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What is posterior predictive distribution?
PostedJun 17, 2026
Question: In Bayesian machine learning, what does the posterior predictive distribution represent?
A) The maximum-likelihood estimate only
B) The training loss after convergence
C) The prior distribution before seeing data
D) The distribution of future observations after integrating over posterior uncertainty
Correct: D
Explanation: The posterior predictive distribution accounts for uncertainty in model parameters by averaging predictions over the posterior distribution. It is useful when uncertainty estimates matter, not just point predictions.
Topic: advanced ML / Bayesian learning / uncertainty