Bayesian transformation family selection: Moving toward a transformed Gaussian universe. Issue 4 (29th September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Charitidou, Efstratia; Fouskakis, Dimitris; Ntzoufras, Ioannis
• Is Part Of: Canadian journal of statistics. Volume 43:Issue 4(2015)
• Page Start: 600
• Page End: 623
• Publication Date: 2015-09-29
• Subjects: Bayesian model selection -- Posterior model probabilities -- power‐prior -- prior compatibility -- transformation family selection -- unit‐information prior -- MSC 2010: Primary 62F15 -- secondary 62C10 -- 62F03; Mathematical statistics -- Periodicals; 519.5
• DOI: 10.1002/cjs.11261
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0319-5724

Abstract

Abstract: The problem of transformation selection is thoroughly treated from a Bayesian perspective. Several families of transformations are considered with a view to achieving normality: the Box–Cox, the Modulus, the Yeo & Johnson, and the Dual transformation. Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms have been constructed in order to sample from the posterior distribution of the transformation parameter λ T associated with each competing family T . We investigate different approaches to constructing compatible prior distributions for λ T over alternative transformation families. Selection and discrimination between different transformation families are attained via posterior model probabilities. Although there is no choice of transformation family that can be universally applied to all problems, empirical evidence suggests that some particular data structures are best treated by specific transformation families. For example, skewness is associated with the Box–Cox family while fat‐tailed distributions are efficiently treated using the Modulus transformation. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 43: 600–623; 2015 © 2015 Statistical Society of Canada