Conditional regression for single-index models

The single-index model is a statistical model for intrinsic regression where responses are assumed to depend on a single yet unknown linear combination of the predictors, allowing to express the regression function as $\mathbb{E} [ Y | X ] = f ( \langle v , X \rangle )$ for some unknown \emph{index} vector $v$ and \emph{link} function $f$. Conditional methods provide a simple and effective approach to estimate $v$ by averaging moments of $X$ conditioned on $Y$, but depend on parameters whose optimal choice is unknown and do not provide generalization bounds on $f$. In this paper we propose a new conditional method converging at $\sqrt{n}$ rate under an explicit parameter characterization. Moreover, we prove that polynomial partitioning estimates achieve the $1$-dimensional min-max rate for regression of H\"older functions when combined to any $\sqrt{n}$-convergent index estimator. Overall this yields an estimator for dimension reduction and regression of single-index models that attains statistical optimality in quasilinear time.