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Precriterion Stationarity in Markovian Learning Models

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2025

Henry M. Halff*
Affiliation:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
*
Requests for reprints should be sent to Henry M. Halff, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois 61820.

Abstract

Two forms of stationarity prior to criterion in absorbing Markov chains are examined. Both forms require that the probability of a particular response on a particular trial before absorption be independent of trial number. The stronger of these forms holds that this is true independent of starting state; the weaker, only for a specified set of starting probabilities. Simple, necessary and sufficient conditions for both forms are developed and applied to several examples.

Type
Original Paper
Copyright
Copyright © 1976 The Psychometric Society

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Footnotes

The author would like to thank Charles Lewis for his help in developing this article, and Peter Polson of the University of Colorado and an anonymous referee for several fruitful suggestions made in reviews of earlier versions.

References

Reference Note

Halff, H. M. Appendix to “Precriterion stationary in Markovian learning models.” Unpublished manuscript, 1976. (Available from Henry M. Halff, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois 61820).CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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