[R] lme and lmer df's and F-statistics again

[Dieter Menne]

Bert Gunter <gunter.berton <at> gene.com> writes:

> I think we owe Doug Bates a little more respect than that!

If you check my postings on the forum and on my homepage (subject: Gastric
Emptying), you will find that there are few people that pay so much respect to
Douglas Bates' contributions than I do.

I noted though that there was an ambiguous sentences in my previous note: "Not
to use lmer for gaussian  models" should have been extended by "but to use lme
instead when possible".

Nevertheless, there is a problem that we as "end users" are left in a dangling
state. Douglas Bates has made his point in a detailed statement on this list.
After 20 years in applied medical statistics I am probable at 202 level, but I
simply have to accept his arguments even if I do not understand all details.

However, when I like the original poster have to rebut a referee's argument, it
is very difficult to use a well-formulated list message to make a point in the
three-capitals dominated world.

Dieter