Criticism of a hierarchical model using Bayes factors
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 24, 2026

A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments
Published on: March 1, 2022
1Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Bowling Green State University, OH 43403-0221, USA.
Abstract:
This paper analyses a data file of heart transplant surgeries performed in the United States over a two-year period. A Poisson/gamma exchangeable model is used to learn about the underlying death rates for 94 hospitals. There are concerns about the suitability of this hierarchical model, including the need for a hierarchical structure, the existence of outliers, the choice of prior hyperparameters, the need for a covariate in the model, and the manner in which exchangeability was modelled. Each concern motivates the construction of alternative models and Bayes factors are used to compare the existing model with the alternative models. Graphical displays are used to check the sensitivity of the posterior analysis with respect to model perturbations and plots of Bayes factors are used to criticize these perturbations.
Related Concept Videos
Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
Decision Making: Traditional Method
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is decided based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to this claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses, out of which a null hypothesis would be a...
Friedman Two-way Analysis of Variance by Ranks
Mechanistic Models: Compartment Models in Individual and Population Analysis
Criteria for Causality: Bradford Hill Criteria - II
Criteria for Causality: Bradford Hill Criteria - I