Collision between biological process and statistical analysis revealed by mean centring

• Published in: The Journal of animal ecology Vol. 89; no. 12; pp. 2813 - 2824
• Main Authors: Westneat, David F., Araya‐Ajoy, Yimen G., Allegue, Hassen, Class, Barbara, Dingemanse, Niels, Dochtermann, Ned A., Garamszegi, László Zsolt, Martin, Julien G. A., Nakagawa, Shinichi, Réale, Denis, Schielzeth, Holger, Phillimore, Albert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.12.2020
• Subjects: animal ecology; Animals; Biological activity; Biological Phenomena; bivariate models; Data analysis; environmental effects; equations; Estimation; hierarchical causation; Hypotheses; linear mixed‐effects models; Linear Models; Mathematical models; model design; Models, Statistical; Parameter estimation; parameter misestimation; Parameter robustness; phenotypic plasticity; Robustness (mathematics); Statistical analysis; Statistical models; uncertainty; variance; parameter misestimation; linear mixed-effects models; hierarchical causation; model design; phenotypic plasticity; environmental effects; bivariate models

Animal ecologists often collect hierarchically structured data and analyse these with linear mixed‐effects models. Specific complications arise when the effect sizes of covariates vary on multiple levels (e.g. within vs. among subjects). Mean centring of covariates within subjects offers a useful ap...