Generalized Linear Models

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Last modified: 2024-05-16: 10:43:44 (AM)


This section is primarily adapted starting from the textbook “An Introduction to Generalized Linear Models” (4th edition, 2018) by Annette J. Dobson and Adrian G. Barnett:

https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315182780

The type of predictive model one uses depends on several issues; one is the type of response.

We need a linear predictor of the same form as in linear regression \(\beta x\). In theory, such a linear predictor can generate any type of number as a prediction, positive, negative, or zero

We choose a suitable distribution for the type of data we are predicting (normal for any number, gamma for positive numbers, binomial for binary responses, Poisson for counts)

We create a link function which maps the mean of the distribution onto the set of all possible linear prediction results, which is the whole real line (\(-\infty, \infty\)). The inverse of the link function takes the linear predictor to the actual prediction.

R glm() Families
Family Links
gaussian identity, log, inverse
binomial logit, probit, cauchit, log, cloglog
gamma inverse, identity, log
inverse.gaussian 1/mu^2, inverse, identity, log
Poisson log, identity, sqrt
quasi identity, logit, probit, cloglog, inverse, log, 1/mu^2 and sqrt
quasibinomial logit, probit, identity, cloglog, inverse, log, 1/mu^2 and sqrt
quasipoisson log, identity, logit, probit, cloglog, inverse, 1/mu^2 and sqrt
R glm() Link Functions; \(\eta = X\beta = g(\mu)\)
Name Domain Range Link Function Inverse Link Function
identity \((-\infty, \infty)\) \((-\infty, \infty)\) \(\eta = \mu\). \(\mu = \eta\)
log \((0,\infty)\) \((-\infty, \infty)\) \(\eta = \text{log}\left\{\mu\right\}\) \(\mu = \text{exp}\left\{\eta\right\}\)
inverse \((0, \infty)\) \((0,\infty)\) \(\eta = 1/\mu\) \(\mu = 1/\eta\)
logit \((0,1)\) \((-\infty, \infty)\) \(\eta = \text{log}\left\{\mu/(1-\mu)\right\}\) \(\mu = \text{exp}\left\{\eta\right\}/(1+\text{exp}\left\{\eta\right\})\)
probit \((0,1)\) \((-\infty, \infty)\) \(\eta = \Phi^{-1}(\mu)\) \(\mu = \Phi(\eta)\)
cloglog \((0,1)\) \((-\infty, \infty)\) \(\eta = \text{log}\left\{-\text{log}\left\{1-\mu\right\}\right\}\) \(\mu = {1-\text{exp}\left\{-\text{exp}\left\{\eta\right\}\right\}}\)
1/mu^2 \((0,\infty)\) \((0, \infty)\) \(\eta = 1/\mu^2\) \(\mu = 1/\sqrt{\eta}\)
sqrt \((0,\infty)\) \((0,\infty)\) \(\eta = \sqrt{\mu}\) \(\mu = \eta^2\)