se.contrast: Standard Errors for Contrasts in Model Terms

Description

Returns the standard errors for one or more contrasts in an aov object.

Usage

se.contrast(object, …)
# S3 method for aov
se.contrast(object, contrast.obj,
           coef = contr.helmert(ncol(contrast))[, 1],
           data = NULL, …)

Arguments

object

A suitable fit, usually from aov.

contrast.obj

The contrasts for which standard errors are requested. This can be specified via a list or via a matrix. A single contrast can be specified by a list of logical vectors giving the cells to be contrasted. Multiple contrasts should be specified by a matrix, each column of which is a numerical contrast vector (summing to zero).

coef

used when contrast.obj is a list; it should be a vector of the same length as the list with zero sum. The default value is the first Helmert contrast, which contrasts the first and second cell means specified by the list.

data

The data frame used to evaluate contrast.obj.

…

further arguments passed to or from other methods.

Value

A vector giving the standard errors for each contrast.

Details

Contrasts are usually used to test if certain means are significantly different; it can be easier to use se.contrast than compute them directly from the coefficients.

In multistratum models, the contrasts can appear in more than one stratum, in which case the standard errors are computed in the lowest stratum and adjusted for efficiencies and comparisons between strata. (See the comments in the note in the help for aov about using orthogonal contrasts.) Such standard errors are often conservative.

Suitable matrices for use with coef can be found by calling contrasts and indexing the columns by a factor.

Examples

Run this code

## From Venables and Ripley (2002) p.165.
N <- c(0,1,0,1,1,1,0,0,0,1,1,0,1,1,0,0,1,0,1,0,1,1,0,0)
P <- c(1,1,0,0,0,1,0,1,1,1,0,0,0,1,0,1,1,0,0,1,0,1,1,0)
K <- c(1,0,0,1,0,1,1,0,0,1,0,1,0,1,1,0,0,0,1,1,1,0,1,0)
yield <- c(49.5,62.8,46.8,57.0,59.8,58.5,55.5,56.0,62.8,55.8,69.5,
55.0, 62.0,48.8,45.5,44.2,52.0,51.5,49.8,48.8,57.2,59.0,53.2,56.0)

npk <- data.frame(block = gl(6,4), N = factor(N), P = factor(P),
                  K = factor(K), yield = yield)
## Set suitable contrasts.
options(contrasts = c("contr.helmert", "contr.poly"))
npk.aov1 <- aov(yield ~ block + N + K, data = npk)
se.contrast(npk.aov1, list(N == "0", N == "1"), data = npk)
# or via a matrix
cont <- matrix(c(-1,1), 2, 1, dimnames = list(NULL, "N"))
se.contrast(npk.aov1, cont[N, , drop = FALSE]/12, data = npk)

## test a multi-stratum model
npk.aov2 <- aov(yield ~ N + K + Error(block/(N + K)), data = npk)
se.contrast(npk.aov2, list(N == "0", N == "1"))


## an example looking at an interaction contrast
## Dataset from R.E. Kirk (1995)
## 'Experimental Design: procedures for the behavioral sciences'
score <- c(12, 8,10, 6, 8, 4,10,12, 8, 6,10,14, 9, 7, 9, 5,11,12,
            7,13, 9, 9, 5,11, 8, 7, 3, 8,12,10,13,14,19, 9,16,14)
A <- gl(2, 18, labels = c("a1", "a2"))
B <- rep(gl(3, 6, labels = c("b1", "b2", "b3")), 2)
fit <- aov(score ~ A*B)
cont <- c(1, -1)[A] * c(1, -1, 0)[B]
sum(cont)       # 0
sum(cont*score) # value of the contrast
se.contrast(fit, as.matrix(cont))
(t.stat <- sum(cont*score)/se.contrast(fit, as.matrix(cont)))
summary(fit, split = list(B = 1:2), expand.split = TRUE)
## t.stat^2 is the F value on the A:B: C1 line (with Helmert contrasts)
## Now look at all three interaction contrasts
cont <- c(1, -1)[A] * cbind(c(1, -1, 0), c(1, 0, -1), c(0, 1, -1))[B,]
se.contrast(fit, cont)  # same, due to balance.
rm(A, B, score)


## multi-stratum example where efficiencies play a role
utils::example(eff.aovlist)
fit <- aov(Yield ~ A + B * C + Error(Block), data = aovdat)
cont1 <- c(-1, 1)[A]/32  # Helmert contrasts
cont2 <- c(-1, 1)[B] * c(-1, 1)[C]/32
cont <- cbind(A = cont1, BC = cont2)
colSums(cont*Yield) # values of the contrasts
se.contrast(fit, as.matrix(cont))
# comparison with lme
library(nlme)
fit2 <- lme(Yield ~ A + B*C, random = ~1 | Block, data = aovdat)
summary(fit2)$tTable # same estimates, similar (but smaller) se's.