We consider the problem of setting approximate confidence intervals for a single parameter θ in a multiparameter family. The standard approximate intervals based on maximum likelihood theory, , can be quite misleading. In practice, tricks based on transformations, bias corrections, and so forth, are often used to improve their accuracy. The bootstrap confidence intervals discussed in this article automatically incorporate such tricks without requiring the statistician to think them through for each new application, at the price of a considerable increase in computational effort. The new intervals incorporate an improvement over previously suggested methods, which results in second-order correctness in a wide variety of problems. In addition to parametric families, bootstrap intervals are also developed for nonparametric situations.

Better Bootstrap Confidence Intervals

We consider the problem of setting approximate confidence intervals for a single parameter 0 in a multiparameter family. The standard approximate intervals based on maximum likelihood theory, 8 2 &z(=), can be quite misleading. In practice, tricks based on transformations, bias corrections, and so forth, are often used to improve their accuracy. The bootstrap confidence intervals discussed in this article automatically incorporate such tricks without requiring the statistician to think them through for each new application, at the price of a considerable increase in computational effort. The new intervals incorporate an improvement over previously suggested methods, which results in second-order correctness in a wide variety of problems. In addition to parametric families, bootstrap intervals are also developed for nonparametric situations.

Beiter Bootstrap Confidence Intervals

This article surveys bootstrap methods for producing good approximate confidence intervals. The goal is to improve by an order of magnitude upon the accuracy of the standard intervals $\hat{\theta} \pm z^{(\alpha)} \hat{\sigma}$, in a way that allows routine application even to very complicated problems. Both theory and examples are used to show how this is done. The first seven sections provide a heuristic overview of four bootstrap confidence interval procedures: $BC_a$, bootstrap-t , ABC and calibration. Sections 8 and 9 describe the theory behind these methods, and their close connection with the likelihood-based confidence interval theory developed by Barndorff-Nielsen, Cox and Reid and others.

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Bootstrap Confidence Intervals

SUMMARY The method of constructing confidence regions based on the generalised likelihood ratio statistic is well known for parameter vectors. A similar construction of a confidence interval for a single entry of a vector can be implemented by repeatedly maximising over the other parameters. We present an algorithm for finding these confidence interval endpoints that requires less computation. It employs a modified Newton-Raphson iteration to solve a system of equations that defines the endpoints.

A Method for Computing Profile-Likelihood- Based Confidence Intervals

On etudie des tests et des limites de confiance bases sur la statistique du rapport de log vraisemblance signee, en ajustant cette statistique de telle sorte qu'a un ordre superieur d'approximation, la distribution normale standard soit valable

Infereni on full or partial parameters based on the standardized signed log likelihood ratio

SUMMARY Parameterizations which reduce the asymptotic bias and skewness of various pivotal quantities arising in large-sample theory are discussed for models depending on an unknown scalar parameter. Transformation formulae by which such parameterizations can be obtained are derived, and these formulae extend those for one-dimensional curved exponential families given by Hougaard (1982). To assess the accuracy of normal approximations to the distributions of the pivots, their second-order properties are considered and comparisons with the signed square root of the likelihood-ratio statistic are drawn.

T. J. Diciccio

Papers

On parameter transformations and interval estimation