English

Kernel-based estimators for functional causal effects

Methodology 2025-06-04 v4 Machine Learning Statistics Theory Statistics Theory

Abstract

We propose causal effect estimators based on empirical Fr\'{e}chet means and operator-valued kernels, tailored to functional data spaces. These methods address the challenges of high-dimensionality, sequential ordering, and model complexity while preserving robustness to treatment misspecification. Using structural assumptions, we obtain compact representations of potential outcomes, enabling scalable estimation of causal effects over time and across covariates. We provide both theoretical, regarding the consistency of functional causal effects, as well as empirical comparison of a range of proposed causal effect estimators. Applications to binary treatment settings with functional outcomes illustrate the framework's utility in biomedical monitoring, where outcomes exhibit complex temporal dynamics. Our estimators accommodate scenarios with registered covariates and outcomes, aligning them to the Fr\'{e}chet means, as well as cases requiring higher-order representations to capture intricate covariate-outcome interactions. These advancements extend causal inference to dynamic and non-linear domains, offering new tools for understanding complex treatment effects in functional data settings.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2503.05024,
  title  = {Kernel-based estimators for functional causal effects},
  author = {Yordan P. Raykov and Hengrui Luo and Justin D. Strait and Wasiur R. KhudaBukhsh},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2503.05024},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

Code is available at https://github.com/JordanRaykov/Kernel-based-estimators-for-Functional-Causal-Effects

R2 v1 2026-06-28T22:10:07.431Z