Path analysis (statistics)

Path analysis is like drawing a map to see how different things are connected. Just like how we use maps to find roads that connect different places, in path analysis, we draw lines (also called paths) between things we want to learn about and see how they all fit together.

Let's say we want to understand how many hours of exercise you do each day and how it affects your weight. We draw arrows (or paths) from the hours of exercise to your weight to see how they influence each other. We can also bring in other factors, like how much you eat, your age, and your gender, and see how they are related to your exercise and weight.

Path analysis can help us see which factors are most important in affecting a certain outcome, and how they all work together. It's like solving a puzzle or a mystery, where we gather evidence, look for clues, and piece everything together to understand how something works.