A Statistical Analysis of Human Random Number Generators.pdfVIP

Research Memorandum No.608 May. 1996 A Statistical Analysis of Human Random Numb er Generators Yukito IBA and Mieko TANAKA-YAMAWAKI The Institute of Statistical Mathematics 106 Minatoku Minami-Azabu 4-6-7, Tokyo, Japan TEL 03-5421-8759, E-mail iba@ism.ac.jp Department of So cial Sciences, Sugiyama Jogakuen University Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464 Japan TEL 052-781-1186 ex.632, FAX 052-783-6732 E-mail mieko@ss.sugiyama-u.ac.jp Abstract: We study a random number generation test where sub jects are requested to write sequences of digits as random as p ossible. The results of our exp eriments are rep orted and a mo del-based approach is prop osed for the analysis of the sequences from the test. Key Words: Human Random Numb er Generator, Random Number Generation Test, Statistical Mo del, Markov Chain 1 1 Intro duction in the area of psyc hiatry and clinical psychology (Mat- suda (1973)). We are also introduced to this area by 1.1 Can We Behave as the pap er, Murakami et al. (1973). a Random Numb er Generator ? 1.2 The Scop e of the Present Pap er Let us consider a psychological test: \Write a se- In this pap er we are mainly concerned with the analy- quence of numb ers as random as p ossible. The re- sis of the patterns in sequences from HURGs. We also markable featur