How many parameters?

[simone77]

Hi,

I'm still a bit confused on how to calculate the number of parameters of an additive model. I have read quite a few times the 6.11 section in the Gentle Mark Introduction where it explains how to do it but I don't get it yet.

So, I hope someone can suggest me the way to do it.
Here I give some details, this is my case:

42 occasions and two groups (juveniles "1 0" and adults "0 1"). Each session represent two months (pooled in one session) throughout seven years (each year --> six sessions).
So, resuming, there are 2 groups, 7 years and 6 sessions within each year.

Now, I've built the design matrix (see below) of this model:

{Phi(age+year+session) P(age+year+session)}

To me it is particularly difficult to calculate the number of potentially estimable parameters of this model because of the presence of 3 additive factors.

Here it is the upper-left part representing the "phi" (survival) part for the first group (juveniles), the same is for the second group as well as the "p" (recapture) part that is identical.

int. age year year year year year year session session session session session
1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

The entire design matrix includes 164 rows (1-->82 "phi" and 83-->164 "p") and 26 columns (1-->13 "phi" and 14-->26 "p"). I believe (I hope) it is right but I cannot understand how to calculate the estimable parameters of this model.

Thanks in advance for any answer

Simone

[simone77]

I'm sorry, I don't like to insist but I would make clear that I'm not looking for someone to do my own homeworks. I'm just trying to understand how to calculate the number of parameters an additive model has. It is not a trivial question because in many situations (when MARK is not able to calculate the real number of estimable parameters) it is crucial to choose the best model properly.
Thanks again for any help,

Simone

[dhewitt]

Simone,

I can help you offline with a simpler example and maybe we can go from there.

dhewitt@usgs.gov

- Dave