On Asymptotic Normality of the Local Polynomial Regression Estimator with Stochastic Bandwidths

Abstract: Nonparametric density and regression estimators commonly depend on a bandwidth. The asymptotic properties of these estimators have been widely studied when bandwidths are nonstochastic. In practice, however, in order to improve finite sample performance of these estimators, bandwidths are selected by data driven methods, such as cross-validation or plug-in procedures. As a result nonparametric estimators are usually constructed using stochastic bandwidths. In this paper we establish the asymptotic equivalence in probability of local polynomial regression estimators under stochastic and nonstochastic bandwidths. Our result extends previous work by Boente and Fraiman (1995) and Ziegler (2004).