Naive Bayes

Context

The Naive Bayes network is perhaps the best-known type of Bayesian network. In the field of computer science, it is a widely used model. A Naive Bayes network has a predefined structure in which the Target Node is the parent of all the other nodes. This structure implies that the Target Node is the cause of all the other nodes and that the knowledge of its value makes each node independent of the others. Despite these strong assumptions, which are unjustifiable in most cases, the small number of probabilities to estimate makes this structure very robust, with a short learning time. Note that no structural learning has to take place: the arc structure is given, and only the parameters, i.e., the Conditional Probability Tables, have to be estimated.