Adaptive Rank-based Tests for High Dimensional Mean Problems

Abstract: The Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test are commonly employed in one sample and two sample mean tests for one-dimensional hypothesis problems. For high-dimensional mean test problems, we calculate the asymptotic distribution of the maximum of rank statistics for each variable and suggest a max-type test. This max-type test is then merged with a sum-type test, based on their asymptotic independence offered by stationary and strong mixing assumptions. Our numerical studies reveal that this combined test demonstrates robustness and superiority over other methods, especially for heavy-tailed distributions.