Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Causal inference; efficiency; population average treatment effect (PATE); power; sample average treatment effect (SATE); targeted maximum likelihood estimation (TMLE)
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Targeted Estimation And Inference For The Sample Average Treatment Effect, Laura B. Balzer, Maya L. Petersen, Mark J. Van Der Laan
Targeted Estimation And Inference For The Sample Average Treatment Effect, Laura B. Balzer, Maya L. Petersen, Mark J. Van Der Laan
Laura B. Balzer
While the population average treatment effect has been the subject of extensive methods and applied research, less consideration has been given to the sample average treatment effect: the mean difference in the counterfactual outcomes for the study units. The sample parameter is easily interpretable and is arguably the most relevant when the study units are not representative of a greater population or when the exposure's impact is heterogeneous. Formally, the sample effect is not identifiable from the observed data distribution. Nonetheless, targeted maximum likelihood estimation (TMLE) can provide an asymptotically unbiased and efficient estimate of both the population and sample …