A First Course in Bayesian Statistical Methods

and examples.- Belief, probability and exchangeability.- One-parameter models.- Monte Carlo approximation.- The normal model.- Posterior approximation with the Gibbs sampler.- The multivariate normal model.- Group comparisons and hierarchical modeling.- Linear regression.- Nonconjugate priors and Metropolis-Hastings algorithms.- Linear and generalized linear mixed effects models.- Latent variable methods for ordinal data.

From the reviews:

This is an excellent book for its intended audience: statisticians who wish to learn Bayesian methods. Although designed for a statistics audience, it would also be a good book for econometricians who have been trained in frequentist methods, but wish to learn Bayes. In relatively few pages, it takes the reader through a vast amount of material, beginning with deep issues in statistical methodology such as de Finetti's theorem, through the nitty-gritty of Bayesian computation to sophisticated models such as generalized linear mixed effects models and copulas. And it does so in a simple manner, always drawing parallels and contrasts between Bayesian and frequentist methods, so as to allow the reader to see the similarities and differences with clarity. (Econometrics Journal) "Generally, I think this is an excellent choice for a text for a one-semester Bayesian Course. It provides a good overview of the basic tenets of Bayesian thinking for the common one and two parameter distributions and gives introductions to Bayesian regression, multivariate-response modeling, hierarchical modeling, and mixed effects models. The book includes an ample collection of exercises for all the chapters. A strength of the book is its good discussion of Gibbs sampling and Metropolis-Hastings algorithms. The author goes beyond a description of the MCMC algorithms, but also provides insight into why the algorithms work. ...I believe this text would be an excellent choice for my Bayesian class since it seems to cover a good number of introductory topics and giv the student a good introduction to the modern computational tools for Bayesian inference with illustrations using R. (Journal of the American Statistical Association, June 2010, Vol. 105, No. 490)

"Statisticians and applied scientists. The book is accessible to readers having a basic familiarity with probability theory and grounding statistical methods. The author has succeeded in writing an

From the reviews:

This is an excellent book for its intended audience: statisticians who wish to learn Bayesian methods. Although designed for a statistics audience, it would also be a good book for econometricians who have been trained in frequentist methods, but wish to learn Bayes. In relatively few pages, it takes the reader through a vast amount of material, beginning with deep issues in statistical methodology such as de Finetti's theorem, through the nitty-gritty of Bayesian computation to sophisticated models such as generalized linear mixed effects models and copulas. And it does so in a simple manner, always drawing parallels and contrasts between Bayesian and frequentist methods, so as to allow the reader to see the similarities and differences with clarity. (Econometrics Journal) "Generally, I think this is an excellent choice for a text for a one-semester Bayesian Course. It provides a good overview of the basic tenets of Bayesian thinking for the common one and two parameter distributions and gives introductions to Bayesian regression, multivariate-response modeling, hierarchical modeling, and mixed effects models. The book includes an ample collection of exercises for all the chapters. A strength of the book is its good discussion of Gibbs sampling and Metropolis-Hastings algorithms. The author goes beyond a description of the MCMC algorithms, but also provides insight into why the algorithms work. ...I believe this text would be an excellent choice for my Bayesian class since it seems to cover a good number of introductory topics and giv the student a good introduction to the modern computational tools for Bayesian inference with illustrations using R. (Journal of the American Statistical Association, June 2010, Vol. 105, No. 490)

"Statisticians and applied scientists. The book is accessible to readers having a basic familiarity with probability theory and grounding statistical methods. The author has succeeded in writing an