Math 2.0

Statistics Example

Base rate fallacy

Builds on Bayes' theoremLaw of total probability for an event and its complement

Example

A disease affects 1%1\% of a population. A test is positive for 90%90\% of the sick people and for 9%9\% of the healthy people. Let SS be the event "sick" and TT the event "positive test". Then P(S)=0.01P(S) = 0.01, P(T∣S)=0.9P(T \mid S) = 0.9 and P(T∣Sc)=0.09P(T \mid S^c) = 0.09. By the law of total probability, P(T)=0.9⋅0.01+0.09⋅0.99=0.0981P(T) = 0.9 \cdot 0.01 + 0.09 \cdot 0.99 = 0.0981. By Bayes' theorem, P(S∣T)=0.009/0.0981≈0.092P(S \mid T) = 0.009 / 0.0981 \approx 0.092. So only about 9%9\% of the people with a positive test are sick. This is true although the test is right for 90%90\% of the sick and for 91%91\% of the healthy.

Remarks

The base rate fallacy is the error to ignore the base rate P(S)P(S) and to take P(S∣T)P(S \mid T) to be close to P(T∣S)P(T \mid S). When the condition is rare, most positive results are false positives, even for a good test.

Reading path

To understand this page from the ground up, read these 42 pages in order. The foundations come first.

  1. Construction of the reals from Cauchy sequences concept
  2. Element definition
  3. Integers object
  4. Ordered field definition
  5. Proposition concept
  6. Random experiment concept
  7. Rational numbers object
  8. Set definition
  9. Ring of integers statement
  10. Conjunction definition
  11. Disjunction definition
  12. Implication definition
  13. Predicate definition
  14. Empty set object
  15. Family of sets definition
  16. Intersection definition
  17. Union definition
  18. Sample space definition
  19. The rationals form a field statement
  20. Existential quantifier definition
  21. Universal quantifier definition
  22. Disjoint sets definition
  23. Subset definition
  24. Union of a family of sets definition
  25. The rationals form an ordered field statement
  26. Universal set definition
  27. Partition of a set definition
  28. Power set definition
  29. Order on the reals definition
  30. Complement definition
  31. Interval definition
  32. Sigma-algebra definition
  33. Event definition
  34. Probability axioms concept
  35. Probability measure definition
  36. Probability space definition
  37. Conditional probability definition
  38. Probability of the complement statement
  39. Law of total probability statement
  40. Bayes' theorem statement
  41. Law of total probability for an event and its complement statement
  42. Base rate fallacy example

Further reading

  1. Web https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base_rate_fallacy, False positive paradox
About this page
Tag0E44JMG6NV
URIm2://0E44JMG6NV
Aliasesbase-rate-neglect, false-positive-paradox
Kindexample
WritingW0 stub
MSC62F15
UsesBayes' theorem, Law of total probability for an event and its complement
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