Question

I’m fitting a linear model using OLS and have scaled my regressors with the function scale in R because of the different units of measure between variables. Then, I fit the model using the lm command and get the coefficients of the fitted model. As far as I know the coefficients of the fitted model are not in the same units of the original regressors variables and therefore must be scaled back before they can be interpreted. I have been searching for a direct way to do it by couldn’t find anything. Does anyone know how to do that?

Please have a look to the code, could you please help me implementing what you proposed?

library(zoo)
filename="DataReg4.csv"
filepath=paste("C:/Reg/",filename, sep="")
separator=";"
readfile=read.zoo(filepath, sep=separator, header=T, format = "%m/%d/%Y", dec=".")
readfile=as.data.frame(readfile)
str(readfile)
DF=readfile
DF=as.data.frame(scale(DF)) 
fm=lm(USD_EUR~diff_int+GDP_US+Net.exports.Eur,data=DF)
summary(fm)
plot(fm)

I’m sorry this is the data.

http://www.mediafire.com/?hmcp7urt0ag8187

Answer 1

If I understand your description (that is unfortunately at the moment code-free), you are getting standardized regression coefficients for Y ~ As + Bs*Xs where all those “s” items are scaled variables. The coefficients then are the predicted change on a std deviation scale of Y associated with a change in X of one standard deviation of X. The scale function would have recorded the means and standard deviations in attributes for hte scaled object. If not, then you will have those estimates somewhere in your console log. The estimated change in dY for a change dX in X should be: dY*(1/sdY) = Bs*dX*(1/sdX). Predictions should be something along these lines:

Yest = As*(sdX) + Xmn + Bs*(Xs)*(sdX)

You probably should not have needed to standardize the Y values, and I’m hoping that you didn’t because it makes dealing with the adjustment for the means of the X’s easier. Put some code and example data in if you want implemented and checked answers. I think @DanielGerlance is correct in saying to multiply rather than divide by the SD’s.