ST221: Assessed coursework 1
Linear Statistical Modelling
Deadline: 12 noon Thursday 12th March 2020
A printout of your solutions must be handed in to the support office by the deadline above. Your
solutions should be produced using a word processor, Markdown, or LATEX. Please remember to include
only your ID number on your submission to allow anonymous marking. Please leave adequate time for
printing and note that ‘the printer broke’ is not a valid reason for late submission. If you have any queries
about the coursework please post them on the ST221 forum, but do not post any part of your solutions.
This assignment counts towards 15% of your final module mark.
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1. Download the file courseworkData1.csv from the module webpage and read it into R.
The dataset consists of data on live births in a London hospital. The variables are:
• bweight Birth weight of baby (in g).
• gestwks Gestation period, i.e. the time between conception and birth (in weeks).
• hyp Indicator for maternal hypertension (1:Present, 0:Absent).
• sex Sex of baby (a factor with levels ”male”, ”female”).
The aim of the study is to look at the effect of hypertension on birthweight. However, birth weight
is also influenced by the other factors.
(a) Calculate the mean birth weight among babies born to women with and without hypertension.
[1]
(b) Fit a linear model with birth weight as the outcome variable and maternal hypertension as the
only explanatory variable. Write down the parameter estimates. Give an interpretation of the
values of the two parameter estimates accessible to a non-statistician. [2]
(c) Produce a scatter plot of birth weight against gestation period. Use different colours and/or
plotting symbols to show babies born to mothers with and without hypertension. Your plot
should be clearly labelled. [2]
(d) Fit a second model with birth weight as outcome and hypertension, sex, and gestation period
as explanatory variables. Report the effect of hypertension on birth weight in this model.
Compare it with the result in part 1b. Why are the two estimates different? [2]
(e) Give the first 5 rows of the design matrix for the model in part 1d. [1]
(f) Give an unbiased estimate of the variance of the errors σ2 in the model in part 1d and an
estimate of the variance of estimator for the effect of hypertension. [2]
(g) Give the expected birthweight of a female child born at 40 weeks to a mother with
hypertension. [2]
(h) A doctor suggests that hypertension might act on birthweight in two ways:
• Directly, by reducing the birth weight of children born at the same number of gestational
weeks.
• Indirectly, through gestation period, by causing babies to be born earlier.
Fit a model to investigate the hypothesis that maternal hypertension causes babies to be born
earlier. Think carefully about which variables should and should not go in the model.
Summarize your findings to the doctor. [3]
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2. Download the file courseworkdata2.csv from the module webpage and read it into R.
(a) Fit a simple linear regression model with y1 as the response and x as the predictor. Make a
plot of the data and add the fitted line. [1]
(b) Produce a residual plot for the model in part 2a and comment on whether it is acceptable or
not. If you think it is not acceptable describe which model assumptions are not appropriate.
[3]
(c) Suggest an improved model for the response y1, fit it to the data and produce a new residual
plot. Comment on whether the residual plot for the improved model is acceptable. [3]
(d) Fit a simple linear regression model with y2 as the response and x as the predictor. Make a
plot of the data, add the fitted line, produce a residual plot and comment on whether it is
acceptable or not. If you think it is not appropriate describe which model assumptions are not
appropriate. [3]
(e) Suggest an improved model for the response y2, fit it to the data and produce a new residual
plot. Comment on whether the residual plot for the improved model is acceptable. [3]
(f) Assess whether the residuals from your model in part 2e appear to be normally distributed. [2]
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