Robustness of Nonparametric Predictive Inference for Future Order Statistics

Abstract

This paper considers robustness of Nonparametric Predictive Inference (NPI), in particular considering inference involving future order statistics. The concept of robust inference is usually aimed at development of inference methods which are not too sensitive to data contamination or to deviations from model assumptions. In this paper we use it in a slightly narrower sense. For our aims, robustness indicates insensitivity to small change in the data, as our predictive probabilities for order statistics and statistical inferences involving future observations depend upon the given observations. We introduce some concepts for assessing the robustness of statistical procedures to the NPI framework, namely sensitivity curve and breakdown point; these classical concepts require some adoption for application in NPI. Most of our nonparametric inferences have a reasonably good robustness with regard to small changes in the data.