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Multi-level theories can best be described in which of the following ways? (CHOO

ID: 165908 • Letter: M

Question

Multi-level theories can best be described in which of the following ways? (CHOOSE ONE BEST ANSWER)

___ They present clear linear and one-directional relationships between many factors contributing to a problem.

___ They have become popular in recent years because of the increasing complexity of public health problems.

___ They are attempts to integrate contributing factors to a problem at multiple ecological levels.

___ They allow for precise mathematical modeling of the influence of multiple factors

Explanation / Answer

They allow for precise mathematical modeling of the influence of multiple factors.
Even if you have only a handful of predictor variables to choose from, there are infinitely

many ways to specify the right hand side of a regression. How do you decide what variables to

include? The most important consideration when selecting a variable is its theoretical

relevance. A lot of things can go wrong when you add variables willy-nilly without a reasonably

sound theoretical foundation (also known as “regressing faster than you think.”) Of course, the

definition of “reasonably sound” is a bit murky, and you can do just as much harm by excluding

too many variables. This note spells out the tradeoffs involved in model specification.