Goodness-of-fit tests are often used in data analysis to test the agreement of a distribution to a set of data. These tests can be used to detect an unknown signal against a known background or to set limits on a proposed signal distribution in experiments contaminated by poorly understood backgrounds. Out-of-the-box non-parametric tests that can target any proposed distribution are only available in the univariate case. In this paper, we discuss how to build goodness-of-fit tests for arbitrary multivariate distributions or multivariate data generation models.
We propose a goodness-of-fit test for the distribution of errors from a multivariate indirect regression model. The test statistic is based on the Khmaladze transformation of the empirical process of standardized residuals. This goodness-of-fit test is consistent at the root-n rate of convergence, and the test can maintain power against local alternatives converging to the null at a root-n rate.
We present a unified approach to goodness-of-fit testing in $\mathbb{R}^d$ and on lower-dimensional manifolds embedded in $\mathbb{R}^d$ based on sums of powers of weighted volumes of $k$-th nearest neighbor spheres. We prove asymptotic normality of a class of test statistics under the null hypothesis and under fixed alternatives. Under such alternatives, scaled versions of the test statistics converge to the $α$-entropy between probability distributions. A simulation study shows that the procedures are serious competitors to established goodness-of-fit tests.
Unbinned maximum likelihood is a common procedure for parameter estimation. After parameters have been estimated, it is crucial to know whether the fit model adequately describes the experimental data. Univariate Goodness of Fit procedures have been thoroughly analyzed. In multi-dimensions, Goodness of Fit test powers have rarely been studied on realistic problems. There is no definitive answer to regarding which method is better. Test performance is strictly related to specific analysis characteristics. In this work, a review of multi-variate Goodness of Fit techniques is presented.
We consider the problem of estimating the population probability distribution given a finite set of multivariate samples, using the maximum entropy approach. In strict keeping with Jaynes' original definition, our precise formulation of the problem considers contributions only from the smoothness of the estimated distribution (as measured by its entropy) and the loss functional associated with its goodness-of-fit to the sample data, and in particular does not make use of any additional constraints that cannot be justified from the sample data alone. By mapping the general multivariate problem …
A self-contained Fortran-77 program for goodness of fit tests for histograms with weighted entries as well as with unweighted entries is presented. The code calculates test statistics for case of histogram with normalized weights of events and in case of unnormalized weights of events.
We employ a general Monte Carlo method to test composite hypotheses of goodness-of-fit for several popular multivariate models that can accommodate both asymmetry and heavy tails. Specifically, we consider weighted L2-type tests based on a discrepancy measure involving the distance between empirical characteristic functions and thus avoid the need for employing corresponding population quantities which may be unknown or complicated to work with. The only requirements of our tests are that we should be able to draw samples from the distribution under test and possess a reasonable method of esti…
We consider the identity testing problem - or goodness-of-fit testing problem - in multivariate binomial families, multivariate Poisson families and multinomial distributions. Given a known distribution $p$ and $n$ iid samples drawn from an unknown distribution $q$, we investigate how large $ρ>0$ should be to distinguish, with high probability, the case $p=q$ from the case $d(p,q) \geq ρ$, where $d$ denotes a specific distance over probability distributions. We answer this question in the case of a family of different distances: $d(p,q) = \|p-q\|_t$ for $t \in [1,2]$ where $\|\cdot\|_t$ is the…
We consider a multivariable functional errors-in-variables model $AX\approx B$, where the data matrices $A$ and $B$ are observed with errors, and a matrix parameter $X$ is to be estimated. A goodness-of-fit test is constructed based on the total least squares estimator. The proposed test is asymptotically chi-squared under null hypothesis. The power of the test under local alternatives is discussed.
Goodness-of-fit tests based on the empirical Wasserstein distance are proposed for simple and composite null hypotheses involving general multivariate distributions. For group families, the procedure is to be implemented after preliminary reduction of the data via invariance.This property allows for calculation of exact critical values and p-values at finite sample sizes. Applications include testing for location--scale families and testing for families arising from affine transformations, such as elliptical distributions with given standard radial density and unspecified location vector and s…
Weighted histograms are used for the estimation of probability density functions. Computer simulation is the main domain of application of this type of histogram. A review of chi-square goodness of fit tests for weighted histograms is presented in this paper. Improvements are proposed to these tests that have size more close to its nominal value. Numerical examples are presented in this paper for evaluation of tests and to demonstrate various applications of tests.
A sizable amount of goodness-of-fit tests involving functional data have appeared in the last decade. We provide a relatively compact revision of most of these contributions, within the independent and identically distributed framework, by reviewing goodness-of-fit tests for distribution and regression models with functional predictor and either scalar or functional response.
This article deals with goodness-of-fit test for the Cauchy distribution. Some tests based on Kullback-Leibler information are proposed, and shown to be consistent. Monte Carlo evidence indicates that the tests have satisfactory performances against symmetric alternatives. An empirical application to quantitative finance is provided.
The Zenga (1984) inequality curve is constant in p for Type I Pareto distributions. This characterizing behavior will be exploited to obtain graphical and analytical tools for tail analysis and goodness of fit tests. A testing procedure for Pareto-type behavior based on a regression of technique will be introduced.
The coefficient of determination, known as $R^2$, is commonly used as a goodness-of-fit criterion for fitting linear models. $R^2$ is somewhat controversial when fitting nonlinear models, although it may be generalised on a case-by-case basis to deal with specific models such as the logistic model. Assume we are fitting a parametric distribution to a data set using, say, the maximum likelihood estimation method. A general approach to measure the goodness-of-fit of the fitted parameters, which is advocated herein, is to use a nonparametric measure for comparison between the empirical distributi…
Fitting mixture distributions is needed in applications where data belongs to inhomogeneous populations comprising homogeneous sub-populations. The mixing proportions of the sub populations are in general unknown and need to be estimated as well. A goodness of fit test based on the empirical distribution function is proposed for assessing the goodness of fit in model fits comprising two components, each distributed as two parameter Weibull. The applicability of the proposed test procedure was empirically established using a Monte Carlo simulation study. The proposed test procedure can be easil…
We suggest several goodness-of-fit methods which are appropriate with Type-II right censored data. Our strategy is to transform the original observations from a censored sample into an approximately i.i.d. sample of normal variates and then perform a standard goodness-of-fit test for normality on the transformed observations. A simulation study with several well known parametric distributions under testing reveals the sampling properties of the methods. We also provide theoretical analysis of the proposed method.
Using fixed point characterization, we develop a new goodness of fit test for uniform distribution. We also discuss how the right censored observations can be incorporated in the proposed test procedure. We study the asymptotic properties of the proposed test statistics. A Monte Carlo simulation is carried out to evaluate the finite sample performance of the tests. We illustrate the test procedures using real data sets.
We consider the goodness of fit testing problem for stochastic differential equation with small diffiusion coefficient. The basic hypothesis is always simple and it is described by the known trend coefficient. We propose several tests of the type of Cramer-von Mises, Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Chi-Square. The power functions of these tests we study for a special classes of close alternatives. We discuss the construction of the goodness of fit test based on the local time and the possibility of the construction of asymptotically distribution free tests in the case of composite basic hypothesis.
We present new families of goodness-of-fit tests of uniformity on a full-dimensional set $W\subset\R^d$ based on statistics related to edge lengths of random geometric graphs. Asymptotic normality of these statistics is proven under the null hypothesis as well as under fixed alternatives. The derived tests are consistent and their behaviour for some contiguous alternatives can be controlled. A simulation study suggests that the procedures can compete with or are better than established goodness-of-fit tests. We show with a real data example that the new tests can detect non-uniformity of a sma…
Traditionally, the Dirichlet-multinomial distribution has been recognized as a key model for contingency tables generated by cluster sampling schemes. There are, however, other possible distributions appropriate for these contingency tables. This paper introduces new test-statistics capable to test log-linear modeling hypotheses with no distributional specification, when the individuals of the clusters are possibly homogeneously correlated. The estimator for the intracluster correlation coefficient proposed in Alonso-Revenga et al. (2016), valid for different cluster sizes, plays a crucial rol…
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 …
We review the main "omnibus procedures" for goodness-of-fit testing for copulas: tests based on the empirical copula process, on probability integral transformations, on Kendall's dependence function, etc, and some corresponding reductions of dimension techniques. The problems of finding asymptotic distribution-free test statistics and the calculation of reliable p-values are discussed. Some particular cases, like convenient tests for time-dependent copulas, for Archimedean or extreme-value copulas, etc, are dealt with. Finally, the practical performances of the proposed approaches are briefly…
The problem of making practical, useful goodness of fit tests in the Bayesian paradigm is largely open. We introduce a class of special cases (testing for uniformity: have the cards been shuffled enough; does my random generator work) and a class of sensible Bayes tests inspired by Mumford, Wu and Zhu. Calculating these tests presents the challenge of 'doubly intractable distributions'. In present circumstances, modern MCMC techniques are up to the challenge. But many other problems remain. Our paper is didactic, we hope to induce the reader to help take it further.
This paper studies the goodness of fit test for the bivariate Hermite distribution. Specifically, we propose and study a Cramér-von Mises-type test based on the empirical probability generation function. The bootstrap can be used to consistently estimate the null distribution of the test statistics. A simulation study investigates the goodness of the bootstrap approach for finite sample sizes.
The efficiency of distribution-free {\it integrated} goodness-of-fit tests was studied by Henze and Nikitin (2000, 2002) under location alternatives. We calculate local Bahadur efficiencies of these tests under more realistic generalized skew alternatives. They turn out to be unexpectedly high.
We consider multinomial goodness-of-fit tests in the high-dimensional regime where the number of bins increases with the sample size. In this regime, Pearson's chi-squared test can suffer from low power due to the substantial bias as well as high variance of its statistic. To resolve these issues, we introduce a family of U-statistic for multinomial goodness-of-fit and study their asymptotic behaviors in high-dimensions. Specifically, we establish conditions under which the considered U-statistic is asymptotically Poisson or Gaussian, and investigate its power function under each asymptotic re…
In quantitative finance, we often fit a parametric semimartingale model to asset prices. To ensure our model is correct, we must then perform goodness-of-fit tests. In this paper, we give a new goodness-of-fit test for volatility-like processes, which is easily applied to a variety of semimartingale models. In each case, we reduce the problem to the detection of a semimartingale observed under noise. In this setting, we then describe a wavelet-thresholding test, which obtains adaptive and near-optimal detection rates.
We construct integral and supremum type goodness-of-fit tests for the family of power distribution functions. Test statistics are functionals of $U-$empirical processes and are based on the classical characterization of power function distribution family belonging to Puri and Rubin. We describe the logarithmic large deviation asymptotics of test statistics under null-hypothesis, and calculate their local Bahadur efficiency under common parametric alternatives. Conditions of local optimality of new statistics are given.
We develop a new goodness fit test for Rayleigh distribution for complete as well as right censored data. We use U-Statistic theory to derive the test statistic. First we develop a test for complete data and then discuss, how right censored observations can be incorporated in the testing procedure. The asymptotic properties of the test statistics in both uncensored and censored cases are studied in detail. Extensive Monte Carlo simulation studies are carried out to validate the performance of the proposed tests. We illustrate the procedures using real data sets. We also provide, a goodness of …
In the present paper, we develop a new goodness fit test for gamma distribution using the fixed point characterization. U-Statistic theory is employed to derive the test statistic. We discuss how the right censored observations are incorporated in the test developed here. The asymptotic properties of the test statistic in both censored and uncensored cases are studied in detail. Extensive Monte Carlo simulation studies are carried out to validate the performance of the proposed tests. We also illustrate the test procedure using several real data sets.
In many applications, we encounter data on Riemannian manifolds such as torus and rotation groups. Standard statistical procedures for multivariate data are not applicable to such data. In this study, we develop goodness-of-fit testing and interpretable model criticism methods for general distributions on Riemannian manifolds, including those with an intractable normalization constant. The proposed methods are based on extensions of kernel Stein discrepancy, which are derived from Stein operators on Riemannian manifolds. We discuss the connections between the proposed tests with existing ones …
In many fields, data appears in the form of direction (unit vector) and usual statistical procedures are not applicable to such directional data. In this study, we propose non-parametric goodness-of-fit testing procedures for general directional distributions based on kernel Stein discrepancy. Our method is based on Stein's operator on spheres, which is derived by using Stokes' theorem. Notably, the proposed method is applicable to distributions with an intractable normalization constant, which commonly appear in directional statistics. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method…
We consider goodness-of-fit tests for the distribution of the composed error in Stochastic Frontier Models. The proposed test statistic utilizes the characteristic function of the composed error term, and is formulated as a weighted integral of properly standardized data. The new test statistic is shown to be consistent and computationally convenient. Simulation results are presented whereby resampling versions of the new tests are compared to classical goodness-of-fit methods.
We consider the goodness of fit testing problem for ergodic diffusion processes. The basic hypothesis is supposed to be simple. The diffusion coefficient is known and the alternatives are described by the different trend coefficients. We study the asymptotic distribution of the Cramer-von Mises type tests based on the empirical distribution function and local time estimator of the invariant density. At particularly, we propose a transformation which makes these tests asymptotically distribution free. We discuss the modifications of this test in the case of composite basic hypothesis.
This paper studies goodness of fit tests and specification tests for an extension of the log-GARCH model which is stable by scaling. A Lagrange-Multiplier test is derived for testing the null assumption of extended log-GARCH against more general formulations including the Exponential GARCH (EGARCH). The null assumption of an EGARCH is also tested. Portmanteau goodness-of-fit tests are developed for the extended log-GARCH. Simulations illustrating the theoretical results and an application to real financial data are proposed.
Weighted histogram in Monte-Carlo simulations is often used for the estimation of a probability density function. It is obtained as a result of random experiment with random events that have weights. In this paper the bin contents of weighted histogram are considered as a sum of random variables with random number of terms. Goodness of fit tests for weighted histograms and for weighted histograms with unknown normalization are proposed. Sizes and powers of the tests are investigated numerically.
In this paper we present a new characterization of Pareto distribution and consider goodness of fit tests based on it. We provide an integral and Kolmogorov- Smirnov type statistics based on U-statistics and we calculate Bahadur efficiency for various alternatives. We find locally optimal alternatives for those tests. For small sample sizes we compare the power of those tests with some common goodness of fit tests.
This paper applies the recently axiomatized Optimum Information Principle (minimize the Kullback-Leibler information subject to all relevant information) to nonparametric density estimation, which provides a theoretical foundation as well as a computational algorithm for maximum entropy density estimation. The estimator, called optimum information estimator, approximates the true density arbitrarily well. As a by-product I obtain a measure of goodness of fit of parametric models (both conditional and unconditional) and an absolute criterion for model selection, as opposed to other conventional…
Functional linear models are one of the most fundamental tools to assess the relation between two random variables of a functional or scalar nature. This contribution proposes a goodness-of-fit test for the functional linear model with functional response that neatly adapts to functional/scalar responses/predictors. In particular, the new goodness-of-fit test extends a previous proposal for scalar response. The test statistic is based on a convenient regularized estimator, is easy to compute, and is calibrated through an efficient bootstrap resampling. A graphical diagnostic tool, useful to vi…
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 incr…
