SOME CONCEPTS OF POSITIVE DEPENDENCE FOR BIVARIATE INTERCHANGEABLE DISTRIBUTIONS

In this work we consider some familiar and some new concepts of positive dependence for interchangeable bivariate distributions. By characterizing distributions which are positively dependent according to some of these concepts, we indicate real situations in which these concepts arise naturally. For the various families of positively dependent distributions we prove some closure properties and demonstrate all the possible logical relations. Some inequalities are shown and applied to determine whether under- (or over-) estimates, of various probabilistic quantities, occur when a positively dependent distribution is assumed (falsely) to be the product of its marginals (that is, when two positively dependent random variables are assumed, falsely, to be independent). Specific applications in reliability theory, statistical mechanics and reversible Markov processes are discussed. © 1979 Kluwer Academic Publishers.