Three methods of transforming unordered categorical response variables are described: (1) analysis using dummy variables; (2) eigenanalysis of frequency patterns scaled relative to within-groups variance; (3) categorical variables analyzed separately with scale values generated so that the grouping variable and the categorical variable are…

A method for comparing the cross validated classification accuracies of linear and quadratic classification rules is presented under varying data conditions for the k-group classification problem. With this method, separate-group as well as total-group proportions of correct classifications can be compared for the two rules. McNemar's test for…

Formulas for estimating cross-validated hit-rates, the number of correct classifications into an a priori grouping structure, were examined. The following mathematical formulas were compared: McLachlan's formula estimator, two Snappin and Knoke smoothed formula estimators, and the analytic leave-one-out estimator. The R method was included as a…

The nature of the criterion (dependent) variable may play a useful role in structuring a list of classification/prediction problems. Such criteria are continuous in nature, binary dichotomous, or multichotomous. In this paper, discussion is limited to the continuous normally distributed criterion scenarios. For both cases, it is assumed that the…

This paper discusses the principles underlying discriminant analysis and constructs a simulated data set to illustrate its methods. Discriminant analysis is a multivariate technique for identifying the best combination of variables to maximally discriminate between groups. Discriminant functions are established on existing groups and used to…

This study derives the economic costs of misclassification in nursing home patient classification systems. These costs are then used as weights to estimate the reliability of a functional assessment instrument. Results suggest that reliability must be redefined and remeasured with each substantively new application of an assessment instrument.…