Publication
Title
Interpretable cost-sensitive regression through one-step boosting
Author
Abstract
In most practical prediction problems, such as regression and classification, the different types of prediction errors are not equally costly in the decision-making process. Although there exist numerous real-world cost-sensitive regression problems, ranging from loan charge-off forecasting to house price predictions, the literature on cost-sensitive learning mainly focuses on classification and only a few solutions are proposed for regression problems. These regressions are typically characterized by an asymmetric cost structure, where over- and underpredictions of a similar magnitude face vastly different costs. In this paper, we present a one-step boosting method (OSB) for cost-sensitive regression. The proposed methodology leverages a secondary learner to incorporate cost-sensitivity into an already trained cost-insensitive regression model. The secondary learner is defined as a linear function of certain variables deemed interesting for cost-sensitivity. These variables do not necessarily need to be the same as in the already trained model. An efficient optimization algorithm is achieved through iteratively reweighted least squares using the asymmetric cost function. The obtained results become interpretable through bootstrapping, enabling decision makers to distinguish important variables for cost-sensitivity as well as facilitating statistical inference. Applying different cost functions and various initial cost-insensitive learning methods on several public datasets consistently yields a significant reduction in the average misprediction cost, illustrating the excellent performance of our approach.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Decision support systems. - Amsterdam
Publication
Amsterdam : 2023
ISSN
0167-9236
DOI
10.1016/J.DSS.2023.114024
Volume/pages
175 (2023) , p. 1-13
Article Reference
114024
ISI
001106241300001
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 05.12.2023
Last edited 25.04.2024
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