Model Specification and Design

Author(s):  
Mike West ◽  
Jeff Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Methodology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 138-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsien-Yuan Hsu ◽  
Susan Troncoso Skidmore ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Bruce Thompson

The purpose of the present paper was to evaluate the effect of constraining near-zero parameter cross-loadings to zero in the measurement component of a structural equation model. A Monte Carlo 3 × 5 × 2 simulation design was conducted (i.e., sample sizes of 200, 600, and 1,000; parameter cross-loadings of 0.07, 0.10, 0.13, 0.16, and 0.19 misspecified to be zero; and parameter path coefficients in the structural model of either 0.50 or 0.70). Results indicated that factor pattern coefficients and factor covariances were overestimated in measurement models when near-zero parameter cross-loadings constrained to zero were higher than 0.13 in the population. Moreover, the path coefficients between factors were misestimated when the near-zero parameter cross-loadings constrained to zero were noteworthy. Our results add to the literature detailing the importance of testing individual model specification decisions, and not simply evaluating omnibus model fit statistics.


Marketing ZFP ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 33-42
Author(s):  
Thomas Otter

Empirical research in marketing often is, at least in parts, exploratory. The goal of exploratory research, by definition, extends beyond the empirical calibration of parameters in well established models and includes the empirical assessment of different model specifications. In this context researchers often rely on the statistical information about parameters in a given model to learn about likely model structures. An example is the search for the 'true' set of covariates in a regression model based on confidence intervals of regression coefficients. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate and compare different measures of statistical information about model parameters in the context of a generalized linear model: classical confidence intervals, bootstrapped confidence intervals, and Bayesian posterior credible intervals from a model that adapts its dimensionality as a function of the information in the data. I find that inference from the adaptive Bayesian model dominates that based on classical and bootstrapped intervals in a given model.


1991 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 9-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Ossenbruggen ◽  
H. Spanjers ◽  
H. Aspegren ◽  
A. Klapwijk

A series of batch tests were performed to study the competition for oxygen by Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter in the nitrification of ammonia in activated sludge. Oxygen uptake rate (OUR) and dynamic (compartment) models describing the process are proposed and tested. The OUR model is described by a Monod relationship and the biogradation process by a set of first order nonlinear differential equations with variable coefficients. The results show a mechanistic model and ten reaction rates are sufficient to capture the interactive behavior of the nitrification process. Methods for model specification, calibrating, and testing the model and the design of additional experiments are described.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6831
Author(s):  
Rosa Marina González ◽  
Concepción Román ◽  
Ángel Simón Marrero

In this study, discrete choice models that combine different behavioural rules are estimated to study the visitors’ preferences in relation to their travel mode choices to access a national park. Using a revealed preference survey conducted on visitors of Teide National Park (Tenerife, Spain), we present a hybrid model specification—with random parameters—in which we assume that some attributes are evaluated by the individuals under conventional random utility maximization (RUM) rules, whereas others are evaluated under random regret minimization (RRM) rules. We then compare the results obtained using exclusively a conventional RUM approach to those obtained using both RUM and RRM approaches, derive monetary valuations of the different components of travel time and calculate direct elasticity measures. Our results provide useful instruments to evaluate policies that promote the use of more sustainable modes of transport in natural sites. Such policies should be considered as priorities in many national parks, where negative transport externalities such as traffic congestion, pollution, noise and accidents are causing problems that jeopardize not only the sustainability of the sites, but also the quality of the visit.


1995 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff E. Brown ◽  
Don E. Ethridge

A combination of conceptual analysis and empirical analysis—partial regression and residuals analysis—was used to derive an appropriate functional form hedonic price model. These procedures are illustrated in the derivation of a functional form hedonic model for an automated, econometric daily cotton price reporting system for the Texas-Oklahoma cotton market. Following conceptualization to deduce the general shapes of relationships, the appropriate specific functional form was found by testing particular attribute transformations identified from partial regression analysis. Minimizing structural errors across attribute levels and estimation accuracy were used in determining when an appropriate functional form for both implicit and explicit prices was found.


2021 ◽  
pp. oemed-2021-107473
Author(s):  
Liam Wright ◽  
Jenny A Head ◽  
Stephen Jivraj

BackgroundSeveral studies show that youth unemployment is associated with worse mental health later in life. However, existing studies report results for only one model, or a few models, and use regression adjustment to support causal claims. We use two novel methods to address these gaps in the literature.MethodsWe use data from Next Steps, a cohort study of English schoolchildren who entered the labour market in the aftermath of the 2008–2009 global financial crisis, and measure mental health using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) at age 25. We use specification curve analysis and a negative control outcome design (a form of placebo test) to test whether associations between youth unemployment and later GHQ-12 scores are sensitive to model specification or are likely to be confounded by unobserved factors.ResultsWe find that the association between unemployment and later GHQ-12 is qualitatively similar across 99.96% of the 120 000 models we run. Statistically significant associations with two placebo outcomes, height and patience, are not present when regression adjustments are made.ConclusionsThere is clear evidence that youth unemployment is related to later mental health, and some evidence that this cannot be easily explained by unobserved confounding.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 508
Author(s):  
Lan Hu ◽  
Yongwan Chun ◽  
Daniel A. Griffith

House prices tend to be spatially correlated due to similar physical features shared by neighboring houses and commonalities attributable to their neighborhood environment. A multilevel model is one of the methodologies that has been frequently adopted to address spatial effects in modeling house prices. Empirical studies show its capability in accounting for neighborhood specific spatial autocorrelation (SA) and analyzing potential factors related to house prices at both individual and neighborhood levels. However, a standard multilevel model specification only considers within-neighborhood SA, which refers to similar house prices within a given neighborhood, but neglects between-neighborhood SA, which refers to similar house prices for adjacent neighborhoods that can commonly exist in residential areas. This oversight may lead to unreliable inference results for covariates, and subsequently less accurate house price predictions. This study proposes to extend a multilevel model using Moran eigenvector spatial filtering (MESF) methodology. This proposed model can take into account simultaneously between-neighborhood SA with a set of Moran eigenvectors as well as potential within-neighborhood SA with a random effects term. An empirical analysis of 2016 and 2017 house prices in Fairfax County, Virginia, illustrates the capability of a multilevel MESF model specification in accounting for between-neighborhood SA present in data. A comparison of its model performance and house price prediction outcomes with conventional methodologies also indicates that the multilevel MESF model outperforms standard multilevel and hedonic models. With its simple and flexible feature, a multilevel MESF model can furnish an appealing and useful approach for understanding the underlying spatial distribution of house prices.


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