[R-sig-ME] Multinomial models

[David Duffy]

On Thu, 7 Feb 2008, Douglas Bates wrote:

> I should have been more explicit.  One can use any of the families
> defined in the stats package for R, including the quasi family.
>
> They could be extended but that would need a definition of inverse
> link, the derivative of the inverse link and the variance function for
> any new families that are to be incorporated.
>
Austin Frank asked

>> Unsurprisingly, I'm wondering whether the above change will enable me to
>> model a multinomial dependent variable using glmer.  Is this now
>> possible?

I can imagine a proportional odds/multiple threshold mixed model in lmer, 
but don't see how Gaussian distributed random effects could be included 
in a multinomial model without going to some type of a multivariate model.

To AF: May I ask how you currently deal with such data, LCA/LSA etc with 
latent categorical or continuous variables?

To DB: Will lmer eventually allow multivariate models and arbitrary 
distributions for the random effects (eg mixtures of normals, other 
parametric distributions)?  Are they already in there somewhere ;)

Cheers, David Duffy.

-- 
| David Duffy (MBBS PhD)                                         ,-_|\
| email: davidD at qimr.edu.au  ph: INT+61+7+3362-0217 fax: -0101  /     *
| Epidemiology Unit, Queensland Institute of Medical Research   \_,-._/
| 300 Herston Rd, Brisbane, Queensland 4029, Australia  GPG 4D0B994A v