📐 Spline Regression

In the case of highly non-linear associations one might use local (non-parametric) regression models. These include stepwise functions, regression splines, and local regression models. The general idea of these non-linear models is to break the observed range of $X$ into a series of shorter bins and fit different equations across these spans/bins.

Stepwise functions¶

Stepwise functions cut the range of $X$ into bins, and fit a different constant within each bin. This is equivalent to converting a continuous variable $X$ into an ordered categorical variable.

By creating $K$ cut points $c_1, c_2, ..., c_k$ in the range of $X$, we construct $k+1$ new variables $(C)$. An example: For $K=2$, we will have cut points $c_1$ and $c_2$, dividing the range of $X$ into three bins: from lowest value of x up to . In each bin, x will be transformed $C_0(X), C_1(X), C_2(X)$.

Don’t be confused here, altough the function index runs until $k$, $k+1$ functions are constructed since the index starts at 0 (instead of 1).

Here, $I()$ is an indicator function that returns a 1 if the condition is true, and returns a 0 otherwise.

The following table provides an example of how each input value of $X$, is transformed into $C(X)$:

The following is the regression equation in this example:

• $b_0$ is the average value of $Y$ in the first bin, that is, for $X$ values below 5.

• $b_1$ is the average value of $Y$ in the second bin, that is, for $X$ values between 5 (included) and 10.

• $b_2$ is the average value of $Y$ in the third bin, that is, for $X$ values above 10 (included).

The generalised regression equation then looks like this:

Regression Splines¶

Regression splines are more flexible than polynomials and stepwise functions, and in fact they are an extension of the two. The idea behind regression splines is to break up the observed span of $X$ into two or more pieces and fit a different constrained polynomial function to each piece (piecewise polynomials).

Instead of fitting a high-degree polynomial to the entire range of $X$, we fit separate low-degree polynomials of different regions of $X$. Imagine this example with a third-degree polynomial and 1 cut point (i.e. 2 regions).

If $x \leq c$, the upper polynomial is fitted, otherwise the lower one is fitted. Note the some parameters of the second polynomial ($b_{02}, b_{12}, b_{22}$) have to be constrained to make the function continous and smooth. Please refer to Lecture 11 of Multivariate statistics for details.