). The 2 main advantages of presenting standardized results is then examined. First, reporting standardized coefficients allows recognition of causal relationships that replicate across studies, facilitating meta‐analysis. Second, an analysis with standardized coefficients allows the researcher to determine which of the predictor variables has the largest relative impact on the criterion variable. The implications of these 2 standardized score advantages are demonstrated with examples.