Skip to main content
added 134 characters in body
Source Link
Michael Hardy
  • 1
  • 12
  • 85
  • 126

This is getting no attention, so I'll try this here:

  • The Robbins lemma, named after Herbert Robbins, says that if $X\sim\operatorname{Poisson}(\lambda)$ and $g$ is a function for which $\operatorname{E}(|X g(X)|) < \infty,$ then $$\operatorname{E}(Xg(X)) = \lambda \operatorname{E}(g(X+1)).$$
  • "Gaussian integration by parts" is an identity that says that under suitable assumptions about the function $g$, if $X\sim N(0,\sigma^2),$ then $$ \operatorname{E}(Xg(X)) = \sigma^2\operatorname{E} (g\,'(X)). $$

Both of these propositions are used in empirical Bayes methods.

Both of these are of the form $$ \operatorname{E}(Xg(X)) = \operatorname{var}(X) \cdot \operatorname{E} ((Tg)(X)) $$ where $T$ is a linear operator on functions $g$.

QUESTION: Might there be, for each linear operator $T$, some probability distribution for which this holds? And might all of these be useful in empirical Bayes methods?

QUESTION(P.S.) BETTER BUT LESS LOGICALLY PRECISE VERSION: Might there be, for each linear operator $T$, some probability distribution for which this holds? And might allAre both of these be useful in empirical Bayes methodsinstances of some more general fact of interest?

This is getting no attention, so I'll try this here:

  • The Robbins lemma, named after Herbert Robbins, says that if $X\sim\operatorname{Poisson}(\lambda)$ and $g$ is a function for which $\operatorname{E}(|X g(X)|) < \infty,$ then $$\operatorname{E}(Xg(X)) = \lambda \operatorname{E}(g(X+1)).$$
  • "Gaussian integration by parts" is an identity that says that under suitable assumptions about the function $g$, if $X\sim N(0,\sigma^2),$ then $$ \operatorname{E}(Xg(X)) = \sigma^2\operatorname{E} (g\,'(X)). $$

Both of these propositions are used in empirical Bayes methods.

Both of these are of the form $$ \operatorname{E}(Xg(X)) = \operatorname{var}(X) \cdot \operatorname{E} ((Tg)(X)) $$ where $T$ is a linear operator on functions $g$.

QUESTION: Might there be, for each linear operator $T$, some probability distribution for which this holds? And might all of these be useful in empirical Bayes methods?

This is getting no attention, so I'll try this here:

  • The Robbins lemma, named after Herbert Robbins, says that if $X\sim\operatorname{Poisson}(\lambda)$ and $g$ is a function for which $\operatorname{E}(|X g(X)|) < \infty,$ then $$\operatorname{E}(Xg(X)) = \lambda \operatorname{E}(g(X+1)).$$
  • "Gaussian integration by parts" is an identity that says that under suitable assumptions about the function $g$, if $X\sim N(0,\sigma^2),$ then $$ \operatorname{E}(Xg(X)) = \sigma^2\operatorname{E} (g\,'(X)). $$

Both of these propositions are used in empirical Bayes methods.

Both of these are of the form $$ \operatorname{E}(Xg(X)) = \operatorname{var}(X) \cdot \operatorname{E} ((Tg)(X)) $$ where $T$ is a linear operator on functions $g$.

QUESTION: Might there be, for each linear operator $T$, some probability distribution for which this holds? And might all of these be useful in empirical Bayes methods?

(P.S.) BETTER BUT LESS LOGICALLY PRECISE VERSION: Are both of these instances of some more general fact of interest?

Source Link
Michael Hardy
  • 1
  • 12
  • 85
  • 126

Generalizations of the Robbins lemma and Gaussian integration by parts

This is getting no attention, so I'll try this here:

  • The Robbins lemma, named after Herbert Robbins, says that if $X\sim\operatorname{Poisson}(\lambda)$ and $g$ is a function for which $\operatorname{E}(|X g(X)|) < \infty,$ then $$\operatorname{E}(Xg(X)) = \lambda \operatorname{E}(g(X+1)).$$
  • "Gaussian integration by parts" is an identity that says that under suitable assumptions about the function $g$, if $X\sim N(0,\sigma^2),$ then $$ \operatorname{E}(Xg(X)) = \sigma^2\operatorname{E} (g\,'(X)). $$

Both of these propositions are used in empirical Bayes methods.

Both of these are of the form $$ \operatorname{E}(Xg(X)) = \operatorname{var}(X) \cdot \operatorname{E} ((Tg)(X)) $$ where $T$ is a linear operator on functions $g$.

QUESTION: Might there be, for each linear operator $T$, some probability distribution for which this holds? And might all of these be useful in empirical Bayes methods?