Related papers: Updating Probabilities
As examples such as the Monty Hall puzzle show, applying conditioning to update a probability distribution on a ``naive space', which does not take into account the protocol used, can often lead to counterintuitive results. Here we examine…
This paper discusses an alternative to conditioning that may be used when the probability distribution is not fully specified. It does not require any assumptions (such as CAR: coarsening at random) on the unknown distribution. The…
In recent years a popular nonparametric model for coarsened data is an assumption on the coarsening mechanism called coarsening at random (CAR). It has been conjectured in several papers that this assumption cannot be tested by the data,…
The concept of updating a probability distribution in the light of new evidence lies at the heart of statistics and machine learning. Pearl's and Jeffrey's rule are two natural update mechanisms which lead to different outcomes, yet the…
Conditioning is the generally agreed-upon method for updating probability distributions when one learns that an event is certainly true. But it has been argued that we need other rules, in particular the rule of cross-entropy minimization,…
Evidence in probabilistic reasoning may be 'hard' or 'soft', that is, it may be of yes/no form, or it may involve a strength of belief, in the unit interval [0, 1]. Reasoning with soft, [0, 1]-valued evidence is important in many situations…
We show that the class of conditional distributions satisfying the coarsening at random (CAR) property for discrete data has a simple and robust algorithmic description based on randomized uniform multicovers: combinatorial objects…
We show that the class of conditional distributions satisfying the coarsening at Random (CAR) property for discrete data has a simple and robust algorithmic description based on randomized uniform multicovers: combinatorial objects…
The concept of updating (or conditioning or revising) a probability distribution is fundamental in (machine) learning and in predictive coding theory. The two main approaches for doing so are called Pearl's rule and Jeffrey's rule. Here we…
Covariate-adaptive randomization (CAR) procedures are frequently used in comparative studies to increase the covariate balance across treatment groups. However, because randomization inevitably uses the covariate information when forming…
In probabilistic updating one transforms a prior distribution in the light of given evidence into a posterior distribution, via what is called conditioning, updating, belief revision or inference. This is the essence of learning, as…
The study of question answering has received increasing attention in recent years. This work focuses on providing an answer that compatible with both user intent and conditioning information corresponding to the question, such as delivery…
We tackle the problem of conditioning probabilistic programs on distributions of observable variables. Probabilistic programs are usually conditioned on samples from the joint data distribution, which we refer to as deterministic…
When dealing with incomplete data in statistical learning, or incomplete observations in probabilistic inference, one needs to distinguish the fact that a certain event is observed from the fact that the observed event has happened. Since…
Traditional credibility analysis of risks in insurance is based on the random effects model, where the heterogeneity across the policyholders is assumed to be time-invariant. One popular extension is the dynamic random effects (or…
Currently, there is renewed interest in the problem, raised by Shafer in 1985, of updating probabilities when observations are incomplete (or set-valued). This is a fundamental problem, and of particular interest for Bayesian networks.…
This paper discusses how a measure of uncertainty representing a state of knowledge can be updated when a new information, which may be pervaded with uncertainty, becomes available. This problem is considered in various framework, namely:…
Covariate adaptive randomization (CAR) procedures are extensively used to reduce the likelihood of covariate imbalances occurring in clinical trials. In literatures, a lot of CAR procedures have been proposed so that the specified…
We consider how an agent should update her uncertainty when it is represented by a set $\P$ of probability distributions and the agent observes that a random variable $X$ takes on value $x$, given that the agent makes decisions using the…
Machine learning is increasingly being used to generate prediction models for use in a number of real-world settings, from credit risk assessment to clinical decision support. Recent discussions have highlighted potential problems in the…