Measuring conditional independence is one of the important tasks in statistical inference and is fundamental in causal discovery, feature selection, dimensionality reduction, Bayesian network learning, and others. In this work, we explore the connection between conditional independence measures induced by distances on …
New test for conditional independence using kernel embeddings.
problem Testing conditional independence in high-dimensional settings.
method Analytic kernel embeddings, asymptotic distribution.
result New test outperforms existing methods in high-dimensional settings.
Determinantal point process have recently been used as models in machine learning and this has raised questions regarding the characterizations of conditional independence. In this paper we investigate characterizations of conditional independence. We describe some conditional independencies through the conditions on t…
Sequential Kernel-based Conditional Independence Testing via Adaptive Betting
problem Testing conditional independence
method Testing-by-betting on an adaptively optimized Kernel Conditional Independence statistic
result Significantly reduces Type I error inflation while preserving high power
Conditional independence testing is an important problem, especially in Bayesian network learning and causal discovery. Due to the curse of dimensionality, testing for conditional independence of continuous variables is particularly challenging. We propose a Kernel-based Conditional Independence test (KCI-test), by con…
FastKCI speeds up KCI tests for causal inference on large datasets.
problem Cubic computational complexity of kernel-based conditional independence tests.
method Mixture-of-experts approach with parallel Gaussian process inference.
result Substantial computational speedups with maintained statistical power.
A new kernel-based CI test improves on existing methods.
problem Testing conditional independence (CI) in a broad range of dependencies.
method Regression-model-agnostic kernel-based CI test using reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces.
result GKCM outperforms state-of-the-art CI tests in simulations.
Paper introduces a new test for conditional independence using weighted partial copulas.
problem Testing conditional independence between variables.
method The approach uses a weighted partial copula function and a bootstrap procedure to compute regions of rejection.
result The proposed test has competitive power compared to existing methods.
New insights into CI tests reveal key factors for practical performance.
problem Understanding and improving CI tests in practical applications.
method Investigation of the Kernel-based Conditional Independence (KCI) test and analysis of its practical behavior.
result Errors in conditional mean embedding estimates and appropriate conditioning kernel selection are crucial for CI tests.
MixCIT tests conditional independence for mixed data types efficiently and reliably.
problem Testing conditional independence for mixed data types, especially when at least one is continuous.
method Graph-based test statistic comparing kernel similarities, debiased local-polynomial approach for continuous variables.
result Unified, efficient, and statistically guaranteed solution across heterogeneous data types.
Develops a new framework for conditional independence.
problem Generalizing previous notions of conditional independence.
method Introduces transition probability spaces and transitional random variables.
result Satisfies all desired relevance relations except symmetry.
New method tests conditional independence using spectral representations.
problem Untestable conditional independence in many settings.
method Spectral representations of partial covariance operators, bi-level contrastive learning.
result Asymptotic validity and power guarantees for CI testing.
New theoretical tools simplify kernel-based tests analysis.
problem Asymptotic behavior of kernel-based tests in various scenarios.
method Avoids complex expansions and limit theorems, works directly with Hilbert spaces random functionals.
result Framework leads to simpler analysis with minimal regularity conditions.
Constraint-based causal discovery (CCD) algorithms require fast and accurate conditional independence (CI) testing. The Kernel Conditional Independence Test (KCIT) is currently one of the most popular CI tests in the non-parametric setting, but many investigators cannot use KCIT with large datasets because the test sca…
New bounds for KRR condition number reveal overfitting phenomena.
problem Characterizing overfitting in KRR with varying kernel spectral decay.
method Derived new bounds for kernel matrices, enhanced test error bounds, and identified feature independence role.
result Identified tempered and catastrophic overfitting phenomena.
A statistical test of independence may be constructed using the Hilbert-Schmidt Independence Criterion (HSIC) as a test statistic. The HSIC is defined as the distance between the embedding of the joint distribution, and the embedding of the product of the marginals, in a Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space (RKHS). It has …
Develops a nonparametric graphical model for conditional independence.
problem Evaluation of conditional independence without distributional assumptions.
method Nonlinear sufficient dimension reduction techniques applied to a nonparametric graphical model.
result Method outperforms existing methods in non-Gaussian settings and high-dimensional data.
This work develops a non-parametric test for relational independence in non-i.i.d. data.
problem Testing independence in relational systems where data samples are not i.i.d.
method Kernel mean embedding for relational variables, consistent non-parametric scalable kernel test.
result Empirically validated effectiveness compared to state-of-the-art tests.
Paper introduces EO_k for quantifying accuracy-fairness trade-offs in FRL.
problem Tackles the trade-off between accuracy and fairness in FRL.
method Kernel-based formulation of EO criterion for FRL.
result Offers a unified analytical characterization of fairness tradeoffs.
New research optimizes HSIC estimation rate for translation-invariant kernels.
problem Optimizing the rate of HSIC estimation for translation-invariant kernels.
method Proved minimax optimal rate of O(n−1/2) for HSIC estimation. result Optimality of various HSIC estimators proven.
We offer a new, rigorous approach to conditional mean embeddings without operator constraints.
problem Lack of rigorous, operator-free approach to conditional mean embeddings.
method Measure-theoretic approach to conditional mean embeddings.
result Natural regression interpretation and universal consistency of empirical estimates.
CIRCE measures conditional independence for learning invariant features.
problem Learning invariant features while being conditionally independent of a distractor.
method CIRCE is a measure of conditional independence applied as a regularizer in feature learning.
result CIRCE provides a zero value if and only if features are conditionally independent of the distractor given the target.
We propose a method for feature selection that employs kernel-based measures of independence to find a subset of covariates that is maximally predictive of the response. Building on past work in kernel dimension reduction, we show how to perform feature selection via a constrained optimization problem involving the tra…
The paper develops CI tests for causal discovery in SDEs.
problem Inferring causal structure from stochastic dynamical systems.
method Developed CI constraints and a CI test for SDEs.
result Proposed CI test outperforms existing methods.
We introduce a novel conditional density estimation model termed the conditional density operator (CDO). It naturally captures multivariate, multimodal output densities and shows performance that is competitive with recent neural conditional density models and Gaussian processes. The proposed model is based on a novel …
Entropy analysis via kernel methods for probabilistic inference.
problem Entropy analysis of probability distributions.
method Kernel methods and reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces for entropy estimation.
result New upper-bounds on log partition functions for probabilistic inference.
New method for reducing dimensions of distributional data.
problem Nonlinear sufficient dimension reduction for distribution-on-distribution regression.
method Building universal kernels on metric spaces to characterize conditional independence.
result Method outperforms competing methods in synthetic and real data applications.
Conditional independence testing is a fundamental problem underlying causal discovery and a particularly challenging task in the presence of nonlinear and high-dimensional dependencies. Here a fully non-parametric test for continuous data based on conditional mutual information combined with a local permutation scheme …
Proposes a method to create fair, robust predictors that remain consistent across different scenarios.
problem Creating fair and robust machine learning models that behave consistently across different scenarios.
method Graphical criteria and a model-agnostic framework called CIP based on HSCIC.
result Demonstrates the effectiveness of CIP in enforcing counterfactual invariance across various datasets.
Paper introduces a new measure of conditional dependence avoiding matrix inversions.
problem Measuring conditional dependence between two phenomena influenced by a confounder.
method Uses U-statistics pruning to avoid matrix inversions and re-interpret independence.
result Proposes a novel measure of conditional dependence that avoids matrix inversions.
New statistics improve kernel independence testing efficiency.
problem Improving efficiency in kernel independence testing.
method Adapting martingale MMD construction to joint independence problem.
result Two new statistics achieve finite-sample consistency with linear per-test cost.
Reasoning based on causality, instead of association has been considered as a key ingredient towards real machine intelligence. However, it is a challenging task to infer causal relationship/structure among variables. In recent years, an Independent Mechanism (IM) principle was proposed, stating that the mechanism gene…
Fast nonparametric conditional independence testing via two-stage regression
problem Fast nonparametric conditional independence testing
method BLITZ (Broad-to-Local Independence Testing via residualiZation)
result Better null calibration than fast kernel, random-feature, and regression-based competitors
Develop a comprehensive theory for regularized M-estimation in reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces.
problem Regularized M-estimation in reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces
method Existence and measurability of the estimator, sharp rates of convergence
result New rates for tensor product Sobolev spaces
New method speeds up HSIC for multiple variables.
problem Quadratic computational complexity of HSIC for multiple variables.
method Nyström approximation to HSIC for M≥2. result Consistent Nyström HSIC estimator for M≥2. The existence of stationary Markov perfect equilibria in stochastic games is shown under a general condition called "(decomposable) coarser transition kernels". This result covers various earlier existence results on correlated equilibria, noisy stochastic games, stochastic games with finite actions and state-independe…
Conditional density estimation is a general framework for solving various problems in machine learning. Among existing methods, non-parametric and/or kernel-based methods are often difficult to use on large datasets, while methods based on neural networks usually make restrictive parametric assumptions on the probabili…
Study on testing two populations with confounders.
problem Determining if two populations have the same distribution after accounting for confounding factors.
method Introduce two general frameworks for conditional two-sample testing.
result Demonstrated the power and validity of the proposed frameworks.
Develops hypothesis tests for conditional distributions using learning-theoretic bounds.
problem Testing differences in conditional distributions and functionals.
method Transforming learning-theoretic bounds into hypothesis tests for conditional expectations.
result Establishes comprehensive foundation for conditional testing, including theoretical guarantees and practical implementations.
Tensor programs prove neural network limits for any architecture.
problem Understanding the limits of neural networks of any architecture.
method Prove convergence of neural network's Tangent Kernel (NTK) to a deterministic limit as network widths increase.
result Identify conditions for correct NTK limit calculation based on gradient independence assumption.
Three RFF-based methods for nonlinear causal discovery in mixed data.
problem Nonlinear causal discovery in mixed data with computational constraints.
method FFML, TRFF, and FFCI methods for score-based, constraint-based, and hybrid causal discovery.
result FFML and TRFF methods provide complementary performance in causal discovery.
Study infers interaction kernels from multiple particle trajectories.
problem Inferring interaction kernels from multiple particle trajectories in stochastic systems.
method Nonparametric inference approach based on regularized maximum likelihood estimator.
result Consistent estimator with near-optimal learning rate independent of state space dimension.
We introduce a general non-parametric independence test between right-censored survival times and covariates, which may be multivariate. Our test statistic has a dual interpretation, first in terms of the supremum of a potentially infinite collection of weight-indexed log-rank tests, with weight functions belonging to …
Discusses MultiFIT for multivariate dependence, comparing it to HSIC tests.
problem Comparing Multiscale Fisher's Independence Test (MultiFIT) to HSIC tests for multivariate dependence.
method Compares MultiFIT to HSIC tests, highlighting exact level control and performance limitations.
result Observes performance limitations of MultiFIT in terms of test power.
Stein importance sampling is a widely applicable technique based on kernelized Stein discrepancy, which corrects the output of approximate sampling algorithms by reweighting the empirical distribution of the samples. A general analysis of this technique is conducted for the previously unconsidered setting where samples…
Maximum mean discrepancy (MMD), also called energy distance or N-distance in statistics and Hilbert-Schmidt independence criterion (HSIC), specifically distance covariance in statistics, are among the most popular and successful approaches to quantify the difference and independence of random variables, respectively. T…
A Hilbert space embedding for probability measures has recently been proposed, with applications including dimensionality reduction, homogeneity testing, and independence testing. This embedding represents any probability measure as a mean element in a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS). A pseudometric on the spac…
Localized sampler tackles high-dimensional sampling with fewer samples.
problem Sampling from unknown distributions with limited data.
method Combining Schrödinger bridges and plug & play Langevin samplers with localization strategy.
result Localized sampler reduces dimensionality, making sampling more efficient.