Correction: Random-Effects, Fixed-Effects and the within-between Specification for Clustered Data in Observational Health Studies: A Simulation Study

Abstract

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110257.].

Fig 7. Significant between-group variation relative to within-group variation.

Row 1 (interpreted like Fig 3) shows the distribution of the errors in marginal effects estimates from the RE estimation (red), FE estimation (blue), and WB approach (green). Row 2 (interpreted like Fig 4) shows MSE associated with the RE estimation (red), FE estimation (blue), and WB approach (green) errors. Row 3 (interpreted like Fig 6) shows the distribution of the RMSE from the fitted values estimated using RE estimation (red), FE estimation (blue), and WB approach (green). The between-group variation is set to 0.9, while the within-group variation is 0.1. All other simulation input parameters are set to baseline.

Fig 9. Poorly fit model that explains only a small portion of the outcome variable's variance.

Row 1 (interpreted like Fig 3) shows the distribution of the errors in marginal effects estimates from the RE estimation (red), FE estimation (blue), and WB approach (green). Row 2 (interpreted like Fig 4) shows MSE associated with the RE estimation (red), FE estimation (blue), and WB approach (green) errors. Row 3 (interpreted like Fig 6) shows the distribution of the RMSE from the fitted values estimated using RE estimation (red), FE estimation (blue), and WB approach (green). The variance of the residual is set such that it explains 90% of the variation of the outcome variable. All other simulation input parameters are set to baseline.

Fig 11. Misspecified model.

Row 1 (interpreted like Fig 3) shows the distribution of the errors in marginal effects estimates from the RE estimation (red), FE estimation (blue), and WB approach (green). Row 2 (interpreted like Fig 4) shows MSE associated with the RE estimation (red), FE estimation (blue), and WB approach (green) errors. Row 3 (interpreted like Fig 6) shows the distribution of the RMSE from the fitted values estimated using RE estimation (red), FE estimation (blue), and WB approach (green). The correlation between the explanatory variable and the residual is set to 0.2. All other simulation input parameters are set to baseline.