One and two sample confidence intervals for estimating the mean of skewed populations: an empirical comparative study

Abstract

In this paper we consider and propose some confidence intervals for estimating the mean or difference of means of skewed populations. We extend the median t interval to the two sample problem. Further, we suggest using the bootstrap to find the critical points for use in the calculation of median t intervals. A simulation study has been made to compare the performance of the intervals and a real life example has been considered to illustrate the application of the methods.

Keywords:

• bootstrapping
• coverage probability
• interval estimation
• Johnson's t
• mean
• Student's t
• skewness

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the referees for their valuable comments and suggestions which greatly improved the quality and presentation of the paper.