Criterion Variable

Criterion variable is a name used to describe the dependent variable in a variety of statistical modeling contexts, including multiple regression, discriminant analysis, and canonical correlation. The goal of much statistical modeling is to investigate the relationship between a (set of) criterion variable(s) and a set of predictor variables. The outcomes of such analyses are myriad and include as possibilities the development of model formulas, prediction rules, and classification rules. Criterion variables are also known under a number of other names, such as dependent variable, response variable, predictand, and Y. Similarly, predictor variables are often referred to using names such as independent variable, explanatory variable, and X. While such names are suggestive of a cause-and-effect relationship between the predictors and the criterion variable(s), great care ...