2.1 The dual role of parameters

New learners are often taught that Bayesian and frequentist methods differ in the interpretation of model parameters—a parameter is a fixed unknown quantity for frequentists but a random variable for Bayesians. This is a subtle misunderstanding that we attempt to clarify. Parameter $\theta $ represents a deterministic value, presumably having generated ${x_{{\rm{obs}}}}$ ; however, it may also be associated with a random variable describing the uncertainty in determining what the particular value is. This dual role is apparent in the original manuscript of Thomas Bayes’s famous theorem and is also evident in modern statistical methods reliant on computer-simulated data.

In lemma 1 of section 2, Bayes (Reference Bayes1764) describes the following setting. Consider an arbitrary flat surface (say, a billiard table) of length 1. A first player rolls ball $W$ along the billiard table and secretly marks the location where it stops. A second player rolls ball $O$ $n$ different times on the same billiard table. If the only information (i.e., data) the second player observes is a report from the first player on whether or not ball $O$ lands to the left of ball $W$ on each of the $n$ trials, then what inference can the second player make concerning the location of ball $W$ ?

In modern statistical terms, Bayes’s billiard table experiment assumes a $U\left( {0,1} \right)$ prior distribution, and the sample of observed data is realized from a binomial model. In this context, ${\theta _0}$ (where ball $W$ landed) is a realization from the prior distribution, $\theta \sim U\left( {0,1} \right)$ , so the sample is generated from a binomial distribution with $n$ trials and probability of success ${\theta _0}$ .

Bayes’s scenario clearly displays two versions of the parameter at play, which Thornton and Xie (Reference Schweder and Lid Hjortforthcoming) call the duality of a parameter. In application, estimating the fixed version of the parameter that generated the observed data is the main objective. We denote this target value with the symbol ${\theta _0}$ . There is, however, some uncertainty in exactly how to assess ${\theta _0}$ , given ${x_{{\rm{obs}}}}$ . To address this uncertainty, a Bayesian approach elects to work with a random representation of $\theta $ (the prior), which is then updated to produce a data-informed posterior distribution. In this approach, “[p]arameters must have a distribution describing the available information about their values … [but] this is not a description of their variability (since they are fixed unknown quantities), [rather it is] a description of the uncertainty about their true values” (Berger et al. Reference Berger, Bernardo and Sun2015). One may surmise that probabilistic statements about an unknown parameter (e.g., the prior or posterior) are not statements asserting the parameter is actually a random variable itself; rather, these statements describe the (un)certainty in estimating an unobserved, fixed, data-generating value.

Many modern inference problems rely on computer simulations to mimic whatever type of randomness (i.e., descriptions of [un]certainty or sample variability) is used to answer the posed inferential question. We refer to the intentional use of computer simulations to generate possible values of a random variable as artificial randomness. Artificial randomness is not exactly empirical, nor is it clearly epistemological. Indeed, the interpretation of artificial randomness is an interesting open philosophical question.

Several established statistical methods utilize artificial randomness, including approximate Bayesian computing and frequentist bootstrap methods; see, for example, Beaumont (Reference Beaumont2019) and Efron (Reference Efron2000). Once again, two versions of $\theta $ emerge in these methods: those values simulated via artificial randomness, say, ${\theta ^{\rm{*}}}$ , and a deterministic value that is connected to the observed data, ${\theta _0}$ . Typically, such methods are theoretically supported by a probabilistic matching condition, which can be represented as an approximate (or exact) matching between two random entities:

(1) $$\left[ {\left( {{\theta ^{\rm{*}}} - f\left( X \right)} \right)|X = {x_{{\rm{obs}}}}} \right] \approx \left( {f\left( X \right) - {\theta _0}} \right),$$

where ${\theta ^{\rm{*}}}$ is produced through (post-data) artificial randomness, and $f\left( X \right)$ is a function of the random sample of data, $X$ , whose distribution depends on the unknown model parameter. This is a statement about the probability law governing the random sample, $X$ (right-hand side), matching the probability law inducing the artificially random parameter values, ${\theta ^{\rm{*}}}$ (left-hand side).

Thornton and Xie (Reference Schweder and Lid Hjortforthcoming) describe this matching condition more generally, across Bayesian, frequentist, and fiducial paradigms. The common element among any statistical method employing this theorem is that there are two versions of the model parameter at play. The first version is a fixed target value related to the observed sample of data. The second version is a result of artificial randomness and describes the unknown parameter probabilistically (after conditioning on ${x_{{\rm{obs}}}}$ ). In this way, these complex modern inference problems mirror Bayes’s original proposal, wherein the objective is a statement regarding a deterministic target, but probability is used to describe the uncertainty associated with that target, given an observed data set.

Traditionally, both Bayesians and frequentists rely on the assumption that the model is correct in their use of the likelihood function. In modern applications where no likelihood may be available, these methods differ in the extent to which they require assumptions about the underlying data-generating process.

2.2 The role of probability

Starting with a specific relationship between the data and the unknown parameter, ${M_\theta }$ , both Bayesian and frequentist methods attempt to characterize the value of $\theta $ that is most in line with a single, observed data set. Although the estimating procedures of both paradigms are the same, the use of probability may differ depending on which statistical principles are prioritized.

Bayesian inference requires one to characterize the unknown parameter probabilistically both before and after observing data. The probability law may be arbitrary (subjective priors) or derived from existing knowledge, theories, and/or data (objective priors). Although the requirement of a probability law to describe uncertainty in the value of $\theta $ before observing data is often relaxed in practice (i.e., using “improper priors”), the philosophical justification for inference from a Bayesian methodology cannot permit this violation. For this reason, we restrict our discussion of probabilistic certainty to those cases of Bayesian inference that use a proper prior.

The first major conundrum we encounter within a Bayesian paradigm is presented in example 2.1.

Suppose player 2 has a friend who has been watching this game from the beginning. This friend (player 3) may also use a Bayesian approach to assess the location of ball $W$ but may differ in their characterization of uncertainty. Let’s say player 3 chooses to model their uncertainty with a ${\rm{Beta}}\left( {3,{\rm{\;}}2} \right)$ distribution.

Player 2 is $95{\rm{\% }}$ confident that the location of ball $W$ is between $0.058$ and $0.432$ , whereas player 3 is just as confident that the location of ball $W$ is actually between $0.133$ and $0.535$ . (More accurately, but no less confusing, player 2 can logically state that there is a $95{\rm{\% }}$ chance that ball $W$ lies between $0.058$ and $0.432$ , whereas player 3 can assert that there is a $95{\rm{\% }}$ chance $W$ lies between $0.133$ and $0.535$ .)

In this example, the disagreement between these two intervals is inconsequential. However, in more realistic applications where $\theta $ represents, say, the efficacy of a new drug, this disagreement is dire. One interval contains the value $0.5$ , whereas the other does not. Whose analysis is preferable? Practically, in any situation where ${M_\theta }$ is agreed upon, the basis for any scholarly debate comes down to the choice of prior. Without an appeal to the notion of error control, there is no readily agreed-upon answer to compare posterior distributions resulting from different priors. To this point, another conundrum is presented in example 2.2.

Figure 1.

Fifty independent experiments produce 95% credible/confidence interval estimates for ${\theta _0}$ (blue) in the billiard table experiment.

The inconsistent conclusions in example 2.2 result from the fact that although the likelihood implies a probabilistic structure governing the behavior of the data (a type of empirical probability), there is no consideration of hypothetical data within a Bayesian paradigm. This unfortunately results in uncalibrated inferential conclusions. We consider this a serious issue because the implications extend beyond any individual practitioner, instead calling into question the general validity of statistical inference.

A frequentist take on Bayes’s theorem understands a prior as an initial distribution estimator for a parameter and the resulting posterior as an updated (or improved) version of this estimator. Estimators, whether distribution, point, or interval, are evaluated according to their performance properties relative to the inferential context. Reid and Cox (Reference Reid and Cox2015) call inferential methods that target a standard of performance calibrated.

Definition 2.1 “A method of statistical inference is calibrated if it does not produce systematically misleading conclusions when used repeatedly” (Reid and Cox Reference Reid and Cox2015).

Figure 1b shows the resulting confidence intervals if the audience instead used a frequentist approach. There is no longer a need for a prior, and this approach is designed to control the number of individuals unable to capture ${\theta _0}$ .

Although the aim of Bayesian methodology is to produce a posterior (i.e., a data-informed distribution estimator for a model parameter), most practitioners agree on the importance of calibrated inferential conclusions. On the other hand, frequentist methods are designed to ensure calibration but do not often target a distribution estimator. Distribution estimators can be much more informative than a single (confidence) interval or $p$ -value and empower the researcher by reinforcing the role of statistics as a reliable language of science rather than a prescriptive rule book declaring what constitutes a scientific discovery. In the next section, we present a framework orienting statistical inference around the performance of a calibrated distribution estimator called a confidence distribution (CD).

3.1 Confidence distribution defined

Although the concept of CDs can be most immediately traced back to Fisher (Reference Fisher1922) and Cox (Reference Cox1958), the modern interpretation of these functions is a major development within statistical theory (Xie and Singh Reference Xie and Singh2013; Schweder and Hjort Reference Schweder and Lid Hjort2016). This development untangles CDs from Fisher’s flawed fiducial reasoning. Today, CDs enjoy new attention from the statistical community because the modern definition (which follows) avoids the circular reasoning of Fisher’s fiducial inference by defining the estimator according to (calibrated) performance standards. This definition is aligned with Xie and Singh (Reference Xie and Singh2013) in understanding a CD as an estimator for the parameter of interest rather than a distribution of the parameter.

Definition 3.1 A sample-dependent function on the parameter space, that is, a function on ${\cal X} \times {\rm{\Theta }}$ , ${H_n}\left( \cdot \right) = {H_n}\left( {X, \cdot } \right)$ , is called a CD for $\theta \in {\rm{\Theta }}$ if

• [R1] For each given sample $x \in {\cal X}$ , the function ${H_n}\left( \cdot \right) = {H_n}\left( {x, \cdot } \right)$ is a distribution function on the parameter space ${\rm{\Theta }}$ ; and

• [R2] The function can provide confidence intervals for the parameter $\theta $ at all confidence levels (Xie and Singh Reference Xie and Singh2013).

In his discussion to Xie and Singh (Reference Xie and Singh2013), David Cox states that CDs “provide simple and interpretable summaries of what can reasonably be learned from data.” CDs are a general descriptive concept in statistical estimation. Any data-dependent function defining a distribution on the parameter space, whose performance is calibrated across random samples of data, is a CD. Bayesian posteriors can be CDs, as can bootstrap distributions. However, there are many other ways to obtain a CD.

Consider two ways in which one could derive the CD in example 3.1. If the primary interest is to assess the evidence for a particular claim about $\mu $ , say, ${C_\mu }$ , it makes sense to consider the $p$ -value of this claim, given the observed data. Allowing $c$ to vary produces a function defined on the parameter space, that is, the CD ${H_n}\left( \mu \right)$ . Alternatively, one could derive this distribution estimator as the posterior from an objective Bayesian procedure assuming a flat (improper) prior. Regardless of how the CD is derived, the resulting function defines a probability distribution on the parameter space. Once data are observed, random draws from this distribution can be artificially generated to produce (nonrandom) observed instances of a CD random variable.

Definition 3.2 Let ${x_{{\rm{obs}}}} = \left( {{x_1}, \ldots, {x_n}} \right)$ be an observed sample of data drawn from a distribution involving parameter $\theta $ , and let ${H_n}\left( \theta \right)$ be a CD for $\theta $ . Then, $\theta _{{\rm{CD}}}^{\rm{*}}|{x_{{\rm{obs}}}}\sim {H_n}\left( \cdot \right)$ is referred to as a CD random variable (Xie and Singh Reference Xie and Singh2013).

The notion of a CD random variable is distinct from the idea of a random parameter. A CD random variable is a randomized estimator for a fixed unknown, much in the same way that a bootstrap procedure produces a randomized estimator for a parameter. On the left-hand side of equation 1, ${\theta ^{\rm{*}}}$ can be understood as a CD random variable for $\theta $ . Furthermore, a CD, by definition, produces calibrated inferential conclusions about $\theta $ . Thus, a CD and a CD random variable provide measures of corroboration for any inferential statement about $\theta $ while embodying the duality of a parameter.

3.2 Severity and confidence distributions

We now explore a connection between CDs and severe inference whereby error probabilities distinctly characterize the severity with which a claim about $\theta $ has been tested (Mayo Reference Mayo2018). Because a CD is constructed with respect to error probabilities, it also contains the mathematical information necessary to quantify the severity of any related test of a claim about $\theta $ .

Definition 3.3 Strong severity requirement. “We have evidence for a claim $C$ just to the extent it survives a stringent scrutiny. If $C$ passes a test that was highly capable of finding flaws or discrepancies from $C$ , and yet none or few are found, then the passing result … is evidence for $C$ ” (Mayo Reference Mayo2018, 14).

Continuing with example 3.1, as a functional estimator, ${H_n}\left( \mu \right)$ contains a wealth of inferential information about the unknown parameter $\mu $ . For instance, one may calculate the $p$ -value associated with testing claim ${C_\mu }:\mu \le c$ by evaluating $\mathop \smallint \nolimits_{ - \infty }^c \,d{H_n}\left( \mu \right) = {H_n}\left( c \right)$ . The $p$ -value is a mathematical summary of the support our estimator, ${H_n}\left( \mu \right)$ , lends to claim ${C_\mu }$ . This is a useful summary based on the pre-data rationale to use a method that controls error probabilities. Post-data, we want to understand how severely our claim has been tested. In this example, the severity with which claim ${C_\mu }$ is tested is inversely related to ${H_n}\left( c \right)$ . Figure 2 shows ${H_n}\left( c \right)$ (black) and the severity curve (blue) for varying values of $c$ . The similarities between figure 2 and figure 3.3 of Mayo (Reference Mayo2018) are not coincidental and indeed illustrate the relationship between severity and CDs.

Figure 2.

For example 3.1, where ${\bar x_{{\rm{obs}}}} = 0.6$ , a CD for $\mu $ (black) is related to the severity (blue) of testing the claim ${C_\mu }:\mu \le c$ . Significance levels at $\alpha = 0.1$ and $\alpha = 0.05$ are marked with dashed lines.

As an estimator, a CD is not dependent on any particular hypothesis but summarizes the inferential information about $\theta $ contained in the data. A post hoc severity assessment of this information can always be calculated because the severity will be a function of a CD. It seems that, provided the strong severity requirement is met, a CD may supply not only an empirical but also an evidential interpretation of the conclusions of a test about $\theta $ . Therefore, we wonder, is a prior a requirement for characterizing epistemic uncertainty probabilistically? And if so, under what conditions on the prior?