|
Bayesian Average
A Bayesian average is a method of estimating the mean of a population using outside information, especially a pre-existing belief, which is factored into the calculation. This is a central feature of Bayesian interpretation. This is useful when the available data set is small. Calculating the Bayesian average uses the prior mean ''m'' and a constant ''C''. ''C'' is chosen based on the typical data set size required for a robust estimate of the sample mean. The value is larger when the expected variation between data sets (within the larger population) is small. It is smaller when the data sets are expected to vary substantially from one another. : \bar = This is equivalent to adding ''C'' data points of value ''m'' to the data set. It is a weighted average of a prior average ''m'' and the sample average. When the x_i are binary values 0 or 1, ''m'' can be interpreted as the prior estimate of a binomial probability with the Bayesian average giving a posterior estim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mean
A mean is a quantity representing the "center" of a collection of numbers and is intermediate to the extreme values of the set of numbers. There are several kinds of means (or "measures of central tendency") in mathematics, especially in statistics. Each attempts to summarize or typify a given group of data, illustrating the magnitude and sign of the data set. Which of these measures is most illuminating depends on what is being measured, and on context and purpose. The ''arithmetic mean'', also known as "arithmetic average", is the sum of the values divided by the number of values. The arithmetic mean of a set of numbers ''x''1, ''x''2, ..., x''n'' is typically denoted using an overhead bar, \bar. If the numbers are from observing a sample of a larger group, the arithmetic mean is termed the '' sample mean'' (\bar) to distinguish it from the group mean (or expected value) of the underlying distribution, denoted \mu or \mu_x. Outside probability and statistics, a wide rang ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bayesian Probability
Bayesian probability ( or ) is an interpretation of the concept of probability, in which, instead of frequency or propensity of some phenomenon, probability is interpreted as reasonable expectation representing a state of knowledge or as quantification of a personal belief. The Bayesian interpretation of probability can be seen as an extension of propositional logic that enables reasoning with hypotheses; that is, with propositions whose truth or falsity is unknown. In the Bayesian view, a probability is assigned to a hypothesis, whereas under frequentist inference, a hypothesis is typically tested without being assigned a probability. Bayesian probability belongs to the category of evidential probabilities; to evaluate the probability of a hypothesis, the Bayesian probabilist specifies a prior probability. This, in turn, is then updated to a posterior probability in the light of new, relevant data (evidence). The Bayesian interpretation provides a standard set of procedur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Binomial Proportion Confidence Interval
In statistics, a binomial proportion confidence interval is a confidence interval for the probability of success calculated from the outcome of a series of success–failure experiments (Bernoulli trials). In other words, a binomial proportion confidence interval is an interval estimate of a success probability \ p\ when only the number of experiments \ n\ and the number of successes \ n_\mathsf\ are known. There are several formulas for a binomial confidence interval, but all of them rely on the assumption of a binomial distribution. In general, a binomial distribution applies when an experiment is repeated a fixed number of times, each trial of the experiment has two possible outcomes (success and failure), the probability of success is the same for each trial, and the trials are statistically independent. Because the binomial distribution is a discrete probability distribution (i.e., not continuous) and difficult to calculate for large numbers of trials, a variety of approxima ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Additive Smoothing
In statistics, additive smoothing, also called Laplace smoothing or Lidstone smoothing, is a technique used to smooth count data, eliminating issues caused by certain values having 0 occurrences. Given a set of observation counts \mathbf = \langle x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_d \rangle from a d-dimensional multinomial distribution with N trials, a "smoothed" version of the counts gives the estimator : \hat\theta_i = \frac \qquad (i = 1, \ldots, d), where the smoothed count \hat x_i = N \hat\theta_i, and the "pseudocount" ''α'' > 0 is a smoothing parameter, with ''α'' = 0 corresponding to no smoothing (this parameter is explained in below). Additive smoothing is a type of shrinkage estimator, as the resulting estimate will be between the empirical probability ( relative frequency) x_i/N and the uniform probability 1/d. Common choices for ''α'' are 0 (no smoothing), (the Jeffreys prior), or 1 (Laplace's rule of succession), but the parameter may also be set empi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
