INFERENCE Subcommand (META REGRESSION command)

The META REGRESSION command calls the meta-regression procedure. The optional INFERENCE subcommand specifies the estimation methods.

MODEL
The optional keyword specifies the model type.
RANDOM
The default setting that builds the random-effects model.
FIXED
Assumes the fixed-effects model, but does not include the dispersion parameter. When FIXED(MULTIPLICATIVE) is specified, it introduces the multiplicative dispersion parameter to the weights and the variance of the error terms.
INTERCEPT
The optional keyword controls the intercept in the regression-based test.
TRUE
The default setting includes the intercept term.
FALSE
Excludes the intercept term. When FALSE is specified, at least one variable must be specified after either BY or WITH in the META REGRESSION command.
DISTRIBUTION
The optional keyword controls the distribution used in the regression-based tests. T is the default setting, which estimates the statistics based on the t distribution. When NORMAL is specified, the statistics are estimated based on the normal distribution. The process is available when /INFERENCE ADJUSTSE = NONE, and is otherwise ignored.
ESTIMATE
The optional keyword specifies the estimator. The process is available when MODEL = RANDOM, and is otherwise ignored. When /TRIMFILL is specified, this keyword also controls the estimator that is used by pooling in the trim-and-fill analysis. When /BIAS is specified, this keyword also controls the estimator that is used by the regression-based test.
REML
The default setting that applies the iterative method and calculates the restricted maximum likelihood estimator.
ML
Applies the iterative method and calculate the maximum likelihood estimator.
BAYES
Applies the iterative method and calculate the empirical Bayes estimator.
HEDGES
Applies the non-iterative method and calculates the Hedges estimator.
HUNTER_SCHMIDT
Applies the non-iterative method and calculates the Hunter-Schmidt estimator.
DERSIMONIAN_LAIRD
Applies the non-iterative method and calculates the DerSimonian-Laird estimator.
SIDIK_JONKMAN
Applies the non-iterative method and calculates the Sidik-Jonkman estimator.
ADJUSTSE
The optional keyword controls whether to apply the Knapp-Hartung standard error adjustment. The process is available when MODEL = RANDOM, and is otherwise ignored. When /TRIMFILL is specified, this keyword also controls the standard error adjustment that is used by pooling in the trim-and-fill analysis. When /BIAS is specified, this keyword also controls the standard error adjustment that is used by the regression-based test.
NONE
The default setting that does not apply the adjustment.
KNAPP_HARTUNG
Applies the adjustment method.
TRUNCATED_KNAPP_HARTUNG
Applies the adjustment method and truncates the value if less than 1 when estimating the variance-covariance matrix.