1BC: a First-Order Bayesian Classifier

Peter Flach and Nicolas Lachiche

University of Bristol, United Kingdom

{flach,lachiche}@cs.bris.ac.uk

Abstract:

In this paper we present 1BC, a first-order Bayesian Classifier. Our approach is to view individuals as structured terms, and to distinguish between structural predicates referring to subterms (e.g. atoms from molecules), and properties applying to one or several of these subterms (e.g. a bond between two atoms). We describe an individual in terms of elementary features consisting of zero or more structural predicates and one property; these features are considered conditionally independent following the usual naive Bayes assumption. 1BC has been implemented in the context of the first-order descriptive learner Tertius, and we describe several experiments demonstrating the viability of our approach.