Information-theoretic re-founding of the detection engine, a
correctness fix to the name-blindness contract, and more robust
survival-code handling. Detection remains deterministic and, by default
(name_bonus = NULL), a pure function of each column’s value
signature.
Behaviour changes
Name-blindness contract fix. Column typing no
longer consults column names when name_bonus = NULL.
Previously a weak-signature identifier column could be typed from its
name; such a column is now typed from its values only, so its assignment
can differ from 0.1.0. This restores the package’s core invariant:
renaming columns to col_1, col_2, ... cannot change any
role.
Survival event coding. Event detection now
normalises 2- and 3-level numeric and logical codings to
{0, 1}; factor and character codings are intentionally not
coerced.
Detection improvements
Dependency structure is scored with normalized mutual information
and distance-based criteria, so nonlinear dependence is visible to the
detector.
Continuous and binary outcome detection is recast as a dependency
sink: a column explained by two or more mutually independent
predictors. The detector stays silent when no column is decisively a
sink, rather than guessing.
Repeated-measures detection is set-based, and every single-winner
selection uses value-fingerprint canonical tie-breaks, so results do not
depend on column order.
Invariance guarantees
RELABEL (renaming every column) and S_n (permuting columns) both
leave every role assignment unchanged (|delta| = 0). These are
structural properties of the estimator and hold independently of any
tuning.
Validation and scope
A single pre-registered, held-out confirmatory run (OSF registration
osf.io/8ecau; analytic-code archive DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21003941) met its
binding criteria on the specified synthetic data-generating process:
structural invariance (RELABEL and S_n |delta| = 0), admissible macro-F1
above the pre-registered floor, and superiority over the strongest
baseline.
Scope: this confirms estimator stability on that synthetic process
only. It does not establish real-data or external
validity, which is a separate, separately registered question. Two
limitations are disclosed: event_variable fell just outside
its pre-registered calibration band, and covariate remains
inadmissible (high false-positive rate) and is excluded from the
headline.
Citation
rolescry now has its own archival DOI, 10.5281/zenodo.21003941;
citation("rolescry") and CITATION.cff
reference both rolescry and the parent MDStatR engine.