Maximum likelihood estimation for survey data with informative interval censoring

Abstract

Interval-censored data may arise in questionnaire surveys when, instead of being asked to provide an exact value, respondents are free to answer with any interval without having pre-specified ranges. In this context, the assumption of noninformative censoring is violated, and thus, the standard methods for interval-censored data are not appropriate. This paper explores two schemes for data collection and deals with the problem of estimation of the underlying distribution function, assuming that it belongs to a parametric family. The consistency and asymptotic normality of a proposed maximum likelihood estimator are proven. A bootstrap procedure that can be used for constructing confidence intervals is considered, and its asymptotic validity is shown. A simulation study investigates the performance of the suggested methods.

Self-selected interval judgments compared to point judgments: A weight judgment experiment in the presence of the size-weight illusion

“…In this study, we have investigated an interval judgment method called self-selected intervals [ 2 , 3 ] and compared it to traditional point assessments, using a weight judgment experiment. The weights were boxes of different sizes, and the size-weight illusion was present during all trial sessions.…”

“…We used an interval judgment method, called self-selected intervals [ 2 , 3 ], and compared the result with traditional point judgments. The judgment task used for comparisons of the judgment methods was a weight judgment task.…”

“…In other words, an estimate is what a person perceives and/or thinks, and a judgment is what that person explicitly reports as their estimate. The self-selected intervals (SSI) method has previously been investigated in studies asking for willingness to pay (WTP) [ 3 ] and the statistical properties of the method have been investigated as well [ 2 , 6 ]. However, SSI has not previously been investigated with a task that has an objectively measurable and correct answer.…”

2020 international practice patterns in adult joint reconstruction surgery: a survey of members of the International Society of Orthopaedic Centers

“…The survey was based upon a survey administered by the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) [ 4 ] and contained 65 multiple-choice or yes–no questions. We used multiple-choice questions for numeric quantities by creating binned responses in order to facilitate survey completion and reduce respondent bias in providing estimates [ 5 ].…”

Recovering Income Distribution in the Presence of Interval-Censored Data

“…This happens because income information is considered "sensitive", and people are reluctant to report actual earnings, and may choose not to respond to those questions at all (Moore et al, 2000;Hagenaars and Vos, 1988). Field tests conducted in the past have shown that asking follow-up income questions in a series of unfolding brackets achieves superior results in terms of response rates for income amounts, as was the case of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey (BRFSS), both administered by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States (Angelov andEkstrom 2018, Yan et al 2018).…”