Assessing evidence and testing appropriate hypotheses

Assessing evidence and testing appropriate hypotheses.

It is crucial to identify the most appropriate hypotheses if one is to apply probabilistic reasoning to evaluate and properly understand the impact of evidence. Subtle changes to the choice of a prosecution hypothesis can result in drastically different posterior probabilities to a defence hypothesis from the same evidence. To illustrate the problem we consider a real case in which probabilisti...

Testing fuzzy hypotheses with vague data

The problem of testing fuzzy hypotheses in the presence of vague data is considered. A new method based on the necessity index of strict dominance (NSD) is suggested. An example hoe to apply the proposed test in statistical quality control is shown.

Testing Macroevolutionary Hypotheses with Cladistic Analysis: Evidence against Rectangular Evolution.

The properties of cladistic data sets from small monophyletic groups (6-12 species) are investigated using computer simulations of macroevolution. Two evolutionary models are simulated: gradualism and the punctuated-equilibrium hypothesis. Under the conditions of our simulations these two models of evolution make consistently different predictions about the distribution of autapomorphies among ...

TESTING STATISTICAL HYPOTHESES UNDER FUZZY DATA AND BASED ON A NEW SIGNED DISTANCE

This paper deals with the problem of testing statisticalhypotheses when the available data are fuzzy. In this approach, wefirst obtain a fuzzy test statistic based on fuzzy data, and then,based on a new signed distance between fuzzy numbers, we introducea new decision rule to accept/reject the hypothesis of interest.The proposed approach is investigated for two cases: the casewithout nuisance p...

Testing sociobiological hypotheses ethnographically