From Structural Inference to Asymptotic Theory

• Activity Number: 529 - Remembering Donald A. S. Fraser
• Type: Invited
• Date/Time: Thursday, August 11, 2022 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Memorial
• Author(s): Nancy Margaret Reid*
• Companies: University of Toronto
• Keywords: structural inference; higher-order asymptotics; fiducial inference; statistical theory; history of statistics

Abstract

Don Fraser's efforts to understand and extend Fisher's fiducial inference led him to what he called a structural approach to inference, which established a relationship between data and models that was, to him, quite tangible. This approach turned out also to be very helpful for advancing the theory of higher-order asymptotics for likelihood inference. I will present an overview of this evolution, as I had the privilege of seeing it develop in real time.