One interpretation of the Pearson product-moment correlation ("r"), correlation as the probability of originating from common descent, important to the genetic measurement of inbreeding, is examined. The conditions under which "r" can be interpreted as the probability of "identity by descent" are specified, and the…

A k-dimensional multivariate normal distribution is made discrete by partitioning the k-dimensional Euclidean space with rectangular grids. The probability integrals over the partitioned cubes forms a k-dimensional contingency table with ordered categories. A loglinear model with main effects plus two-way interactions provides an approximation for…

Considers how the order of documents in information retrieval responses are determined and introduces a method that uses a probabilistic model of a document set where documents are regarded as states of a Markov chain and where transition probabilities are directly proportional to similarities between documents. (Author/LRW)

Illustrates procedures for prediction analysis in 2 X 2 contingency tables through the analyses of solutions of six types of problems associated with the acquisition of fractions. Reviews and extends confidence interval procedures previously proposed for an index of predictive efficiency of implication hypotheses. Compares frequentist coverage…

Argues that informetrics needs a rigorous mathematical basis and that informetric processes can be adequately describes within a standard probabilistic framework with stochastic modeling offering a more productive approach than other methods. Highlights include Lotka's Law; robustness and multiauthorship; and resilience and the random component.…

In Experiment 1, 6 adults with mild mental retardation were taught 3 overlapping conditional discriminations in a linear series structure, establishing the possibility of the emergence of 2 stimulus equivalence classes of 4 stimuli per class. Training employed balanced trial types in which the discriminative stimuli were presented in fixed pairs…

In recent years, functional analysis methods have been extended to classroom settings; however, research has not evaluated the extent to which consequences presented during functional analysis are associated with problem behavior under naturalistic classroom conditions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether the social…

A growing body of research has documented effects of phonotactic probability on young children's nonword repetition. This study extends this research in 2 ways. First, it compares nonword repetitions by 40 young children with phonological disorders with those by 40 same-age peers with typical phonological development on a nonword repetition task…

Previously it has been shown that the left hemisphere, but not the right, of split-brain patients tends to match the frequency of previous occurrences in probability-guessing paradigms (Wolford, Miller, & Gazzaniga, 2000). This phenomenon has been attributed to an ''interpreter,'' a mechanism for making interpretations and forming hypotheses,…

The relations between intactness of the parental unit (e.g., father absent at age 14) and pubertal timing in both men and women were examined in a US national probability sample. In both men and women, an absent father at age 14 predicted an earlier age of puberty (e.g., early menarche or voice change). There was little evidence that an absent…

Probability judgments for packed descriptions of events (e.g., the probability that a businessman does business with a European country) are compared with judgments for unpacked descriptions of the same events (e.g., the probability that a businessman does business with England, France, or some other European country). The prediction that…

In an Angoff standard-setting procedure, judges estimate the probability that a hypothetical randomly selected minimally competent candidate will answer correctly each item constituting the test. In many cases, these item performance estimates are made twice, with information shared with the judges between estimates. Especially for long tests,…

In this paper a more accurate index of asymmetry is studied. Specifically, the use of the left and right variance is proposed and an index of asymmetry based on them is introduced. Several examples demonstrate its usefulness. The question of evaluating more accurately the dispersion of data about the average emerges in all non-symmetric…

This article examines the 5-year incidence, prevalence, and recurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) among White, Black, and Hispanic intact couples in the United States. A national multistage household probability sample of couples, age 18 years or older, was interviewed in 1995 with a response rate of 85%, and reinterviewed in 2000 with a…

Prospect theory assumes nonadditive decision weights for preferences over risky gambles. Such decision weights generalize additive probabilities. This article proposes a decomposition of decision weights into a component reflecting risk attitude and a new component depending on belief. The decomposition is based on an observable preference…