Definition editor: elicitation of group priors
This page allows you to provide relative and absolute chronological information
about the groups within your definition. Using this page you can
set absolute chronological information about the boundary parameters of
the groups and also define the relative chronological relationships between
the groups in your definition. One page is shown for each group.
Accessing this page
This page can be accessed by clicking the "Modify" button from within the
list
group priors page, for the group or boundary parameter you wish to
modify. It is also shown when the software needs to know about the
chronological information for groups you have created.
Description
The page is split into two parts: one for absolute chronological information
and the other for relative chronological information.
Absolute chronological information
Two forms are shown, one for the early group boundary and one for the late
group boundary. The form allows you to provide information about
the true calendar date of that parameter.
BCal allows you to supply information about the true calendar date in
the following ways. The calendar used to represent such dates will
depend on your setting within the configuration
page.
-
An exact year. You must know the exact calendar year for the parameter.
-
A normal distribution of dates. You should know the mean calendar
year and the standard deviation from that year for the true calendar date
for that parameter.
-
A range of calendar years. The real date of the parameter exists
uniformly within this range.
Relative chronological information
One form for every other group within your definition is shown. The
form allows you to specify the chronological relationship between this
group and the other groups in the current project. BCal supports
the following relationships between groups.
-
Earlier - The boundary parameters of this group are earlier than
the boundary parameters of the other group.
-
Later - The boundary parameters of this group are later than the
boundary parameters of the other group.
-
Abutting earlier - The same as earlier, but the late boundary parameter
of this group is equal to the early boundary parameter of the other group.
-
Abutting later - The same as later, but the early boundary parameter
of this group is equal to the late boundary parameter of the other group.
-
Overlapping earlier - The early boundary parameter of this
group is earlier than both boundary parameters of the other group.
The late boundary parameter of this group is earlier than the late boundary
parameter of the other group, but later than the early boundary parameter
of the other group. The late boundary parameter of the other group
is later than both boundary parameters of this group.
-
Overlapping later - The late boundary parameter of this group
is later than both boundary parameters of the other group. The early
boundary parameter of this group is later than the early boundary parameter
of the other group, but earlier than the late boundary parameter of the
other group. The early boundary parameter of the other group is earlier
than both boundary parameters of this group.
-
Contemporary - The late boundary parameter of this group and the
late boundary parameter of the other group are equal. The early boundary
parameter of this group and the early boundary parameter of the other group
are also equal.
-
No relationship - No relationship is known between the two groups.
See also
Consistency checking
