Nonparametric empirical bayes prediction in mixed models
摘要
Mixed models are classical tools in statistics for modeling repeated data on subjects, such as data on patients or firms collected over time. They extend conventional linear models to include latent parameters, called random effects, that capture between-subject variation and accommodate dependence within the repeated measurements of a subject. Traditionally, predictions in mixed models are conducted by assuming that the random effects have a zero mean Normal distribution, which leads to the Best Linear Unbiased Predictor (BLUP) of the random effects in these models. However, such a distributional assumption on the random effects is restrictive and may lead to inefficient predictions, especially when the true random effect distribution is far from Normal. In this article, we develop a framework,