A statistical technique used to explain or predict the behavior of a dependent variable. Generally, a regression equation takes the form of Y=a+bx+c, where Y is the dependent variable that the equation tries to predict, X is the independent variable that is being used to predict Y, a is the Y-intercept of the line, and c is a value called the regression residual. The values of a and b are selected so that the square of the regression residuals is minimized.