$\text{G}^2\text{M}$: A Generalized Gaussian Mirror Method to Boost Feature Selection Power

Hongyu Shen, Zhizhen Zhao

Keywords: Feature Selection, FDR Control, Hypothesis Testing; Gaussian Mirror; Boosting Power

Abstract: Recent advances in false discovery rate (FDR)-controlled feature selection methods have improved reliability by effectively limiting false positives, making them well-suited for complex applications. A popular FDR-controlled framework called data splitting uses the "mirror statistics" to select features. However, we find that the unit variance assumption on mirror statistics could potentially limit the feature selection power. To address this, we generalize the mirror statistics in the Gaussian mirror framework and introduce a new approach called "generalized Gaussian mirror" ($\text{G}^2\text{M}$), which adaptively learns the variance and forms new test statistics. We demonstrate both theoretically and empirically that the proposed test statistics achieve higher power than those of Gaussian mirror and data splitting. Comparisons with other FDR-controlled frameworks on synthetic, semi-synthetic, and real datasets highlight the superior performance of the $\text{G}^2\text{M}$ method in achieving higher power while maintaining FDR control. These findings suggest the potential for the $\text{G}^2\text{M}$ method for practical applications in real-world problems. Code is available in https://github.com/skyve2012/G2M.

Primary Area: Probabilistic methods (e.g., variational inference, causal inference, Gaussian processes)

Submission Number: 18904