Consequences of grouped data for testing for departure from circular uniformity.

ABSTRACT: Limits to the precision of circular data often cause grouping of data points into discrete categories, but the effects of grouping on tests for circular uniformity have been little explored. The Rayleigh test is often applied to grouped circular data, despite it being designed for continuous data and the statistical literature recommending a suite of alternative tests specifically designed for grouped data. Here, we investigated the performance of the Rayleigh test relative to four alternatives for testing the null hypothesis of uniformity in grouped circular data. We employed simulation, grouping data into a discrete number of same-sized categories and with samples drawn from a range of different distributions. We found that grouping had little effect on the type I error rate or the power

SUBMITTER: Humphreys RK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5660840 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature