Tests of Covariance Matrices for High Dimensional Multivariate Data Under Non Normality

• Ahmad et al. (in press) presented test statistics for sphericity and identity of the covariance matrix of a multivariate normal distribution when the dimension, p, exceeds the sample size, n. In this note, we show that their statistics are robust to normality assumption, when normality is replaced with certain mild assumptions on the traces of the covariance matrix. Under such assumptions, the test statistics are shown to follow the same asymptotic normal distribution as under normality for large p, also whenp >> n. The asymptotic normality is proved using the theory of U-statistics, and is based on very general conditions, particularly avoiding any relationship between n and p.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Matematik -- Sannolikhetsteori och statistik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Mathematics -- Probability Theory and Statistics (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Matematik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Mathematics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Non normality

High dimensionality

Sphericity

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)