Stability Selection via Variable Decorrelation

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Nouraie, Mahdi, Smith, Connor, Muller, Samuel
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Nouraie, Mahdi
Smith, Connor
Muller, Samuel
author_facet Nouraie, Mahdi
Smith, Connor
Muller, Samuel
contents The Lasso is a prominent algorithm for variable selection. However, its instability in the presence of correlated variables in the high-dimensional setting is well-documented. Although previous research has attempted to address this issue by modifying the Lasso loss function, this paper introduces an approach that simplifies the data processed by Lasso. We propose that decorrelating variables before applying the Lasso improves the stability of variable selection regardless of the direction of correlation among predictors. Furthermore, we highlight that the irrepresentable condition, which ensures consistency for the Lasso, is satisfied after variable decorrelation under two assumptions. In addition, by noting that the instability of the Lasso is not limited to high-dimensional settings, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for low-dimensional data. Finally, we present empirical results that indicate the efficacy of the proposed method across different variable selection techniques, highlighting its potential for broader application. The DVS R package is developed to facilitate the implementation of the methodology proposed in this paper.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_20864
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Stability Selection via Variable Decorrelation
Nouraie, Mahdi
Smith, Connor
Muller, Samuel
Methodology
Computation
Machine Learning
The Lasso is a prominent algorithm for variable selection. However, its instability in the presence of correlated variables in the high-dimensional setting is well-documented. Although previous research has attempted to address this issue by modifying the Lasso loss function, this paper introduces an approach that simplifies the data processed by Lasso. We propose that decorrelating variables before applying the Lasso improves the stability of variable selection regardless of the direction of correlation among predictors. Furthermore, we highlight that the irrepresentable condition, which ensures consistency for the Lasso, is satisfied after variable decorrelation under two assumptions. In addition, by noting that the instability of the Lasso is not limited to high-dimensional settings, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for low-dimensional data. Finally, we present empirical results that indicate the efficacy of the proposed method across different variable selection techniques, highlighting its potential for broader application. The DVS R package is developed to facilitate the implementation of the methodology proposed in this paper.
title Stability Selection via Variable Decorrelation
topic Methodology
Computation
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.20864