Confidence distribution (CD) -- distribution estimator of a parameter

Kesar Singh, Minge Xie, William E. Strawderman

Source: Regina Liu, William Strawderman and Cun-Hui Zhang, eds., Complex Datasets and Inverse Problems: Tomography, Networks and Beyond (Beachwood, Ohio, USA: Institute of Mathematical Statistics, 2007), 132-150.

Abstract

The notion of confidence distribution (CD), an entirely frequentist concept, is in essence a Neymanian interpretation of Fisher's Fiducial distribution. It contains information related to every kind of frequentist inference. In this article, a CD is viewed as a distribution estimator of a parameter. This leads naturally to consideration of the information contained in CD, comparison of CDs and optimal CDs, and connection of the CD concept to the (profile) likelihood function. A formal development of a multiparameter CD is also presented.