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Re: [S] estimating standard errors for parameters estimated by nlminb

To: Steve Cumming <stevec@berl.ab.ca>
Subject: Re: [S] estimating standard errors for parameters estimated by nlminb
From: Prof Brian D Ripley <ripley@stats.ox.ac.uk>
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2000 19:47:29 +0000 (GMT)
Cc: s-news@wubios.wustl.edu
In-reply-to: <NDBBKPBLOLKNDPPMIFMOOEPECBAA.stevec@berl.ab.ca>
Sender: owner-s-news@wubios.wustl.edu
On Fri, 25 Feb 2000, Steve Cumming wrote:

> 
> 
> I am using Splus 3.4 under SGI IRIX 5.3.
> 
> My problem is poisson regression, where my data y_i
> are counts assumed to be distributed as a Poisson
> r.v with mean
> 
>        \sum_{j=1}^{n} \lambda_j p_i,j
> 
> where p_i are vectors of independent variables which sum to 1,
> and \lambda is vector of parameters to be estimated.
> 
> With simulated data, I find using nlminb to directly minimise the
> log-likelihood produces unbiased parameter estimates, compared
> to the results of glm(family=poisson).
> 
> My problem is in determining the standard errors of the parameter
> estimates, which I need for prediction. 
> 
> To be precise, here are several ways of obtaining the variables p_i,
> and one of the parameters is crucial for the intended application.
> Thus, my criteria for the best model is that which minimises the
> prediction error associated with that one parameter. Hence, the
> need for standard errors.
> 
> Is there some way of computing these directly from the value returned 
> by nlminb, or must I resort to bootstapping?

See vcov.nlminb in library MASS.


-- 
Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley@stats.ox.ac.uk
Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272860 (secr)
Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595

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