GENERALIZED ADDITIVE MODELS : INTRODUCTION

Generalized additive models (GAMs) represent a method of fitting a smooth relationship between two or more variables through a scatterplot of data points.

GAMs are useful where :

* The relationship between the variables is expected to be of a complex form, not easily fitted by standard linear or non-linear models;

* There is no a priori reason for using a particular model;

* We would like the data to suggest the appropriate functional form.

Authors : P.A.Bassett, Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland, UK, and G.Bishop, Department of Statistics, University of Adelaide, Australia © BioSS