Nonparametric Methods for Modeling Nonlinearity in Regression Analysis

The linear model and related generalized linear model (GLM) are important tools for sociologists. If the relationships between y (or in the case of the GLM, the linear predictor η) and the xs are linear, these methods provide elegant summaries of the data. However, these methods fail to adequately model underlying relationships if they are characterized by complex nonlinear patterns. In such cases, nonparametric regression, which allows the functional form between y and x to be determined b...