The mathematical essence of contextuality lies in the similarity of random variables answering the same question in different contexts: contextuality means they are less similar when considered within their respective contexts than when isolated from them. This book presents a principled way of measuring this similarity and distinguishing two forms of context-dependence: contextuality and disturbance. While applicable across a broad range of disciplines, the concept of contextuality in this book is closest to that in quantum physics, where its special forms – in the absence of disturbance – are known as Bell non-locality and Kochen–Specker contextuality. This systematic introduction requires no prior familiarity with the subject and only minimal mathematical background. Structured as a textbook, complete with exercises and solutions, it is accessible to a broad readership and suitable for teaching. It will be useful to researchers and students in quantum mechanics, philosophy of science, psychology, computer science, linguistics, and probability theory.

Author Biography

Ehtibar N. Dzhafarov is Professor Emeritus at Purdue University, Indiana. He has published over 170 papers in psychology, mathematics, philosophy, and foundations of quantum mechanics, and he has edited six books and four special journal issues. Dzhafarov served as President of the Society for Mathematical Psychology and has received a Humboldt Research Award. Janne V. Kujala is Associate Professor of Statistics at the University of Turku, Finland. He has published over 60 papers in computational statistics, applied probability, foundations of quantum mechanics, mathematical psychology, and learning analytics, and has edited one special journal issue. He received the William K. Estes Early Career award in mathematical psychology. Víctor H. Cervantes is Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 2014, and he received his doctoral degree in mathematical and computational cognitive science from Purdue University.

We are committed to protecting your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act and working with our suppliers to assist with warranty claims. Products sold by Mighty Ape will be covered by a Manufacturer's Warranty for at least a one-year period from the date of purchase.

Your warranty will cover any manufacturing defects which, if existing, will present themselves within this warranty period.

Your warranty will not cover normal wear and tear, faults caused by misuse, and accidents which cause damage or theft caused after delivery. Using the product in a way it is not designed for will void your warranty.

Please refer to our Help Centre for more information.