The Durbin-Watson Test is a statistical test used to detect the presence of autocorrelation at lag 1 in the residuals of a regression analysis. It is particularly important in time series analysis as autocorrelation can invalidate the standard statistical tests for significance of the regression coefficients.
Residuals are the differences between observed values and the values predicted by a model, serving as a diagnostic tool to assess the model's accuracy. Analyzing residuals helps identify patterns or biases in the model, indicating areas where the model may be improved or where assumptions may be violated.