Practical Predictive Analytics

The logistic regression coefficients

The coefficients returned from the logistic regression are standardized, in that they measure the effect of a 1-unit change in the independent variable on the log of the odds ratio, and not on the change of the variable itself.

The algorithm determines these coefficients not by using the OLS method used in linear regression, but it determines the coefficients by using a method called maximum likelihood estimation. Simply put, this means that the algorithm starts with arbitrary values of the coefficients and then puts forth an initial model. Then the algorithm measures the errors in the model and adjusts the coefficients to new values so that the results of the next model conform better to the values contained ...