Gaussian Covariance Faithful Markov Trees

Graphical models are useful for characterizing conditional and marginal independence structures in high-dimensional distributions. An important class of graphical models is covariance graph models, where the nodes of a graph represent different components of a random vector, and the absence of an ed...

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Main Authors: Dhafer Malouche, Bala Rajaratnam
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2011-01-01
Series:Journal of Probability and Statistics
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/152942
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author Dhafer Malouche
Bala Rajaratnam
author_facet Dhafer Malouche
Bala Rajaratnam
author_sort Dhafer Malouche
collection DOAJ
description Graphical models are useful for characterizing conditional and marginal independence structures in high-dimensional distributions. An important class of graphical models is covariance graph models, where the nodes of a graph represent different components of a random vector, and the absence of an edge between any pair of variables implies marginal independence. Covariance graph models also represent more complex conditional independence relationships between subsets of variables. When the covariance graph captures or reflects all the conditional independence statements present in the probability distribution, the latter is said to be faithful to its covariance graph—though in general this is not guaranteed. Faithfulness however is crucial, for instance, in model selection procedures that proceed by testing conditional independences. Hence, an analysis of the faithfulness assumption is important in understanding the ability of the graph, a discrete object, to fully capture the salient features of the probability distribution it aims to describe. In this paper, we demonstrate that multivariate Gaussian distributions that have trees as covariance graphs are necessarily faithful.
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spelling doaj-art-c7a854e34b254590912d0889262e52442025-02-03T06:00:43ZengWileyJournal of Probability and Statistics1687-952X1687-95382011-01-01201110.1155/2011/152942152942Gaussian Covariance Faithful Markov TreesDhafer Malouche0Bala Rajaratnam1Unité de Recherche Signaux et Systémes (U2S), Ecole Supérieure de la Statistique et de l'Analyse de l'Information (ESSAI), Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Tunis (ENIT), 6 Rue des Métiers, Charguia II 2035, Tunis Carthage, Ariana, Tunis 1002, TunisiaDepartment of Statistics, Department of Environmental Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Standford, CA 94305, USAGraphical models are useful for characterizing conditional and marginal independence structures in high-dimensional distributions. An important class of graphical models is covariance graph models, where the nodes of a graph represent different components of a random vector, and the absence of an edge between any pair of variables implies marginal independence. Covariance graph models also represent more complex conditional independence relationships between subsets of variables. When the covariance graph captures or reflects all the conditional independence statements present in the probability distribution, the latter is said to be faithful to its covariance graph—though in general this is not guaranteed. Faithfulness however is crucial, for instance, in model selection procedures that proceed by testing conditional independences. Hence, an analysis of the faithfulness assumption is important in understanding the ability of the graph, a discrete object, to fully capture the salient features of the probability distribution it aims to describe. In this paper, we demonstrate that multivariate Gaussian distributions that have trees as covariance graphs are necessarily faithful.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/152942
spellingShingle Dhafer Malouche
Bala Rajaratnam
Gaussian Covariance Faithful Markov Trees
Journal of Probability and Statistics
title Gaussian Covariance Faithful Markov Trees
title_full Gaussian Covariance Faithful Markov Trees
title_fullStr Gaussian Covariance Faithful Markov Trees
title_full_unstemmed Gaussian Covariance Faithful Markov Trees
title_short Gaussian Covariance Faithful Markov Trees
title_sort gaussian covariance faithful markov trees
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/152942
work_keys_str_mv AT dhafermalouche gaussiancovariancefaithfulmarkovtrees
AT balarajaratnam gaussiancovariancefaithfulmarkovtrees