Variational inference for the latent shrinkage position model

Abstract

The latent position model (LPM) is a popular method used in network data analysis where nodes are assumed to be positioned in a ‐dimensional latent space. The latent shrinkage position model (LSPM) is an extension of the LPM which automatically determines the number of effective dimensions of the latent space via a Bayesian nonparametric shrinkage prior. However, the LSPM's reliance on Markov chain Monte Carlo for inference, while rigorous, is computationally expensive, making it challenging to scale to networks with large numbers of nodes. We introduce a variational inference approach for the LSPM, aiming to reduce computational demands while retaining the model's ability to intrinsically determine the number of effective latent dimensions. The performance of the variational LSPM is illustrated through simulation studies and its application to real‐world network data. To promote wider adoption and ease of implementation, we also provide open‐source code.