Does Delta Method work for asymptotic distributions?

In summary, the conversation discusses using logistic regression to find a confidence interval for a given value of x. The method involves estimating the variance covariance matrix and using the delta method to solve for x. However, since the matrix is estimated, the second term in the Taylor expansion can be neglected asymptotically.
  • #1
FallenApple
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So if I have a logistic regression: ##log (\hat {odds})=\hat{\beta_{0}}+\hat{\beta_{1}}x##. How would I find a confidence interval for x if I am given ##odds=5## This is going in reverse, where if I have the outcome, I try to do inference on the predictor.

We know that ##\hat{\vec{\beta}}##, the vector of ##\hat{\beta_{0}}## and ##\hat{\beta_{1}}##, is distributed asmptotically as ##N( \vec{\beta}, \hat{{Var{\hat{\beta}}}})## for large sample sizes where ##\hat{{Var{\hat{\beta}}}}## is the estimated variance covariance matrix.( similar to how ##\sigma^{2}## is estimated by ##s^{2}## for the basic t test).

So solving for x using ##log (5)=\beta_{0}+\beta_{1}x## I get: ##x( \beta_{0},\beta_{1}) =\frac{ log(5)-\beta_{0}} {\beta_{1} }## a multivariate function of both parameters.

So it seems that I would use the delta method but the one problem is the variance covariance matrix is an estimated one, so it doesn't have any actual parameters in it. Would delta method still work for this? Or would I need to try another method?
 
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  • #2
No, that's ok. The point is that you can Taylor expand ##Var_\beta=Var_\hat{\beta}+(\partial Var_\beta/\partial \beta )(\hat{\beta}-\beta)+\ldots##.
Now ##\hat{\beta}-\beta## is of order ##1/\sqrt{N}##, so that asymptotically, you can neglect the second term.
 
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1. What is the Delta Method?

The Delta Method is a statistical technique used to approximate the distribution of a function of random variables, given that the random variables themselves are approximately normally distributed.

2. How does the Delta Method work?

The Delta Method works by using the first-order Taylor expansion to approximate the function of interest. This approximation is then used to find the mean and variance of the function, which can be used to determine the asymptotic distribution.

3. When can the Delta Method be applied?

The Delta Method can be applied when the random variables are approximately normally distributed and the function of interest is smooth and continuously differentiable.

4. What are the limitations of the Delta Method?

The Delta Method may not provide accurate results when the sample size is small or when the function of interest is highly non-linear. It also assumes that the random variables are independent and identically distributed, which may not always be the case in real-world data.

5. Can the Delta Method be used for non-normal asymptotic distributions?

Yes, the Delta Method can be extended to non-normal asymptotic distributions by using a transformation that makes the distribution approximately normal. However, this may result in less accurate approximations compared to using the Delta Method with normally distributed random variables.

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