Generalized Expected Utility, Heteroscedastic Error, and Path Dependence in Risky Choice

We evaluate the fit of several generalized expected utility models under homoscedasticity and three different heteroscedastic error structures for the data set first reported in Hey and Orme (1994). Standard chi-squared tests are used for nested tests, and both the Akaike (1973) information criterion and its consistent version (Hurvich and Tsai, 1989) are used for non-nested ranking of these models. A testing framework is developed that explicitly accounts for the path-dependent nature of the model selection problem. Not only does the selection of preference models depend on the error structure assumed, but the reverse is also true: the selection of the error structure depends on the preference structure assumed. An erratum to this article is available at .     

On the Critical Value Behaviour of Multiple Decision Procedures

In this paper we investigate the asymptotic critical value behaviour of certain multiple decision procedures as e.g. simultaneous confidence intervals and simultaneous as well as stepwise multiple test procedures. Supposing that n hypotheses or parameters of interest are under consideration we investigate the critical value behaviour when n increases. More specifically, we answer e.g. the question by which amount the lengths of confidence intervals increase when an additional parameter is added to the statistical analysis. Furthermore, critical values of different multiple decision procedures as for instance step-down and step-up procedures will be compared. Some general theoretic results are derived and applied for various distributions.     

Correlation in a Bayesian framework

The authors consider the correlation between two arbitrary functions of the data and a parameter when the parameter is regarded as a random variable with given prior distribution. They show how to compute such a correlation and use closed form expressions to assess the dependence between parameters and various classical or robust estimators thereof, as well as between p‐values and posterior probabilities of the null hypothesis in the one‐sided testing problem. Other applications involve the Dirichlet process and stationary Gaussian processes. Using this approach, the authors also derive a general nonparametric upper bound on Bayes risks.     

Importance of interpolation when constructing double-bootstrap confidence intervals

We show that, in the context of double-bootstrap confidence intervals, linear interpolation at the second level of the double bootstrap can reduce the simulation error component of coverage error by an order of magnitude. Intervals that are indistinguishable in terms of coverage error with theoretical, infinite simulation, double-bootstrap confidence intervals may be obtained at substantially less computational expense than by using the standard Monte Carlo approximation method. The intervals retain the simplicity of uniform bootstrap sampling and require no special analysis or computational techniques. Interpolation at the first level of the double bootstrap is shown to have a relatively minor effect on the simulation error.     

On Bartlett correction of empirical likelihood for regularly spaced spatial data

Bartlett correction constitutes one of the attractive features of empirical likelihood because it enables the construction of confidence regions for parameters with improved coverage probabilities. We study the Bartlett correction of spatial frequency domain empirical likelihood (SFDEL) based on general spectral estimating functions for regularly spaced spatial data. This general formulation can be applied to testing and estimation problems in spatial analysis, for example testing covariance isotropy, testing covariance separability as well as estimating the parameters of spatial covariance models. We show that the SFDEL is Bartlett correctable. In particular, the improvement in coverage accuracies of the Bartlett‐corrected confidence regions depends on the underlying spatial structures. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 47: 455–472; 2019 © 2019 Statistical Society of Canada     

Generalized estimator of population mean by using conventional and non-conventional measures in the presence of measurement errors

In survey research, it is assumed that reported response by the individual is correct. However, given the issues of prestige bias, self-respect, respondent's reported data often produces estimated values which are highly deviated from the true values. This causes measurement error (ME) to be present in the sample estimates. In this article, the estimation of population mean in the presence of measurement error using information on a single auxiliary variable is studied. A generalized estimator of population mean is proposed. The class of estimators is obtained by using some conventional and non-conventional measures. Simulation and numerical study is also conducted to assess the performance of estimators in the presence and absence of measurement error.     

Smoothed bootstrap bandwidth selection for nonparametric hazard rate estimation

A smoothed bootstrap method is presented for the purpose of bandwidth selection in nonparametric hazard rate estimation for iid data. In this context, two new bootstrap bandwidth selectors are established based on the exact expression of the bootstrap version of the mean integrated squared error of some approximations of the kernel hazard rate estimator. This is very useful since Monte Carlo approximation is no longer needed for the implementation of the two bootstrap selectors. A simulation study is carried out in order to show the empirical performance of the new bootstrap bandwidths and to compare them with other existing selectors. The methods are illustrated by applying them to a diabetes data set.     

Model selection in high-dimensional noisy data: a simulation study

In many practical applications, high-dimensional regression analyses have to take into account measurement error in the covariates. It is thus necessary to extend regularization methods, that can handle the situation where the number of covariates p largely exceed the sample size n, to the case in which covariates are also mismeasured. A variety of methods are available in this context, but many of them rely on knowledge about the measurement error and the structure of its covariance matrix. In this paper, we set the goal to compare some of these methods, focusing on situations relevant for practical applications. In particular, we will evaluate these methods in setups in which the measurement error distribution and dependence structure are not known and have to be estimated from data. Our focus is on variable selection, and the evaluation is based on extensive simulations.     

Noninformative priors for the between-group variance in the unbalanced one-way random effects model with heterogeneous error variances

For the unbalanced one-way random effects model with heterogeneous error variances, we propose the non-informative priors for the between-group variance and develop the first- and second-order matching priors. It turns out that the second-order matching priors do not exist and the reference prior and Jeffreys prior do not satisfy a first-order matching criterion. We also show that the first-order matching prior meets the frequentist target coverage probabilities much better than the Jeffreys prior and reference prior through simulation study, and the Bayesian credible intervals based on the matching prior and reference prior give shorter intervals than the existing confidence intervals by examples.     

Non-parametric estimation of reciprocal coordinate subtangent for right censored dependent scheme

The concept of reciprocal coordinate subtangent (RCST) has been used as a useful tool to study the monotone behavior of a continuous density function and for characterizing probability distributions. In this paper, we propose a non-parametric estimator for RCST based on the censored dependent data. Asymptotic properties of the estimator are established under suitable regularity conditions. A simulation study is carried out to examine the performance of the estimator. The usefulness of the estimator is also examined through a real data.