arXiv subjects

Ashley I. Naimi

Publications and source records attributed to Ashley I. Naimi.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Residual-on-Residual Regression as a Tool for Effect Estimation in Observational Data

Epidemiologists increasingly use machine learning to adjust for high-dimensional confounding. Augmented inverse probability weighting (AIPW) and targeted maximum likelihood estimation (TMLE) are most widely used but may yield different results and both can become unstable under weak positivity violations. Residual-on-residual regression is a stable alternative that estimates an exposure effect encoded in a partially linear model by fitting confounder adjusted models for the outcome and exposure, then regressing outcome residuals against exposure residuals using ordinary least squares. We illustrate the approach using data from the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be (nuMoM2b; $n = 7{,}923$), estimating the association between high vegetable intake density and preeclampsia. Residual-on-residual regression, AIPW, and TMLE yielded concordant estimates, indicating a modest reduction in preeclampsia risk. In simulations, residual-on-residual regression was unbiased with near-nominal confidence interval coverage, performing comparably to AIPW and TMLE and substantially better than a misspecified parametric model when the exposure effect is approximately constant. However, in simulation settings with positivity violations, residual on residual regression outperformed AIPW and TMLE when the true effect was coded in a partially linear model. When the exposure effect is approximately constant, residual-on-residual regression is interpretable, computationally simple, and provides a triangulation strategy for observational causal inference.

stat.ME↗

arXiv2026

A Law of Iterated Expectation Primer for Causal Inference

The g-formula is a foundational tool for identifying causal effects in observational data. This tool is based on the law of iterated expectation, a key mathematical identity in statistics. However, the notation with which the law of iterated expectation and the g-formula is expressed can be opaque to those with little background in statistics. We provide a primer introducing the law of iterated expectation, the integration notation used to express it, and its role for causal effect identification via the g-formula. Under the assumptions of causal consistency, positivity, and conditional exchangeability, the law of iterated expectation can be rewritten as a causal standardization formula (the g-formula) in two nonparametrically equivalent forms: a non-iterative conditional expectation (NICE) form involving a single weighted average of conditional outcome means, and an iterative conditional expectation (ICE) form involving nested expectations. We illustrate both forms using three progressively complex numerical examples: a time-fixed example with a single binary confounder, a time-fixed example with discrete and continuous confounders, and a time-varying example with two timepoints. We provide clarity on what the law of iterated expectation is, how it is related to the g-formula, and how to gain intuition of its mathematical formulations in actual data examples that can be generalized to a range of settings.

stat.OT↗

arXiv2025

Monte Carlo Integration in Simple and Complex Simulation Designs

Simulation studies are used to evaluate and compare the properties of statistical methods in controlled experimental settings. In most cases, performing a simulation study requires knowledge of the true value of the parameter, or estimand, of interest. However, in many simulation designs, the true value of the estimand is difficult to compute analytically. Here, we illustrate the use of Monte Carlo integration to compute true estimand values in simple and complex simulation designs. We provide general pseudocode that can be replicated in any software program of choice to demonstrate key principles in using Monte Carlo integration in two scenarios: a simple three variable simulation where interest lies in the marginally adjusted odds ratio; and a more complex causal mediation analysis where interest lies in the controlled direct effect in the presence of mediator-outcome confounders affected by the exposure. We discuss general strategies that can be used to minimize Monte Carlo error, and to serve as checks on the simulation program to avoid coding errors. R programming code is provided illustrating the application of our pseudocode in these settings.

stat.ME↗

arXiv2024

Efficient Generalization and Transportation

When estimating causal effects, it is important to assess external validity, i.e., determine how useful a given study is to inform a practical question for a specific target population. One challenge is that the covariate distribution in the population underlying a study may be different from that in the target population. If some covariates are effect modifiers, the average treatment effect (ATE) may not generalize to the target population. To tackle this problem, we propose new methods to generalize or transport the ATE from a source population to a target population, in the case where the source and target populations have different sets of covariates. When the ATE in the target population is identified, we propose new doubly robust estimators and establish their rates of convergence and limiting distributions. Under regularity conditions, the doubly robust estimators provably achieve the efficiency bound and are locally asymptotic minimax optimal. A sensitivity analysis is provided when the identification assumptions fail. Simulation studies show the advantages of the proposed doubly robust estimator over simple plug-in estimators. Importantly, we also provide minimax lower bounds and higher-order estimators of the target functionals. The proposed methods are applied in transporting causal effects of dietary intake on adverse pregnancy outcomes from an observational study to the whole U.S. pregnant female population.

stat.ME↗

arXiv2021

Incremental Intervention Effects in Studies with Dropout and Many Timepoints

Modern longitudinal studies collect feature data at many timepoints, often of the same order of sample size. Such studies are typically affected by {dropout} and positivity violations. We tackle these problems by generalizing effects of recent incremental interventions (which shift propensity scores rather than set treatment values deterministically) to accommodate multiple outcomes and subject dropout. We give an identifying expression for incremental intervention effects when dropout is conditionally ignorable (without requiring treatment positivity), and derive the nonparametric efficiency bound for estimating such effects. Then we present efficient nonparametric estimators, showing that they converge at fast parametric rates and yield uniform inferential guarantees, even when nuisance functions are estimated flexibly at slower rates. We also study the variance ratio of incremental intervention effects relative to more conventional deterministic effects in a novel infinite time horizon setting, where the number of timepoints can grow with sample size, and show that incremental intervention effects yield near-exponential gains in statistical precision in this setup. Finally we conclude with simulations and apply our methods in a study of the effect of low-dose aspirin on pregnancy outcomes.

stat.ME↗