A semiparametric two-sample hypothesis testing problem for random dot product graphs

TL;DR

This paper introduces a spectral-based hypothesis test for comparing two random dot product graphs, demonstrating its effectiveness on biological neural data and distinguishing different network types with small samples.

Contribution

It proposes a new semiparametric test for two-sample graph comparison based on spectral decomposition, with proven consistency and practical applications.

Findings

Successfully distinguished neural connectomes from different subjects.

Differentiated chemical and electrical networks in C. elegans.

Effective even with small sample sizes.

Abstract

Two-sample hypothesis testing for random graphs arises naturally in neuroscience, social networks, and machine learning. In this paper, we consider a semiparametric problem of two-sample hypothesis testing for a class of latent position random graphs. We formulate a notion of consistency in this context and propose a valid test for the hypothesis that two finite-dimensional random dot product graphs on a common vertex set have the same generating latent positions or have generating latent positions that are scaled or diagonal transformations of one another. Our test statistic is a function of a spectral decomposition of the adjacency matrix for each graph and our test procedure is consistent across a broad range of alternatives. We apply our test procedure to real biological data: in a test-retest data set of neural connectome graphs, we are able to distinguish between scans from different subjects; and in the {\em C.elegans} connectome, we are able to distinguish between chemical and electrical networks. The latter example is a concrete demonstration that our test can have power even for small sample sizes. We conclude by discussing the relationship between our test procedure and generalized likelihood ratio tests.