Detecting Conflicts in Evidence Synthesis Models Using Score Discrepancies

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yang, Fuming, Nott, David J., Presanis, Anne M.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866917060991254528
author Yang, Fuming
Nott, David J.
Presanis, Anne M.
author_facet Yang, Fuming
Nott, David J.
Presanis, Anne M.
contents Evidence synthesis models combine multiple data sources to estimate latent quantities of interest, enabling reliable inference on parameters that are difficult to measure directly. However, shared parameters across data sources can induce conflicts both among the data and with the assumed model structure. Detecting and quantifying such conflicts remains a challenge in model criticism. Here we propose a general framework for conflict detection in evidence synthesis models based on score discrepancies, extending prior-data conflict diagnostics to more general conflict checks in the latent space of hierarchical models. Simulation studies in an exchangeable model demonstrate that the proposed approach effectively detects between-data inconsistencies. Application to an influenza severity model illustrates its use, complementary to traditional deviance-based diagnostics, in complex real-world hierarchical settings. The proposed framework thus provides a flexible and broadly applicable tool for consistency assessment in Bayesian evidence synthesis.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_02977
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Detecting Conflicts in Evidence Synthesis Models Using Score Discrepancies
Yang, Fuming
Nott, David J.
Presanis, Anne M.
Methodology
Computation
Evidence synthesis models combine multiple data sources to estimate latent quantities of interest, enabling reliable inference on parameters that are difficult to measure directly. However, shared parameters across data sources can induce conflicts both among the data and with the assumed model structure. Detecting and quantifying such conflicts remains a challenge in model criticism. Here we propose a general framework for conflict detection in evidence synthesis models based on score discrepancies, extending prior-data conflict diagnostics to more general conflict checks in the latent space of hierarchical models. Simulation studies in an exchangeable model demonstrate that the proposed approach effectively detects between-data inconsistencies. Application to an influenza severity model illustrates its use, complementary to traditional deviance-based diagnostics, in complex real-world hierarchical settings. The proposed framework thus provides a flexible and broadly applicable tool for consistency assessment in Bayesian evidence synthesis.
title Detecting Conflicts in Evidence Synthesis Models Using Score Discrepancies
topic Methodology
Computation
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.02977