Quantifying Uncertainty: All We Need is the Bootstrap?

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Zrimšek, Urša, Štrumbelj, Erik
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Zrimšek, Urša
Štrumbelj, Erik
author_facet Zrimšek, Urša
Štrumbelj, Erik
contents A critical literature review and comprehensive simulation study is used to show that (a) non-parametric bootstrap is a viable alternative to commonly taught and used methods in basic estimation tasks (mean, variance, quartiles, correlation) and (b), contrary to recommendations in most related work, double bootstrap performs better than BCa. Quantifying uncertainty through standard errors, confidence intervals, hypothesis tests, and related measures is a fundamental aspect of statistical practice. However, these techniques involve a variety of methods, mathematical formulas, and underlying concepts, which can be complex. Could the non-parametric bootstrap, known for its simplicity and general applicability, serve as a universal alternative? This paper addresses this question through a review of the existing literature and a simulation analysis of one- and two-sided confidence intervals across varying sample sizes, confidence levels, data-generating processes, and statistical functionals. Results show that the double bootstrap consistently performs best and is a promising alternative to traditional methods used for common statistical tasks. These results suggest that the bootstrap, particularly the double bootstrap, could simplify statistical education and practice without compromising effectiveness.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2403_20182
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Quantifying Uncertainty: All We Need is the Bootstrap?
Zrimšek, Urša
Štrumbelj, Erik
Methodology
A critical literature review and comprehensive simulation study is used to show that (a) non-parametric bootstrap is a viable alternative to commonly taught and used methods in basic estimation tasks (mean, variance, quartiles, correlation) and (b), contrary to recommendations in most related work, double bootstrap performs better than BCa. Quantifying uncertainty through standard errors, confidence intervals, hypothesis tests, and related measures is a fundamental aspect of statistical practice. However, these techniques involve a variety of methods, mathematical formulas, and underlying concepts, which can be complex. Could the non-parametric bootstrap, known for its simplicity and general applicability, serve as a universal alternative? This paper addresses this question through a review of the existing literature and a simulation analysis of one- and two-sided confidence intervals across varying sample sizes, confidence levels, data-generating processes, and statistical functionals. Results show that the double bootstrap consistently performs best and is a promising alternative to traditional methods used for common statistical tasks. These results suggest that the bootstrap, particularly the double bootstrap, could simplify statistical education and practice without compromising effectiveness.
title Quantifying Uncertainty: All We Need is the Bootstrap?
topic Methodology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.20182