A Comparison of Full Information Maximum Likelihood and Machine Learning Missing Data Analytical Methods in Growth Curve Modeling

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Tang, Dandan, Tong, Xin
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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author Tang, Dandan
Tong, Xin
author_facet Tang, Dandan
Tong, Xin
contents Missing data are inevitable in longitudinal studies. Traditional methods, such as the full information maximum likelihood (FIML), are commonly used to handle ignorable missing data. However, they may lead to biased model estimation due to missing not at random data that often appear in longitudinal studies. Recently, machine learning methods, such as random forests (RF) and K-nearest neighbors (KNN) imputation methods, have been proposed to cope with missing values. Although machine learning imputation methods have been gaining popularity, few studies have investigated the tenability and utility of these methods in longitudinal research. Through Monte Carlo simulations, this study evaluates and compares the performance of traditional and machine learning approaches (FIML, RF, and KNN) in growth curve modeling. The effects of sample size, the rate of missingness, and the missing data mechanism on model estimation are investigated. Results indicate that FIML is a better choice than the two machine learning imputation methods in terms of model estimation accuracy and efficiency.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2312_17363
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Comparison of Full Information Maximum Likelihood and Machine Learning Missing Data Analytical Methods in Growth Curve Modeling
Tang, Dandan
Tong, Xin
Applications
Missing data are inevitable in longitudinal studies. Traditional methods, such as the full information maximum likelihood (FIML), are commonly used to handle ignorable missing data. However, they may lead to biased model estimation due to missing not at random data that often appear in longitudinal studies. Recently, machine learning methods, such as random forests (RF) and K-nearest neighbors (KNN) imputation methods, have been proposed to cope with missing values. Although machine learning imputation methods have been gaining popularity, few studies have investigated the tenability and utility of these methods in longitudinal research. Through Monte Carlo simulations, this study evaluates and compares the performance of traditional and machine learning approaches (FIML, RF, and KNN) in growth curve modeling. The effects of sample size, the rate of missingness, and the missing data mechanism on model estimation are investigated. Results indicate that FIML is a better choice than the two machine learning imputation methods in terms of model estimation accuracy and efficiency.
title A Comparison of Full Information Maximum Likelihood and Machine Learning Missing Data Analytical Methods in Growth Curve Modeling
topic Applications
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.17363