Some Results on the Sampling Distribution of the Multiple Correlation Coefficient

Summary Recurrence formulae for the density function and the probability integral of the multiple correlation coefficient from a normal sample are obtained. When the number of independent variates is odd these formulae are related to the distribution of the simple correlation. Asymptotic expansions in terms of the non-central beta and of the non-central χ2 distributions are derived. Methods of approximation by the central and the non-central F distributions, as well as by the normal distribution, are proposed. Numerical investigations of the accuracies of these approximations are carried out.