Comments on “Testing for NBUL using goodness of fit approach with applications” (Statistical Papers (2010) 51: 27–40, DOI 10.1007/s00362-007-0113-0)

We comment on a new testing procedure for testing exponentiality against NBUL alternatives. We show that the proposed test is inappropriate and point out the subtle flaw in the argument. The other deficiencies in the paper are also highlighted.     

Gap-ratio goodness of fit tests for weibull or extreme value distribution assumptions with left or right censored data

With data collection in environmental science and bioassay, left censoring because of nondetects is a problem. Similarly in reliability and life data analysis right censoring frequently occurs. There is a need for goodness of fit tests that can adapt to left or right censored data and be used to check important distributional assumptions without becoming too difficult to regularly implement in practice. A new test statistic is derived from a plot of the standardized spacings between the order statistics versus their ranks. Any linear or curvilinear pattern is evidence against the null distribution. When testing the Weibull or extreme value null hypothesis this statistic has a null distribution that is approximately F for most combinations of sample size and censoring of practical interest. Our statistic is compared to the Mann-Scheuer-Fertig statistic which also uses the standardized spacings between the order statistics. The results of a simulation study show the two tests are competitive in terms of power. Although the Mann-Scheuer-Fertig statistic is somewhat easier to compute, our test enjoys advantages in the accuracy of the F approximation and the availability of a graphical diagnostic.     

Goodness-of-fit tests for lifetime distributions based on Type II censored data

In this article, the general test statistic introduced by Alizadeh Noughabi and Balakrishnan [Goodness of fit using a new estimate of Kullback-Leibler information based on Type II censored data. IEEE Trans Reliab. 2015;64:627–635.] is applied for testing goodness of fit of lifetime distributions based on Type II censored data. The test statistic is constructed based on an estimate of Kullback–Leibler (KL) information. We investigate the properties of the proposed test statistic such as the test statistic is nonnegative, just like KL information. We apply this test statistic to following distributions: Exponential, Weibull, Log-normal and Pareto. The critical values and Type I error of the proposed tests are obtained. It is shown that the proposed tests have an excellent Type I error and hence can be used confidently in practice. Then, by Monte Carlo simulations, the power values of the proposed tests are computed against several alternatives and compared with those of the existing tests. Finally, some real-world reliability data are used for illustrative purpose.     

Testing goodness of fit in terms of the mean residhal life function

A test based on empirical distribution function had been proposed for testing the goodness of fit of an assigned mean residual life function against a one sided alternative. The test statistic has been shown to be consistent and has an asymptotic normal distribution. The test performance is good in the asymptotic relative efficiency sense.     

Approximate distribution and test of fit for the clustering effect in the dirichlet multinomial model

The Dirichlet-multinomial model is considered as a model for cluster sampling. The model assumes that the design's covariance matrix is a constant times the covariance under multinomial sampling. The use of this model requires estimating a parameter C, that measures the clustering effect. In this paper, a regression estimate for C is obtained. An approximate distribution of this estimator is obtained through the use of asymptotic techniques. A goodness of fit statistic for testing the fit of the Dirichlet Multinomial model is also obtained, based on those asymptotic techniques. These statistics provide a means of knowing when the data satisfy the model assumption. These results are used to analyze data concerning the authorship of Greek prose.     

Exact Goodness‐of‐Fit Testing for the Ising Model

The Ising model is one of the simplest and most famous models of interacting systems. It was originally proposed to model ferromagnetic interactions in statistical physics and is now widely used to model spatial processes in many areas such as ecology, sociology, and genetics, usually without testing its goodness of fit. Here, we propose various test statistics and an exact goodness‐of‐fit test for the finite‐lattice Ising model. The theory of Markov bases has been developed in algebraic statistics for exact goodness‐of‐fit testing using a Monte Carlo approach. However, finding a Markov basis is often computationally intractable. Thus, we develop a Monte Carlo method for exact goodness‐of‐fit testing for the Ising model that avoids computing a Markov basis and also leads to a better connectivity of the Markov chain and hence to a faster convergence. We show how this method can be applied to analyze the spatial organization of receptors on the cell membrane.     

A new test for the extreme value distribution

In this paper a test statistic which is a modification of the W statistic for testing the goodness of fit for the two paremeter extreme value (smallest element) distribution is proposed. The test statistic Is obtained as the ratio of two linear estimates of the scale parameter. It Is shown that the suggested statistic is computationally simple and has good power properties. Percentage points of the statistic are obtained by performing Monte Carlo experiments. An example is given to illustrate the test procedure.     

A new estimator of Kullback–Leibler information and its application in goodness of fit tests*

We propose here a general statistic for the goodness of fit test of statistical distributions. The proposed statistic is constructed based on an estimate of Kullback–Leibler information. The proposed test is consistent and the limiting distribution of the test statistic is derived. Then, the established results are used to introduce goodness of fit tests for the normal, exponential, Laplace and Weibull distributions. A simulation study is carried out for examining the power of the proposed test and to compare it with those of some existing procedures. Finally, some illustrative examples are presented and analysed, and concluding comments are made.     

Statistic inference for a single-index ARCH-M model

For a single-index autoregressive conditional heteroscedastic (ARCH-M) model, estimators of the parametric and non parametric components are proposed by the profile likelihood method. The research results had shown that all the estimators have consistency and the parametric estimators have asymptotic normality. We extend this line of research by deriving the asymptotic normality of the non parametric estimator. Based on the asymptotic properties, we propose Wald statistic and generalized likelihood ratio statistic to investigate the testing problems for ARCH effect and goodness of fit, respectively. A simulation study is conducted to evaluate the finite-sample performance of the proposed estimation methodology and testing procedure.     

Testing the Goodness of Fit of Parametric Regression Models with Random Toeplitz Forms

ABSTRACT: We introduce a class of Toeplitz‐band matrices for simple goodness of fit tests for parametric regression models. For a given length r of the band matrix the asymptotic optimal solution is derived. Asymptotic normality of the corresponding test statistic is established under a fixed and random design assumption as well as for linear and non‐linear models, respectively. This allows testing at any parametric assumption as well as the computation of confidence intervals for a quadratic measure of discrepancy between the parametric model and the true signal g;. Furthermore, the connection between testing the parametric goodness of fit and estimating the error variance is highlighted. As a by‐product we obtain a much simpler proof of a result of 34 ) concerning the optimality of an estimator for the variance. Our results unify and generalize recent results by 9 ) and 15 , 16 ) in several directions. Extensions to multivariate predictors and unbounded signals are discussed. A simulation study shows that a simple jacknife correction of the proposed test statistics leads to reasonable finite sample approximations.     

Goodness‐of‐fit testing based on a weighted bootstrap: A fast large‐sample alternative to the parametric bootstrap

The process comparing the empirical cumulative distribution function of the sample with a parametric estimate of the cumulative distribution function is known as the empirical process with estimated parameters and has been extensively employed in the literature for goodness‐of‐fit testing. The simplest way to carry out such goodness‐of‐fit tests, especially in a multivariate setting, is to use a parametric bootstrap. Although very easy to implement, the parametric bootstrap can become very computationally expensive as the sample size, the number of parameters, or the dimension of the data increase. An alternative resampling technique based on a fast weighted bootstrap is proposed in this paper, and is studied both theoretically and empirically. The outcome of this work is a generic and computationally efficient multiplier goodness‐of‐fit procedure that can be used as a large‐sample alternative to the parametric bootstrap. In order to approximately determine how large the sample size needs to be for the parametric and weighted bootstraps to have roughly equivalent powers, extensive Monte Carlo experiments are carried out in dimension one, two and three, and for models containing up to nine parameters. The computational gains resulting from the use of the proposed multiplier goodness‐of‐fit procedure are illustrated on trivariate financial data. A by‐product of this work is a fast large‐sample goodness‐of‐fit procedure for the bivariate and trivariate t distribution whose degrees of freedom are fixed. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 40: 480–500; 2012 © 2012 Statistical Society of Canada     

Goodness of fit of generalized linear models to sparse data

We derive approximations to the first three moments of the conditional distribution of the deviance statistic, for testing the goodness of fit of generalized linear models with non-canonical links, by using an estimating equations approach, for data that are extensive but sparse. A supplementary estimating equation is proposed from which the modified deviance statistic is obtained. An application of a modified deviance statistic is shown to binomial and Poisson data. We also conduct a performance study of the modified Pearson statistic derived by Farrington and the modified deviance statistic derived in this paper, in terms of size and power, through a small scale simulation experiment. Both statistics are shown to perform well in terms of size. The deviance statistic, however, shows an advantage of power. Two examples are given.     

On the use of priors in goodness‐of‐fit tests

Priors are introduced into goodness‐of‐fit tests, both for unknown parameters in the tested distribution and on the alternative density. Neyman–Pearson theory leads to the test with the highest expected power. To make the test practical, we seek priors that make it likely a priori that the power will be larger than the level of the test but not too close to one. As a result, priors are sample size dependent. We explore this procedure in particular for priors that are defined via a Gaussian process approximation for the logarithm of the alternative density. In the case of testing for the uniform distribution, we show that the optimal test is of the U‐statistic type and establish limiting distributions for the optimal test statistic, both under the null hypothesis and averaged over the alternative hypotheses. The optimal test statistic is shown to be of the Cramér–von Mises type for specific choices of the Gaussian process involved. The methodology when parameters in the tested distribution are unknown is discussed and illustrated in the case of testing for the von Mises distribution. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 47: 560–579; 2019 © 2019 Statistical Society of Canada     

Cautionary Note about R 2

The coefficient of determination (R ²) is perhaps the single most extensively used measure of goodness of fit for regression models. It is also widely misused. The primary source of the problem is that except for linear models with an intercept term, the several alternative R ² statistics are not generally equivalent. This article discusses various considerations and potential pitfalls in using the R ²'s. Specific points are exemplified by means of empirical data. A new resistant statistic is also introduced.     

Pearson-type goodness-of-fit tests for regression

A procedure for testing the goodness of fit of linear regression models is introduced. For a given partition of the real line into cells, the proposed test is a quadratic form based on the vector of observed minus expected frequencies of the residuals obtained by maximum-likelihood estimation of the regression parameters. The quadratic form is of the same computational difficulty as the traditional Pearson-type tests with uncensored data. A statistic based on only one cell is particularly easy to apply and is used for testing the normality assumption in a real data set from astronomy. A simulation study examines the finite-sample properties of the proposed tests.     

Model Checks in Inverse Regression Models with Convolution‐Type Operators

Abstract. We consider the problem of testing parametric assumptions in an inverse regression model with a convolution‐type operator. An L ₂ ‐type goodness‐of‐fit test is proposed which compares the distance between a parametric and a non‐parametric estimate of the regression function. Asymptotic normality of the corresponding test statistic is shown under the null hypothesis and under a general non‐parametric alternative with different rates of convergence in both cases. The feasibility of the proposed test is demonstrated by means of a small simulation study. In particular, the power of the test against certain types of alternative is investigated. Finally, an empirical example is provided, in which the proposed methods are applied to the determination of the shape of the luminosity profile of the elliptical galaxy NGC 5017.     

Assessing goodness-of-fit of categorical regression models based on case-control data

Demonstrated equivalence between a categorical regression model based on case‐control data and an I‐sample semiparametric selection bias model leads to a new goodness‐of‐fit test. The proposed test statistic is an extension of an existing Kolmogorov–Smirnov‐type statistic and is the weighted average of the absolute differences between two estimated distribution functions in each response category. The paper establishes an optimal property for the maximum semiparametric likelihood estimator of the parameters in the I‐sample semiparametric selection bias model. It also presents a bootstrap procedure, some simulation results and an analysis of two real datasets.     

Tests of fit for a lognormal distribution

The problem of goodness of fit of a lognormal distribution is usually reduced to testing goodness of fit of the logarithmic data to a normal distribution. In this paper, new goodness-of-fit tests for a lognormal distribution are proposed. The new procedures make use of a characterization property of the lognormal distribution which states that the Kullback–Leibler measure of divergence between a probability density function (p.d.f) and its r-size weighted p.d.f is symmetric only for the lognormal distribution [Tzavelas G, Economou P. Characterization properties of the log-normal distribution obtained with the help of divergence measures. Stat Probab Lett. 2012;82(10):1837–1840]. A simulation study examines the performance of the new procedures in comparison with existing goodness-of-fit tests for the lognormal distribution. Finally, two well-known data sets are used to illustrate the methods developed.     

A likelihood ratio test for goodness‐of‐fit of recessive and dominant models for case–control studies

Testing goodness‐of‐fit of commonly used genetic models is of critical importance in many applications including association studies and testing for departure from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Case–control design has become widely used in population genetics and genetic epidemiology, thus it is of interest to develop powerful goodness‐of‐fit tests for genetic models using case–control data. This paper develops a likelihood ratio test (LRT) for testing recessive and dominant models for case–control studies. The LRT statistic has a closed‐form formula with a simple $\chi^{2}(1)$ null asymptotic distribution, thus its implementation is easy even for genome‐wide association studies. Moreover, it has the same power and optimality as when the disease prevalence is known in the population. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 41: 341–352; 2013 © 2013 Statistical Society of Canada     

The 'demon' problem of Youden: Exponential case

We consider the problem of finding the probability of a sample mean falling above the (n - k)th-order statistic in a random sample of size n. Explicit expressions are obtained for the exponential distribution. Some applications that pertain to testing for outliers and goodness of fit are given.