joint distribution

the pattern of values obtained when estimating the probability of occurrence of two or more random variables. For example, the probability values for drawing a heart and a jack in a deck of cards would form the following joint distribution: (13/52) × (48/52) to obtain a heart but not a jack; (39/52) × (48/52) to obtain a nonheart and a nonjack; (39/52) × (4/52) to obtain a nonheart and a jack; and (13/52) × (4/52) to obtain a heart that is also a jack. A joint distribution for two variables is referred to more specifically as a bivariate distribution, whereas a joint distribution for more than two variables is called a multivariate distribution.

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Psychology term of the day

September 1st 2024

economy

1. any system of rules and regulations by which something is managed; for example, a token economy is one in which a behavioral system is managed according to the disbursement of tokens as rewards.

2. management of resources in order to maximize efficiency or returns (material or psychological) and to avoid waste.