We show that there do not exist adaptive confidence bands for curve estimation except under very restrictive assumptions. We propose instead to construct adaptive bands that cover a surrogate function f^\star which is close to, but simpler than, f. The surrogate captures the significant features in f. We establish lower bounds on the width for any confidence band for f^\star and construct a procedure that comes within a small constant factor of attaining the lower bound for finite-samples.
In this note, we consider the problem of existence of adaptive confidence bands in the fixed design regression model, adapting ideas in Hoffmann and Nickl (2011) to the present case. In the course of the proof, we show that sup-norm adaptive estimators exist as well in regression.
Adaptive confidence balls are constructed for individual resolution levels as well as the entire mean vector in a multiresolution framework. Finite sample lower bounds are given for the minimum expected squared radius for confidence balls with a prespecified confidence level. The confidence balls are centered on adaptive estimators based on special local block thresholding rules. The radius is derived from an analysis of the loss of this adaptive estimator. In addition adaptive honest confidence balls are constructed which have guaranteed coverage probability over all of $\mathbb{R}^N$ and exp…
We construct honest confidence regions for a Hilbert space-valued parameter in various statistical models. The confidence sets can be centered at arbitrary adaptive estimators, and have diameter which adapts optimally to a given selection of models. The latter adaptation is necessarily limited in scope. We review the notion of adaptive confidence regions, and relate the optimal rates of the diameter of adaptive confidence regions to the minimax rates for testing and estimation. Applications include the finite normal mean model, the white noise model, density estimation and regression with rand…
We build confidence balls for the common density $s$ of a real valued sample $X_1,...,X_n$. We use resampling methods to estimate the projection of $s$ onto finite dimensional linear spaces and a model selection procedure to choose an optimal approximation space. The covering property is ensured for all $n\geq2$ and the balls are adaptive over a collection of linear spaces.
We study the problem of constructing honest and adaptive confidence intervals for the tail coefficient in the second order Pareto model, when the second order coefficient is unknown. This problem is translated into a testing problem on the second order parameter. By constructing an appropriate model and an associated test statistic, we provide a uniform and adaptive confidence interval for the first order parameter. We also provide an almost matching lower bound, which proves that the result is minimax optimal up to a logarithmic factor.
In the present paper we study the problem of existence of honest and adaptive confidence sets for matrix completion. We consider two statistical models: the trace regression model and the Bernoulli model. In the trace regression model, we show that honest confidence sets that adapt to the unknown rank of the matrix exist even when the error variance is unknown. Contrary to this, we prove that in the Bernoulli model, honest and adaptive confidence sets exist only when the error variance is known a priori. In the course of our proofs we obtain bounds for the minimax rates of certain composite hy…
In the nonparametric Gaussian sequence space model an $\ell^2$-confidence ball $C_n$ is constructed that adapts to unknown smoothness and Sobolev-norm of the infinite-dimensional parameter to be estimated. The confidence ball has exact and honest asymptotic coverage over appropriately defined `self-similar' parameter spaces. It is shown by information-theoretic methods that this `self-similarity' condition is weakest possible.
Confidence bands are confidence sets for an unknown function f, containing all functions within some sup-norm distance of an estimator. In the density estimation, regression, and white noise models, we consider the problem of constructing adaptive confidence bands, whose width contracts at an optimal rate over a range of Hölder classes. While adaptive estimators exist, in general adaptive confidence bands do not, and to proceed we must place further conditions on f. We discuss previous approaches to this issue, and show it is necessary to restrict f to fundamentally smaller classes of function…
The problem of constructing confidence sets that are adaptive in L^2-loss over a continuous scale of Sobolev classes of probability densities is considered. Adaptation holds, where possible, with respect to both the radius of the Sobolev ball and its smoothness degree, and over maximal parameter spaces for which adaptation is possible. Two key regimes of parameter constellations are identified: one where full adaptation is possible, and one where adaptation requires critical regions be removed. Techniques used to derive these results include a general nonparametric minimax test for infinite-di…
Adaptive confidence intervals for regression functions are constructed under shape constraints of monotonicity and convexity. A natural benchmark is established for the minimum expected length of confidence intervals at a given function in terms of an analytic quantity, the local modulus of continuity. This bound depends not only on the function but also the assumed function class. These benchmarks show that the constructed confidence intervals have near minimum expected length for each individual function, while maintaining a given coverage probability for functions within the class. Such ada…
A simple construction of adaptive confidence sets is proposed in isotonic, convex and unimodal regression. In univariate isotonic regression, the proposed confidence set enjoys uniform coverage over all non-decreasing regression functions. Furthermore, the diameter of the proposed confidence set automatically adapts to the unknown number of pieces of the true parameter, in the sense that the diameter is bounded from above by the minimax risk over the class of $k$-piecewise constant functions. The diameter of the confidence set is a simple increasing function of the number of jumps of the isoto…
We develop honest and locally adaptive confidence bands for probability densities. They provide substantially improved confidence statements in case of inhomogeneous smoothness, and are easily implemented and visualized. The article contributes conceptual work on locally adaptive inference as a straightforward modification of the global setting imposes severe obstacles for statistical purposes. Among others, we introduce a statistical notion of local Hölder regularity and prove a correspondingly strong version of local adaptivity. We substantially relax the straightforward localization of the …
As a starting point we prove a functional central limit theorem for estimators of the invariant measure of a geometrically ergodic Harris-recurrent Markov chain in a multi-scale space. This allows to construct confidence bands for the invariant density with optimal (up to undersmoothing) $L^{\infty}$-diameter by using wavelet projection estimators. In addition our setting applies to the drift estimation of diffusions observed discretely with fixed observation distance. We prove a functional central limit theorem for estimators of the drift function and finally construct adaptive confidence ban…
We consider the problem of constructing Bayesian based confidence sets for linear functionals in the inverse Gaussian white noise model. We work with a scale of Gaussian priors indexed by a regularity hyper-parameter and apply the data-driven (slightly modified) marginal likelihood empirical Bayes method for the choice of this hyper-parameter. We show by theory and simulations that the credible sets constructed by this method have sub-optimal behaviour in general. However, by assuming "self-similarity" the credible sets have rate-adaptive size and optimal coverage. As an application of these r…
The construction of the simultaneous confidence bands for the integrated hazard function is considered. The Nelson--Aalen estimator is used. The simultaneous confidence bands based on bootstrap methods are presented. Two methods of construction of such confidence bands are proposed. The weird bootstrap method is used for resampling. Simulations are made to compare the actual coverage probability of the bootstrap and the asymptotic simultaneous confidence bands. It is shown that the equal--tailed bootstrap confidence band has the coverage probability closest to the nominal one. We also present …
We consider the problem of constructing honest and adaptive confidence sets in Lp-loss (with p>=1 and p < infinity) over sets of Sobolev-type classes, in the setting of non-parametric Gaussian regression. The objective is to adapt the diameter of the confidence sets with respect to the smoothness degree of the underlying function, while ensuring that the true function lies in the confidence interval with high probability.When p >=2, we identify two main regimes, (i) one where adaptation is possible without any restrictions on the model, and (ii) one where critical regions have to be removed. W…
In the setting of high-dimensional linear models with Gaussian noise, we investigate the possibility of confidence statements connected to model selection. Although there exist numerous procedures for adaptive point estimation, the construction of adaptive confidence regions is severely limited (cf. Li, 1989). The present paper sheds new light on this gap. We develop exact and adaptive confidence sets for the best approximating model in terms of risk. One of our constructions is based on a multiscale procedure and a particular coupling argument. Utilizing exponential inequalities for noncentra…
The problem of existence of adaptive confidence bands for an unknown density $f$ that belongs to a nested scale of Hölder classes over $\mathbb{R}$ or $[0,1]$ is considered. Whereas honest adaptive inference in this problem is impossible already for a pair of Hölder balls $Σ(r),Σ(s),r\ne s$, of fixed radius, a nonparametric distinguishability condition is introduced under which adaptive confidence bands can be shown to exist. It is further shown that this condition is necessary and sufficient for the existence of honest asymptotic confidence bands, and that it is strictly weaker than similar a…
In the density estimation model, we investigate the problem of constructing adaptive honest confidence sets with radius measured in Wasserstein distance $W_p$, $p\geq1$, and for densities with unknown regularity measured on a Besov scale. As sampling domains, we focus on the $d-$dimensional torus $\mathbb{T}^d$, in which case $1\leq p\leq 2$, and $\mathbb{R}^d$, for which $p=1$. We identify necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of adaptive confidence sets with diameters of the order of the regularity-dependent $W_p$-minimax estimation rate. Interestingly, it appears that the po…
This paper develops a method to construct uniform confidence bands for a nonparametric regression function where a predictor variable is subject to a measurement error. We allow for the distribution of the measurement error to be unknown, but assume the availability of validation data or repeated measurements on the latent predictor variable. The proposed confidence band builds on the deconvolution kernel estimation and a novel application of the multiplier bootstrap method. We establish asymptotic validity of the proposed confidence band. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to derive as…
This paper develops bootstrap methods to construct uniform confidence bands for nonparametric spectral estimation of Lévy densities under high-frequency observations. We assume that we observe $n$ discrete observations at frequency $1/Δ> 0$, and work with the high-frequency setup where $Δ= Δ_{n} \to 0$ and $nΔ\to \infty$ as $n \to \infty$. We employ a spectral (or Fourier-based) estimator of the Lévy density, and develop novel implementations of Gaussian multiplier (or wild) and empirical (or Efron's) bootstraps to construct confidence bands for the spectral estimator on a compact set that doe…
Let $f$ be a probability density and $C$ be an interval on which $f$ is bounded away from zero. By establishing the limiting distribution of the uniform error of the kernel estimates $f_n$ of $f$, Bickel and Rosenblatt (1973) provide confidence bands $B_n$ for $f$ on $C$ with asymptotic level $1-α\in]0,1[$. Each of the confidence intervals whose union gives $B_n$ has an asymptotic level equal to one; pointwise moderate deviations principles allow to prove that all these intervals share the same logarithmic asymptotic level. Now, as soon as both pointwise and uniform moderate deviations princip…
This paper develops a simple method to construct confidence bands, centered at a principal component analysis (PCA) based estimator, for the slope function in a functional linear regression model with a scalar response variable and a functional predictor variable. The PCA-based estimator is a series estimator with estimated basis functions, and so construction of valid confidence bands for it is a non-trivial challenge. We propose a confidence band that aims at covering the slope function at "most" of points with a prespecified probability (level), and prove its asymptotic validity under suita…
This paper develops a method to construct uniform confidence bands in deconvolution when the error distribution is unknown. We mainly focus on the baseline setting where an auxiliary sample from the error distribution is available and the error density is ordinary smooth. The auxiliary sample may directly come from validation data, or can be constructed from panel data with a symmetric error distribution. We also present extensions of the results on confidence bands to the case of super-smooth error densities. Simulation studies demonstrate the performance of the multiplier bootstrap confidenc…
Let $Y$ be a stochastic process on $[0,1]$ satisfying $dY(t) = n^{1/2} f(t) dt + dW(t)$, where $n \ge 1$ is a given scale parameter (``sample size''), $W$ is standard Brownian motion and $f$ is an unknown function. Utilizing suitable multiscale tests we construct confidence bands for $f$ with guaranteed given coverage probability, assuming that $f$ is isotonic or convex. These confidence bands are computationally feasible and shown to be asymptotically sharp optimal in an appropriate sense.
We derive bounds on the scope for a confidence band to adapt to the unknown regularity of a nonparametric function that is observed with noise, such as a regression function or density, under the self-similarity condition proposed by Gine and Nickl (2010). We find that adaptation can only be achieved up to a term that depends on the choice of the constant used to define self-similarity, and that this term becomes arbitrarily large for conservative choices of the self-similarity constant. We construct a confidence band that achieves this bound, up to a constant term that does not depend on the …
We provide confidence bands for isotonic quantile curves in nonparametric univariate regression with guaranteed given coverage probability. The method is an adaptation of the confidence bands of Duembgen and Johns (2004) for isotonic median curves.
In this paper we initiate a study of non parametric contextual bandits under shape constraints on the mean reward function. Specifically, we study a setting where the context is one dimensional, and the mean reward function is isotonic with respect to this context. We propose a policy for this problem and show that it attains minimax rate optimal regret. Moreover, we show that the same policy enjoys automatic adaptation; that is, for subclasses of the parameter space where the true mean reward functions are also piecewise constant with $k$ pieces, this policy remains minimax rate optimal simul…
We introduce new goodness-of-fit tests and corresponding confidence bands for distribution functions. They are inspired by multi-scale methods of testing and based on refined laws of the iterated logarithm for the normalized uniform empirical process $\mathbb{U}_n (t)/\sqrt{t(1-t)}$ and its natural limiting process, the normalized Brownian bridge process $\mathbb{U}(t)/\sqrt{t(1-t)}$. The new tests and confidence bands refine the procedures of Berk and Jones (1979) and Owen (1995). Roughly speaking, the high power and accuracy of the latter methods in the tail regions of distributions are esse…
A nonparametric adaptation theory is developed for the construction of confidence intervals for linear functionals. A between class modulus of continuity captures the expected length of adaptive confidence intervals. Sharp lower bounds are given for the expected length and an ordered modulus of continuity is used to construct adaptive confidence procedures which are within a constant factor of the lower bounds. In addition, minimax theory over nonconvex parameter spaces is developed.
We consider nonparametric estimation of mean regression and conditional variance (or volatility) functions in nonlinear stochastic regression models. Simultaneous confidence bands are constructed and the coverage probabilities are shown to be asymptotically correct. The imposed dependence structure allows applications in many linear and nonlinear auto-regressive processes. The results are applied to the S&P 500 Index data.
Suppose that one observes pairs $(x_1,Y_1)$, $(x_2,Y_2)$, ..., $(x_n,Y_n)$, where $x_1\le x_2\le ... \le x_n$ are fixed numbers, and $Y_1,Y_2,...,Y_n$ are independent random variables with unknown distributions. The only assumption is that ${\rm Median}(Y_i)=f(x_i)$ for some unknown convex function $f$. We present a confidence band for this regression function $f$ using suitable multiscale sign-tests. While the exact computation of this band requires $O(n^4)$ steps, good approximations can be obtained in $O(n^2)$ steps. In addition the confidence band is shown to have desirable asymptotic prop…
In this paper we study the problem of constructing bootstrap confidence intervals for the Lévy density of the driving Lévy process based on high-frequency observations of a Lévy-driven moving average processes. Using a spectral estimator of the Lévy density, we propose a novel implementations of multiplier and empirical bootstraps to construct confidence bands on a compact set away from the origin. We also provide conditions under which the confidence bands are asymptotically valid.
We construct confidence sets for the regression function in nonparametric binary regression with an unknown design density. These confidence sets are adaptive in $L^2$ loss over a continuous class of Sobolev type spaces. Adaptation holds in the smoothness of the regression function, over the maximal parameter spaces where adaptation is possible, provided the design density is smooth enough. We identify two key regimes --- one where adaptation is possible, and one where some critical regions must be removed. We address related questions about goodness of fit testing and adaptive estimation of r…
We propose simultaneous confidence bands of the hyperbolic-type for the contrasts between several nonlinear (curvilinear) regression curves. The critical value of a confidence band is determined from the distribution of the maximum of a chi-square random process defined on the domain of explanatory variables. We use the volume-of-tube method to derive an upper tail probability formula of the maximum of a chi-square random process, which is asymptotically exact and sufficiently accurate in commonly used tail regions. Moreover, we prove that the formula obtained is equivalent to the expectation …
Let $X_1,...,X_n$ be a random sample from some unknown probability density $f$ defined on a compact homogeneous manifold $\mathbf M$ of dimension $d \ge 1$. Consider a 'needlet frame' $\{ϕ_{j η}\}$ describing a localised projection onto the space of eigenfunctions of the Laplace operator on $\mathbf M$ with corresponding eigenvalues less than $2^{2j}$, as constructed in \cite{GP10}. We prove non-asymptotic concentration inequalities for the uniform deviations of the linear needlet density estimator $f_n(j)$ obtained from an empirical estimate of the needlet projection $\sum_ηϕ_{j η} \int f ϕ_{…
Statistical Laboratory, University of Cambridge（剑桥大学统计实验室）；Department of Data Sciences and Operations, University of Southern California（南加州大学数据科学与操作系）；Department of Statistics, University of Chicago（芝加哥大学统计学系）
This article presents methods for the construction of two-sided and one-sided simultaneous hyperbolic bands for the logistic and probit regression models when the predictor variable is restricted to a given interval. The bands are constructed based on the asymptotic properties of the maximum likelihood estimators. Past articles have considered building two-sided asymptotic confidence bands for the logistic model, such as Piegorsch and Casella (1988). However, the confidence bands given by Piegorsch and Casella are conservative under a single interval restriction, and it is shown in this articl…
Based on a progressively type-II censored sample from the exponential distribution with unknown location and scale parameter, confidence bands are proposed for the underlying distribution function by using confidence regions for the parameters and Kolmogorov-Smirnov type statistics. Simple explicit representations for the boundaries and for the coverage probabilities of the confidence bands are analytically derived, and the performance of the bands is compared in terms of band width and area by means of a data example. As a by-product, a novel confidence region for the location-scale parameter…
Given a sample from some unknown continuous density $f:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}$, we construct adaptive confidence bands that are honest for all densities in a "generic" subset of the union of $t$-Hölder balls, $0<t\le r$, where $r$ is a fixed but arbitrary integer. The exceptional ("nongeneric") set of densities for which our results do not hold is shown to be nowhere dense in the relevant Hölder-norm topologies. In the course of the proofs we also obtain limit theorems for maxima of linear wavelet and kernel density estimators, which are of independent interest.
We develop a novel procedure for constructing confidence bands for components of a sparse additive model. Our procedure is based on a new kernel-sieve hybrid estimator that combines two most popular nonparametric estimation methods in the literature, the kernel regression and the spline method, and is of interest in its own right. Existing methods for fitting sparse additive model are primarily based on sieve estimators, while the literature on confidence bands for nonparametric models are primarily based upon kernel or local polynomial estimators. Our kernel-sieve hybrid estimator combines th…
Quantifying uncertainty using confidence regions is a central goal of statistical inference. Despite this, methodologies for confidence bands in Functional Data Analysis are still underdeveloped compared to estimation and hypothesis testing. In this work, we present a new methodology for constructing simultaneous confidence bands for functional parameter estimates. Our bands possess a number of positive qualities: (1) they are not based on resampling and thus are fast to compute, (2) they are constructed under the fairness constraint of balanced false positive rates across partitions of the ba…
A long-standing problem in the construction of asymptotically correct confidence bands for a regression function $m(x)=E[Y|X=x]$, where $Y$ is the response variable influenced by the covariate $X$, involves the situation where $Y$ values may be missing at random, and where the selection probability, the density function $f(x)$ of $X$, and the conditional variance of $Y$ given $X$ are all completely unknown. This can be particularly more complicated in nonparametric situations. In this paper we propose a new kernel-type regression estimator and study the limiting distribution of the properly no…
The problem of constructing confidence sets in the high-dimensional linear model with $n$ response variables and $p$ parameters, possibly $p\ge n$, is considered. Full honest adaptive inference is possible if the rate of sparse estimation does not exceed $n^{-1/4}$, otherwise sparse adaptive confidence sets exist only over strict subsets of the parameter spaces for which sparse estimators exist. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of confidence sets that adapt to a fixed sparsity level of the parameter vector are given in terms of minimal $\ell^2$-separation conditions on the…
Standard approaches to constructing nonparametric confidence bands for functions are frustrated by the impact of bias, which generally is not estimated consistently when using the bootstrap and conventionally smoothed function estimators. To overcome this problem it is common practice to either undersmooth, so as to reduce the impact of bias, or oversmooth, and thereby introduce an explicit or implicit bias estimator. However, these approaches, and others based on nonstandard smoothing methods, complicate the process of inference, for example, by requiring the choice of new, unconventional smo…
We present a new approach for inference about a log-concave distribution: Instead of using the method of maximum likelihood, we propose to incorporate the log-concavity constraint in an appropriate nonparametric confidence set for the cdf $F$. This approach has the advantage that it automatically provides a measure of statistical uncertainty and it thus overcomes a marked limitation of the maximum likelihood estimate. In particular, we show how to construct confidence bands for the density that have a finite sample guaranteed confidence level. The nonparametric confidence set for $F$ which we …
We propose new resampling-based approaches to construct asymptotically valid time simultaneous confidence bands for cumulative hazard functions in multi-state Cox models. In particular, we exemplify the methodology in detail for the simple Cox model with time dependent covariates, where the data may be subject to independent right-censoring or left-truncation. In extensive simulations we investigate their finite sample behaviour. Finally, the methods are utilized to analyze an empirical example.
