On universality of classical probability with contextually labeled random variables: response to A. Khrennikov

DOI10.1016/J.JMP.2018.12.002MaRDI QIDQ2332819zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors Ehtibar N. Dzhafarov, Maria Kon

Publication date 5 November 2019

Published in Journal of Mathematical Psychology (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1812.04721

zbMATH Keywords

random variablescontextualityclassical probabilitycontextual labelingquantum formalisms

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05) Contextuality in quantum theory (81P13) Quantum measurement theory, state operations, state preparations (81P15)

Abstract: In his constructive and well-informed commentary, Andrei Khrennikov acknowledges a privileged status of classical probability theory with respect to statistical analysis. He also sees advantages offered by the Contextuality-by-Default theory, notably, that it `demystifies quantum mechanics by highlighting the role of contextuality,' and that it can detect and measure contextuality in inconsistently connected systems. He argues, however, that classical probability theory may have difficulties in describing empirical phenomena if they are described entirely in terms of observable events. We disagree: contexts in which random variables are recorded are as observable as the variables' values. Khrennikov also argues that the Contextuality-by-Default theory suffers the problem of non-uniqueness of couplings. We disagree that this is a problem: couplings are all possible ways of imposing counterfactual joint distributions on random variables that de facto are not jointly distributed. The uniqueness of modeling experiments by means of quantum formalisms brought up by Khrennikov is achieved for the price of additional, substantive assumptions. This is consistent with our view of quantum theory as a special-purpose generator of classical probabilities. Khrennikov raises the issue of `mental signaling,' by which he means inconsistent connectedness in behavioral systems. Our position is that it is as inherent to behavioral systems as their stochasticity.

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Cites work

• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3066567 (Why is no real title available?)
• CHSH inequality: quantum probabilities as classical conditional probabilities
• Contextual approach to quantum formalism
• Contextuality from Quantum Physics to Psychology
• Is there contextuality in behavioural and social systems?
• Nonlocality as well as rejection of realism are only sufficient (but non-necessary!) conditions for violation of Bell's inequality
• On universality of classical probability with contextually labeled random variables

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(3)

• Stochastic unrelatedness, couplings, and contextuality
• On universality of classical probability with contextually labeled random variables
• Classical versus quantum probability: comments on the paper ``On universality of classical probability with contextually labeled random variables by E. Dzhafarov and M. Kon

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