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Thorne and Giesen Book Cover
Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences, 4/e
Michael Thorne, Mississippi State University -- Mississippi State
Martin Giesen, Mississippi State University -- Mississippi State

Probability

Definitions


statistical hypotheses  predictions about a population based on sample results
gambler's fallacy  the mistaken belief that the probability of a particular event changes with a long string of the same event
probability  the proportion of times an event would occur if the chances for occurrence were infinite
theoretical probability  the way things are supposed to work according to probability theory
real-world probability  probability based on experiential data
personal (subjective) probability  probability based on an individual's experience
Bayesian statistics  statistics that uses subjective probability as a starting point for assessing a subsequent probability
addition rule of probability  for independent events, the probability of either one event or another is equal to the sum of the probabilities of the individual events
multiplication rule of probability  the probability of two or more independent events occurring on separate occasions is the product of their individual probabilities
independent events  events for which the occurrence of one event does not alter the probability of any other event
nonindependent events  events for which the occurrence of one event alters the probability of any other event
conditional probability  the probability of an event given that another event has already occurred
binomial distribution  probability distribution based on events for which there are only two possible outcomes on each occurrence