Lecture

Maximum Likelihood Estimation

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Description

This lecture introduces the concept of maximum likelihood estimation using a simple example of predicting car ownership based on age. The instructor explains how to calculate the likelihood function, use it to estimate parameters, and the properties of maximum likelihood estimation. The lecture also covers the log likelihood, consistency, unbiasedness, efficiency, and hypothesis testing.

In MOOC

Introduction to Discrete Choice Models

Human behavior is complex, and unpredictable. Or is it? Predicting the behavior using mathematical models is the topic of this course. More specifically, we focus on choice modeling, in order to obtain disaggregate demand models. Focusing on the logit model, the course covers in details the specification of the model, the estimation of its parameters, the validation and the application. Exercises using the software Biogeme are also proposed. Concrete case studies with real data sets are provided.

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Statistics

Statistical inference: Mathematical statistics, Statistical hypothesis testing

Related concepts (32)

Maximum likelihood estimation

In statistics, maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) is a method of estimating the parameters of an assumed probability distribution, given some observed data. This is achieved by maximizing a likelihood function so that, under the assumed statistical model, the observed data is most probable. The point in the parameter space that maximizes the likelihood function is called the maximum likelihood estimate. The logic of maximum likelihood is both intuitive and flexible, and as such the method has become a dominant means of statistical inference.

Likelihood function

In statistical inference, the likelihood function quantifies the plausibility of parameter values characterizing a statistical model in light of observed data. Its most typical usage is to compare possible parameter values (under a fixed set of observations and a particular model), where higher values of likelihood are preferred because they correspond to more probable parameter values.

Estimation theory

Estimation theory is a branch of statistics that deals with estimating the values of parameters based on measured empirical data that has a random component. The parameters describe an underlying physical setting in such a way that their value affects the distribution of the measured data. An estimator attempts to approximate the unknown parameters using the measurements.

Likelihood-ratio test

In statistics, the likelihood-ratio test assesses the goodness of fit of two competing statistical models, specifically one found by maximization over the entire parameter space and another found after imposing some constraint, based on the ratio of their likelihoods. If the constraint (i.e., the null hypothesis) is supported by the observed data, the two likelihoods should not differ by more than sampling error. Thus the likelihood-ratio test tests whether this ratio is significantly different from one, or equivalently whether its natural logarithm is significantly different from zero.

Probability

Probability is the branch of mathematics concerning numerical descriptions of how likely an event is to occur, or how likely it is that a proposition is true. The probability of an event is a number between 0 and 1, where, roughly speaking, 0 indicates impossibility of the event and 1 indicates certainty. The higher the probability of an event, the more likely it is that the event will occur. A simple example is the tossing of a fair (unbiased) coin.

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