Moment and Least-Squares Based Approaches to Meta-analytic Inference
Chapter 8 introduced variance and structural models and various statistical inference approaches used in meta-analysis. This chapter describes the basic details behind the moment and least-squares approach to meta-analysis. This approach represents “classic” meta-analysis; it is the one most frequently found in meta-analytic introductions and used in ecological meta-analyses to date. This approach to meta-analytic inference has the advantage of using fairly simple formulas (for basic structural models) that can be easily calculated, and it is clearly and directly comparable to common statistical concepts, such as weighted means and sums of squares. The disadvantages of this approach is that it is less amenable to more complex modeling, particularly when considering features such as interaction effects; it also has certain limitations that in some cases reduce the applicability of random-effects models.