Approximate standard error for variance component with lmer

2010/3/1 Julien Martin <julien.martin2 at usherbrooke.ca>:

Hi
I am wondering if it is possible to compute approximate standard error
for variance component as proposed by Fischer et al 2004 using lmer.

Thanks

Julien

Fischer, TM., Gilmour, AR. and Werf, JHVD. (2004). Computing approximate
standard errors for genetic parameters derived from random regression
models fitted by average information REML. Genetics Selection Evolution
36, 363-369.

Part of the point of the profiling of the parameters in mixed-effects
models that I describe in chapters 1 and 2 of the book I am writing
(chapter drafts are available at
http://lme4.R-forge.R-project.org/book/) is to show that the estimates
of variance components are not symmetrically distributed - in fact
they are quite asymmetric.  In such cases there isn't much point in
computing a standard error.  You could do so from the profiles but I
don't see the point.