A Study of Chain Graph Interpretations

Abstract: Probabilistic graphical models are today one of the most well used architectures for modelling and reasoning about knowledge with uncertainty. The most widely used subclass of these models is Bayesian networks that has found a wide range of applications both in industry and research. Bayesian networks do however have a major limitation which is that only asymmetric relationships, namely cause and eect relationships, can be modelled between its variables. A class of probabilistic graphical models that has tried to solve this shortcoming is chain graphs. It is achieved by including two types of edges in the models, representing both symmetric and asymmetric relationships between the connected variables. This allows for a wider range of independence models to be modelled. Depending on how the second edge is interpreted this has also given rise to dierent chain graph interpretations.Although chain graphs were first presented in the late eighties the field has been relatively dormant and most research has been focused on Bayesian networks. This was until recently when chain graphs got renewed interest. The research on chain graphs has thereafter extended many of the ideas from Bayesian networks and in this thesis we study what this new surge of research has been focused on and what results have been achieved. Moreover we do also discuss what areas that we think are most important to focus on in further research.