News tagged with statistical model

Wiring the brain

(Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a simple mathematical model of the brain which provides a remarkably complete statistical account of the complex web of connections ...

Neuroscience Apr 13, 2012 | 5 / 5 (10) | 0 |

Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance

(Medical Xpress)—Visual perception is far more complex and powerful than our experience suggests. Moreover, in attempting to both understand vision and implement it in a computational device, the fact that ...

Neuroscience Feb 28, 2013 | 4.8 / 5 (10) | 14 |

Optimal evidence accumulation in decision-making

(Medical Xpress)—At the same settings and light conditions, a camera will take the same picture every time. In contrast, a brain does not make perfect reconstructions of a stimulus. It appears instead to ...

Neuroscience Apr 08, 2013 | 5 / 5 (6) | 6 |

Researchers link neural variability to short-term memory and decision making

A team of University of Pittsburgh mathematicians is using computational models to better understand how the structure of neural variability relates to such functions as short-term memory and decision making. In a paper published ...

Neuroscience Apr 02, 2012 | 4.4 / 5 (5) | 0 |

Both maternal and paternal age linked to autism

Older maternal and paternal age are jointly associated with having a child with autism, according to a recently published study led by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

Autism spectrum disorders Feb 10, 2012 | 4.2 / 5 (5) | 0 |

Uncovering the secrets of 3D vision: How glossy objects can fool the human brain

(Medical Xpress)—It's a familiar sight at the fairground: rows of people gaping at curvy mirrors as they watch their faces and bodies distort. But while mirrored surfaces may be fun to look at, new findings by researchers ...

Neuroscience Jan 22, 2013 | 5 / 5 (3) | 0 |

Health gap has grown among young US adults, study finds

Levels of health disparity have increased substantially for people born in the United States after 1980, according to new research.

Health Dec 01, 2011 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

Researchers identify genetic signatures of exceptional longevity in re-published study

While environment and family history are factors in healthy aging, genetic variants play a critical and complex role in conferring exceptional longevity, according to researchers from the Boston University Schools of Public ...

Genetics Jan 18, 2012 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0 |

A regular walk can cut your risk of major illness, shows research

A regular walking routine significantly reduces the risk of Metabolic Syndrome, a condition which affects one in four people in the UK and can cause heart disease, strokes and cancer.

Health Feb 06, 2013 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

We are what we experience: study

the ups and downs, and everything in between -- shape us, stay with us and influence our emotional set point as adults, according to a new study led by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers.

Psychology & Psychiatry Oct 05, 2011 | 4 / 5 (1) | 0

New tool for selecting embryos in fertility treatments

A team of researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de València and specialists from the Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe have developed a new tool, a mathematical model to be exact, to help ...

Medical research Jan 21, 2013 | 4 / 5 (1) | 0

Health benefits of marriage may not extend to all, study says

Marriage may not always be as beneficial to health as experts have led us to believe, according to a new study.

Health Mar 05, 2013 | 4 / 5 (1) | 0 |

Mathematical models out-perform doctors in predicting cancer patients' responses to treatment

Mathematical prediction models are better than doctors at predicting the outcomes and responses of lung cancer patients to treatment, according to new research presented today (Saturday) at the 2nd Forum of the European Society ...

Cancer Apr 20, 2013 | 4 / 5 (1) | 0 |

Income inequality leads to more US deaths, study finds

A new study provides the best evidence to date that higher levels of income inequality in the United States actually lead to more deaths in the country over a period of years.

Health May 08, 2012 | 1 / 5 (1) | 1

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Statistical model

A statistical model is a set of mathematical equations which describe the behavior of an object of study in terms of random variables and their associated probability distributions. If the model has only one equation it is called a single-equation model, whereas if it has more than one equation, it is known as a multiple-equation model.

In mathematical terms, a statistical model is frequently thought of as a pair (Y,P) where Y is the set of possible observations and P the set of possible probability distributions on Y. It is assumed that there is a distinct element of P which generates the observed data. Statistical inference enables us to make statements about which element(s) of this set are likely to be the true one.

Three notions are sufficient to describe all statistical models.

One of the most basic models is the simple linear regression model which assumes a relationship between two random variables Y and X. For instance, one may want to linearly explain child mortality in a given country by its GDP. This is a statistical model because the relationship need not to be perfect and the model includes a disturbance term which accounts for other effects on child mortality other than GDP.

As a second example, Bayes theorem in its raw form may be intractable, but assuming a general model H allows it to become

which may be easier. Models can also be compared using measures such as Bayes factors or mean square error.

For more information about Statistical model, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.