I am trying to model counts distribute across groups in JAGS, but I need to add a random effect for the presence of multiple counts from the same individual.
The model is taken from here enter link description here I am stuck, so I would greatly appreciate any help with this.
# File name "count model.jags"
model {
#Likelihood
for (i in 1:nGroups) {
obs[i] ~ dbin(p[i],n[i])
p[i] ~ dbeta(a[i],b[i])
a[i] ~ dgamma(1,0.01)
b[i] ~ dgamma(1,0.01)
}
} # end of model
To incorporate random effects for repeated measurements from the same individual in your binomial model, you'll need to add a hierarchical structure. Here's how you can modify your JAGS model:
model {
# Likelihood
for (i in 1:nObs) { # Loop over all observations
obs[i] ~ dbin(p[i], n[i])
logit(p[i]) <- beta0 + beta[group[i]] + u[individual[i]] # Linear predictor with random effect
}
# Random effects for individuals
for (j in 1:nIndividuals) {
u[j] ~ dnorm(0, tau.u) # Individual random effects
}
# Group-level effects
for (k in 1:nGroups) {
beta[k] ~ dnorm(0, 0.001) # Group effects
}
# Hyperpriors
beta0 ~ dnorm(0, 0.001) # Global intercept
tau.u ~ dgamma(0.001, 0.001) # Precision for random effects
sigma.u <- 1/sqrt(tau.u) # Convert to standard deviation
}
Your data structure should look like this:
data <- list(
nObs = length(obs),
nIndividuals = length(unique(individual_ids)),
nGroups = length(unique(group_ids)),
obs = observed_counts,
n = trials,
individual = individual_ids,
group = group_ids
)
This approach properly accounts for within-individual correlation while maintaining your group structure. The random effects capture individual-specific deviations from the group-level effects.