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arXiv · 1707.00269

A Channel-Based Perspective on Conjugate Priors

Bart Jacobs
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Abstract

A desired closure property in Bayesian probability is that an updated posterior distribution be in the same class of distributions --- say Gaussians --- as the prior distribution. When the updating takes place via a statistical model, one calls the class of prior distributions the `conjugate priors' of the model. This paper gives (1) an abstract formulation of this notion of conjugate prior, using channels, in a graphical language, (2) a simple abstract proof that such conjugate priors yield Bayesian inversions, and (3) a logical description of conjugate priors that highlights the required closure of the priors under updating. The theory is illustrated with several standard examples, also covering multiple updating.

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Bart Jacobs. 2018-09-13. A Channel-Based Perspective on Conjugate Priors. https://arxiv.org/abs/1707.00269

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