In statistics

Statistics

Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....

, the method of support is a technique that is used to make inferences from datasets.

According to A. W. F. Edwards

A. W. F. Edwards

Anthony William Fairbank Edwards is a British statistician, geneticist, and evolutionary biologist, sometimes called Fisher's Edwards. He is a Life Fellow of Gonville and Caius College and retired Professor of Biometry at the University of Cambridge, and holds both the ScD and LittD degrees. A...

, the method of support aims to make inferences about unknown parameters in terms of the relative support, or log likelihood

Likelihood

Likelihood is a measure of how likely an event is, and can be expressed in terms of, for example, probability or odds in favor.-Likelihood function:...

, induced by a set of data for a particular parameter value. The technique may be used whether or not prior information is available.

The method of maximum likelihood is part of the method of support, but note that the method of support also provides confidence regions that are defined in terms of their support.

Notable proponents of the method of support include A. W. F. Edwards

A. W. F. Edwards

Anthony William Fairbank Edwards is a British statistician, geneticist, and evolutionary biologist, sometimes called Fisher's Edwards. He is a Life Fellow of Gonville and Caius College and retired Professor of Biometry at the University of Cambridge, and holds both the ScD and LittD degrees. A...

.