2017/01/01 by Min Lu, Lu, Min, Saad Sadiq +5 · 2 citations
Mathematics · #Advanced Causal Inference Techniques #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Machine Learning (stat.ML) #Statistical Methods and Bayesian Inference #Statistical Methods and Inference #Survey Sampling and Estimation Techniques
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1701.05306
openalex publication_date 2017/01/01 · openalex created_date 2022/10/05 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Estimation of individual treatment effect in observational data is complicated due to the challenges of confounding and selection bias. A useful inferential framework to address this is the counterfactual (potential outcomes) model which takes the hypothetical stance of asking what if an individual had received both treatments. Making use of random forests (RF) within the counterfactual framework we estimate individual treatment effects by directly modeling the response. We find accurate estimation of individual treatment effects is possible even in complex heterogeneous settings but that the type of RF approach plays an important role in accuracy. Methods designed to be adaptive to confounding, when used in parallel with out-of-sample estimation, do best. One method found to be especially promising is counterfactual synthetic forests. We illustrate this new methodology by applying it to a large comparative effectiveness trial, Project Aware, in order to explore the role drug use plays in sexual risk. The analysis reveals important connections between risky behavior, drug usage, and sexual risk.