Mathematics

The aim of research in the area of mathema­tical statistics is to develop an approximation term for the application of stochastic models on real data sets, and then apply it in the evaluation of data sets. Statistics has found no such approximation term so far, although it is generally accepted that stochastic models do not reflect reality and at most are expedient. While the problem of the adequacy of a stochastic model is generally acknowledged, it has hitherto played a subordinate role in the theory of parameter estimation. This situation is gradually changing, and more work is being done on the influence of model selection in calculations, for example of confidence intervals.