 Local model uncertainty and incomplete‐data bias (with discussion)John Copas and Shinto Eguchi Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B, 2005, vol. 67, issue 4, 459-513 Abstract: Summary. Problems of the analysis of data with incomplete observations are all too familiar in statistics. They are doubly difficult if we are also uncertain about the choice of model. We propose a general formulation for the discussion of such problems and develop approximations to the resulting bias of maximum likelihood estimates on the assumption that model departures are small. Loss of efficiency in parameter estimation due to incompleteness in the data has a dual interpretation: the increase in variance when an assumed model is correct; the bias in estimation when the model is incorrect. Examples include non‐ignorable missing data, hidden confounders in observational studies and publication bias in meta‐analysis. Doubling variances before calculating confidence intervals or test statistics is suggested as a crude way of addressing the possibility of undetectably small departures from the model. The problem of assessing the risk of lung cancer from passive smoking is used as a motivating example. Date: 2005 Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:jorssb:v:67:y:2005:i:4:p:459-513 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from Access Statistics for this article Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B is currently edited by P. Fryzlewicz and I. Van Keilegom More articles in Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B from Royal Statistical Society Contact information at EDIRC. |
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