A contingency table is a powerful tool for statistical analysis, and it's surprisingly easy to use. It's essentially a table that shows the frequencies of different variables.
By organizing data in this way, you can quickly see the relationships between variables and identify patterns. This is especially useful for categorical data, where you want to compare the frequencies of different groups.
The contingency table is a simple yet effective way to visualize data, making it easier to understand and interpret. It's often used in conjunction with other statistical methods, such as chi-squared tests and odds ratios.
Creating a Contingency Table
Creating a contingency table is a crucial step in understanding the relationship between two categorical variables. You can create a contingency table from a vector using the table() function in R.
To create a contingency table from a data frame, simply pass the data frame into the table() function. This will return a contingency table where the values represent the frequency of the combinations of the given column values.
A contingency table can be created from a data frame by passing one or more columns to the table() function. This generates a contingency table that shows the frequency of combinations of the given column values.
Alternatively, you can create a contingency table from specific columns of a data frame by passing those columns as arguments to the table() function. This generates a contingency table that highlights the relationship between the selected variables.
A contingency table can be used to display the absolute frequencies of the respective characteristic combinations. For example, a table showing the cross-classification of gender and with or without umbrella.
Here is a simple example of a contingency table:
Analyzing the Table
A contingency table is a two-way table that displays the frequencies of two variables.
The rows and columns of the table are labeled with the values of the two variables.
Each cell in the table shows the frequency of the combination of the two variables.
You might enjoy: Two Way Contingency Table
The total number of observations is the sum of all the frequencies in the table.
This number is also known as the marginal total.
The marginal totals are the sums of the frequencies in each row and each column.
The grand total is the sum of all the marginal totals.
The grand total is equal to the total number of observations.
The contingency table can be analyzed to look for associations between the two variables.
The strength of the association can be measured using the chi-square statistic.
The chi-square statistic is calculated using the frequencies in the table.
The p-value is used to determine the significance of the association.
The p-value is calculated using the chi-square statistic.
A low p-value indicates a statistically significant association.
This means that the observed association is unlikely to occur by chance.
Additional reading: Contingency Table Chi Square
Measures of Association
Measures of association are used to determine the relationship between two variables in a contingency table. The simplest measure of association for a 2 × 2 contingency table is the odds ratio.
The odds ratio is defined as the ratio of the odds of an event in the presence of another event and the odds of that event in the absence of the other event. Two events are independent if and only if the odds ratio is 1.
The odds ratio has a simple expression in terms of probabilities. It can be calculated using the joint probability distribution of the two events. The odds ratio is greater than 1 if the events are positively associated, less than 1 if they are negatively associated, and equal to 1 if they are independent.
A simple measure of association for 2 × 2 contingency tables is the phi coefficient, denoted by φ. It is defined as the square root of the chi-squared statistic divided by the grand total of observations.
The phi coefficient varies from 0 (corresponding to no association between the variables) to 1 or -1 (complete association or complete inverse association). Its sign equals the sign of the product of the main diagonal elements of the table minus the product of the off-diagonal elements.
Another measure of association is the tetrachoric correlation coefficient, which is only applicable to 2 × 2 tables. It assumes that the variable underlying each dichotomous measure is normally distributed.
The tetrachoric correlation coefficient provides a convenient measure of the Pearson product-moment correlation when graduated measurements have been reduced to two categories. It should not be confused with the Pearson correlation coefficient computed by assigning values 0.0 and 1.0 to represent the two levels of each variable.
The lambda coefficient is a measure of the strength of association of the cross tabulations when the variables are measured at the nominal level. It ranges from 0.0 (no association) to 1.0 (the maximum possible association).
The uncertainty coefficient, or Theil's U, is another measure for variables at the nominal level. Its values range from -1.0 (100% negative association) to +1.0 (100% positive association). A value of 0.0 indicates the absence of association.
The contingency coefficient C and Cramér's V are two alternatives for measuring association. The formulae for these coefficients are given by the article.
Interpreting the Table
A crosstab shows the frequencies of two variables, making it a powerful tool for understanding relationships between them.
Each cell in a crosstab plots the frequencies of characteristic combinations, such as female and without a degree, which occurred exactly 6 times in an example.
To interpret a crosstab, you need to understand that the frequencies in each cell represent the number of times a particular combination occurs.
For instance, if you're analyzing customer preferences, a crosstab can help you see which insurance is preferred by which age group. This information can be invaluable for marketing strategies.
By examining the frequencies in each cell, you can identify patterns and trends that might not be apparent otherwise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the expected frequencies of a contingency table?
Expected frequencies in a contingency table are calculated by multiplying row and column totals and dividing by the overall number of observations. This calculation provides a predicted distribution of data for comparison with actual frequencies.
Sources
- https://whitlockschluter3e.zoology.ubc.ca/Tutorials%20using%20R/R_tutorial_Contingency_analysis.html
- https://sparkbyexamples.com/r-programming/create-contingency-tables-in-r/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contingency_table
- https://mathworld.wolfram.com/ContingencyTable.html
- https://datatab.net/tutorial/cross-table
Featured Images: pexels.com