On generalized P\'olya urn models

Abstract

We study an urn model introduced in the paper of Chen and Wei, where at each discrete time step $m$ balls are drawn at random from the urn containing colors white and black. Balls are added to the urn according to the inspected colors, generalizing the well known P\'olya-Eggenberger urn model, case m=1. We provide exact expressions for the expectation and the variance of the number of white balls after n draws, and determine the structure of higher moments. Moreover, we discuss extensions to more than two colors. Furthermore, we introduce and discuss a new urn model where the sampling of the m balls is carried out in a step-by-step fashion, and also introduce a generalized Friedman's urn model.