choice_parameters: Define choice model parameters

In choicedata: Working with Choice Data

Define choice model parameters

Description

These functions construct, validate, and transform an object of class choice_parameters, which defines the parameters of a choice model.

• choice_parameters() constructs a choice_parameters object.

• generate_choice_parameters() samples parameters at random, see details.

• validate_choice_parameters() validates a choice_parameters object.

• switch_parameter_space() transforms a choice_parameters object between the interpretation and optimization space, see details.

Usage

choice_parameters(beta = NULL, Omega = NULL, Sigma = NULL, gamma = NULL)

generate_choice_parameters(
  choice_effects,
  fixed_parameters = choice_parameters()
)

validate_choice_parameters(
  choice_parameters,
  choice_effects,
  allow_missing = FALSE
)

switch_parameter_space(choice_parameters, choice_effects)

Arguments

beta	[numeric(P)] The coefficient vector of length P (number of effects) for computing the linear-in-parameters systematic utility V = X\beta.
Omega	[matrix(nrow = P_r, ncol = P_r) | NULL] The covariance matrix of random effects of dimension P_r times P_r, where P_r \leq P is the number of random effects. Can be NULL in the case of P_r = 0.
Sigma	[matrix(nrow = J, ncol = J) | numeric(1)] Only relevant in the probit model. For unordered alternatives it is the covariance matrix of dimension J times J (number of alternatives) for the Gaussian error term \epsilon = U - V. In ordered models it reduces to a single variance term.
gamma	[numeric(J - 1) | NULL] Optional vector of strictly increasing threshold parameters for ordered models. The first element must equal zero for identification. Ignored for unordered alternatives.
choice_effects	[choice_effects] A choice_effects object describing the utility specification.
fixed_parameters	[choice_parameters] Optionally a choice_parameters object of parameters to keep fixed when sampling other parameters.
choice_parameters	[choice_parameters] A choice_parameters object.
allow_missing	[logical(1)] Should parameters be allowed to be missing (TRUE) or must all required elements be present (FALSE)?

Value

An object of class choice_parameters, which is a list with the elements:

beta

The coefficient vector (if any).

Omega

The covariance matrix of random effects (if any).

Sigma

The error term covariance matrix (or variance in ordered models).

gamma

Threshold parameters for ordered models (if any).

Sampling missing choice model parameters

Unspecified choice model parameters (if required) are drawn independently from the following distributions:

beta

Drawn from a multivariate normal distribution with zero mean and a diagonal covariance matrix with value 10 on the diagonal.

Omega

Drawn from an Inverse-Wishart distribution with degrees of freedom equal to P_r + 2 and scale matrix equal to the identity.

Sigma

The first row and column are fixed to 0 for level normalization. The (2, 2)-value is fixed to 1 for scale normalization. The lower right block is drawn from an Inverse-Wishart distribution with degrees of freedom equal to J + 1 and scale matrix equal to the identity.

Parameter spaces

The switch_parameter_space() function transforms a choice_parameters object between the interpretation and optimization space.

• The interpretation space is a list of (not necessarily identified) parameters that can be interpreted.

• The optimization space is a numeric vector of identified parameters that can be optimized:

  • beta is not transformed

  • the first row and column of Sigma are fixed to 0 for level normalization and the second diagonal element is fixed to 1 for scale normalization

  • the covariance matrices (Omega and Sigma) are transformed to their vectorized Cholesky factor (diagonal fixed to be positive for uniqueness)

Examples

### generate choice parameters at random
J <- 3
choice_effects <- choice_effects(
  choice_formula = choice_formula(
    formula = choice ~ A | B, error_term = "probit",
    random_effects = c("A" = "cn")
  ),
  choice_alternatives = choice_alternatives(J = J)
)
choice_parameters <- generate_choice_parameters(
  choice_effects = choice_effects,
  fixed_parameters = choice_parameters(
    Sigma = diag(c(0, rep(1, J - 1))) # scale and level normalization
  )
)

choicedata documentation built on Nov. 5, 2025, 5:46 p.m.