VTechWorks staff will be away for the winter holidays starting Tuesday, December 24, 2024, through Wednesday, January 1, 2025, and will not be replying to requests during this time. Thank you for your patience, and happy holidays!
 

An investigation of assignment rules for fitting new subjects into clusters established by hierarchical pattern analysis

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorFrary, Jewel McDowen
dc.contributor.committeechairCross, Lawrence H.en
dc.contributor.committeememberFortune, Jimmie C.en
dc.contributor.committeememberWeber, Larry J.en
dc.contributor.committeememberKramer, Clyde Y.en
dc.contributor.committeememberWildman, Terry M.en
dc.contributor.committeememberPirie, Walter R.en
dc.contributor.departmentEducational Research and Evaluationen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T21:09:59Zen
dc.date.adate2010-03-02en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T21:09:59Zen
dc.date.issued1977-08-05en
dc.date.rdate2010-03-02en
dc.date.sdate2010-03-02en
dc.description.abstractCluster analysis has been used fairly extensively as a means of grouping objects or subjects on the basis of their similarity over a number of variables. Almost all of the work to this point has been for the purpose of classifying an extant collection of similar objects into clusters or types. However, there often arises a need for methods of identifying additional objects as members of clusters that have already been established. Discriminant function analysis has been used for this purpose even though its underlying assumptions often cannot be met. This study explored a different approach to the problem, namely, the use of distance functions as a means of identifying subjects as members of types which had been established by hierarchical pattern analysis. A sample of subjects was drawn randomly from a population; these subjects were assigned to the types that appeared in other samples that were drawn from the same population. Each type was defined by the vector of mean scores on selected variables for the subjects in that cluster. A new subject was identified as a member of a type if the distance function described by the assignment rule was a minimum for that type. Various criteria were established for judging the adequacy of the assignments. Five distance functions were identified as being potential ways of assigning new subjects to types. Recommendations were not made for immediate practical application. However, the results were generally positive, and successful applications should be possible with the suggested methodological refinement.en
dc.description.degreePh. D.en
dc.format.extentvii, 120 leavesen
dc.format.mediumBTDen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.otheretd-03022010-020257en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-03022010-020257/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/37466en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartLD5655.V856_1977.F72.pdfen
dc.relation.haspartLD5655.V856_1977.F72_drw01.pdfen
dc.relation.isformatofOCLC# 40227529en
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectdistance functionsen
dc.subjecthierarchical pattern analysisen
dc.subject.lccLD5655.V856 1977.F72en
dc.titleAn investigation of assignment rules for fitting new subjects into clusters established by hierarchical pattern analysisen
dc.typeDissertationen
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
thesis.degree.disciplineEducational Research and Evaluationen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.leveldoctoralen
thesis.degree.namePh. D.en

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Thumbnail Image
Name:
LD5655.V856_1977.F72.pdf
Size:
6.1 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
Thumbnail Image
Name:
LD5655.V856_1977.F72_drw01.pdf
Size:
12.17 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download

Collections

Doctoral Dissertations