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Basics of Multivariate Analysis in Neuroimaging Data
Published on: July 24, 2010
New multivariate tests for assessing covariate balance in matched observational studies
1Department of Statistics, University of California at Davis, Davis, California.
Abstract:
We propose new tests for assessing whether covariates in a treatment group and matched control group are balanced in observational studies. The tests exhibit high power under a wide range of multivariate alternatives, some of which existing tests have little power for. The asymptotic permutation null distributions of the proposed tests are studied and the P-values calculated through the asymptotic results work well in simulation studies, facilitating the application of the test to large data sets. The tests are illustrated in a study of the effect of smoking on blood lead levels. The proposed tests are implemented in an R package BalanceCheck.
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