From Imbalance to Evidence: Deep Nonparametric Testing for Complex Data under Severe Sample Imbalance

arXiv:2610.12946v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Comparing distributions under severe sample imbalance requires effectively using abundant majority observations while retaining sensitivity to differences involving the smaller sample. This challenge is particularly relevant for complex, non-Euclidean data, such as graphs, whose structural characteristics call for flexible testing procedures. Classifier two-sample tests (C2STs) provide such flexibility, but existing procedures are primarily designed for balanced or comparably sized samples. In this paper, we study C2STs in a highly imbalanced regime, and show that severe sample imbalance may substantially degrade testing performance. Different from conventional imbalanced learning approaches that treat sample imbalance merely as a nuisance for classifier training, we turn it into a source of repeated testing evidence. Building on this insight, we propose an Enhanced Imbalance-Aware Deep Classifier Two-Sample Test (EIAD-C2ST), a classifier-agnostic framework designed for sample imbalance that accommodates diverse data modalities by tailoring classifiers to data structure. For computationally expensive deep classifiers, we further develop a scalable representation-amortized implementation strategy. Theoretically, we establish rigorous guarantees on asymptotic size and characterize conditions for power consistency, allowing the imbalance ratio to diverge. We demonstrate the empirical gains using simulations and an application to blockchain forensics. The results reveal that the majority-sample surplus, when properly leveraged, can be organized into useful statistical evidence, rather than an obstacle, for distributional comparisons with complex data.

Abstract:Comparing distributions under severe sample imbalance requires effectively using abundant majority observations while retaining sensitivity to differences involving the smaller sample. This challenge is particularly relevant for complex, non-Euclidean data, such as graphs, whose structural characteristics call for flexible testing procedures. Classifier two-sample tests (C2STs) provide such flexibility, but existing procedures are primarily designed for balanced or comparably sized samples. In this paper, we study C2STs in a highly imbalanced regime, and show that severe sample imbalance may substantially degrade testing performance. Different from conventional imbalanced learning approaches that treat sample imbalance merely as a nuisance for classifier training, we turn it into a source of repeated testing evidence. Building on this insight, we propose an Enhanced Imbalance-Aware Deep Classifier Two-Sample Test (EIAD-C2ST), a classifier-agnostic framework designed for sample imbalance that accommodates diverse data modalities by tailoring classifiers to data structure. For computationally expensive deep classifiers, we further develop a scalable representation-amortized implementation strategy. Theoretically, we establish rigorous guarantees on asymptotic size and characterize conditions for power consistency, allowing the imbalance ratio to diverge. We demonstrate the empirical gains using simulations and an application to blockchain forensics. The results reveal that the majority-sample surplus, when properly leveraged, can be organized into useful statistical evidence, rather than an obstacle, for distributional comparisons with complex data.

Machine Learning (stat.ML); Machine Learning (cs.LG); Methodology (stat.ME)

arXiv:2610.12946 [stat.ML]

(or arXiv:2610.12946v1 [stat.ML] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2610.12946 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)

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From Imbalance to Evidence: Deep Nonparametric Testing for Complex Data under Severe Sample Imbalance

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