{"title":"Finite sample inference for empirical Bayesian methods","authors":"H. Nguyen, Mayetri Gupta","doi":"10.1111/sjos.12643","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"In recent years, empirical Bayesian (EB) inference has become an attractive approach for estimation in parametric models arising in a variety of real-life problems, especially in complex and high-dimensional scientific applications. However, compared to the relative abundance of available general methods for computing point estimators in the EB framework, the construction of confidence sets and hypothesis tests with good theoretical properties remains difficult and problem specific. Motivated by the universal inference framework of Wasserman et al. (2020), we propose a general and universal method, based on holdout likelihood ratios, and utilizing the hierarchical structure of the specified Bayesian model for constructing confidence sets and hypothesis tests that are finite sample valid. We illustrate our method through a range of numerical studies and real data applications, which demonstrate that the approach is able to generate useful and meaningful inferential statements in the relevant contexts.","PeriodicalId":49567,"journal":{"name":"Scandinavian Journal of Statistics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8000,"publicationDate":"2023-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Scandinavian Journal of Statistics","FirstCategoryId":"100","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1111/sjos.12643","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"数学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"STATISTICS & PROBABILITY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
In recent years, empirical Bayesian (EB) inference has become an attractive approach for estimation in parametric models arising in a variety of real-life problems, especially in complex and high-dimensional scientific applications. However, compared to the relative abundance of available general methods for computing point estimators in the EB framework, the construction of confidence sets and hypothesis tests with good theoretical properties remains difficult and problem specific. Motivated by the universal inference framework of Wasserman et al. (2020), we propose a general and universal method, based on holdout likelihood ratios, and utilizing the hierarchical structure of the specified Bayesian model for constructing confidence sets and hypothesis tests that are finite sample valid. We illustrate our method through a range of numerical studies and real data applications, which demonstrate that the approach is able to generate useful and meaningful inferential statements in the relevant contexts.
期刊介绍:
The Scandinavian Journal of Statistics is internationally recognised as one of the leading statistical journals in the world. It was founded in 1974 by four Scandinavian statistical societies. Today more than eighty per cent of the manuscripts are submitted from outside Scandinavia.
It is an international journal devoted to reporting significant and innovative original contributions to statistical methodology, both theory and applications.
The journal specializes in statistical modelling showing particular appreciation of the underlying substantive research problems.
The emergence of specialized methods for analysing longitudinal and spatial data is just one example of an area of important methodological development in which the Scandinavian Journal of Statistics has a particular niche.