3b Random Intercepts
Readings: Snijders and Bosker (2012, Ch. 4).
The random intercept model is the most basic type of multilevel model. Understanding it properly is therefore very important. But once you’ve understood it’s basic logic, you will easily be able to grasp more complex types of multilevel models. Moreover, many applications of multilevel modeling still use “simple” random intercept models.
References
Snijders, Tom A. B., and Roel J. Bosker. 2012. Multilevel Analysis: An Introduction to Basic and Advanced Multilevel Modeling. London: Sage.