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Markov Processes in Learning Theory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2025

John G. Kemeny
Affiliation:
Dartmouth College
J. Laurie Snell
Affiliation:
Dartmouth College

Abstract

Consideration is given mathematical problems arising in two learning theories—one developed by Bush and Mosteller, the other developed by Estes. The theory of Bush and Mosteller leads to a class of Markov processes which have been studied in considerable detail (see [1] and [7]). The Estes model can be treated as a Markov chain, i.e., a Markov process with a finite number of states. For an important class of special cases, it is shown that the Bush-Mosteller model is, in a sense, a limiting form of the Estes model. The limiting probability distributions are derived for the cases treated in both models.

Type
Original Paper
Copyright
Copyright © 1957 The Psychometric Society

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Footnotes

*

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation through a grant given to the Dartmouth Mathematics Project.

References

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