Asymptotics for regression models under loss of identifiability

Abstract

This paper discusses the asymptotic behavior of regression models under general conditions. First, we give a general inequality for the difference of the sum of square errors (SSE) of the estimated regression model and the SSE of the theoretical best regression function in our model. A set of generalized derivative functions is a key tool in deriving such inequality. Under suitable Donsker condition for this set, we give the asymptotic distribution for the difference of SSE. We show how to get this Donsker property for parametric models even if the parameters characterizing the best regression function are not unique. This result is applied to neural networks regression models with redundant hidden units when loss of identifiability occurs.