A multidimensional unfolding technique that is not prone to degenerate solutions and is based on multidimensional scaling of a complete data matrix is proposed: distance information about the unfolding data and about the distances both among judges and among objects is included in the complete matrix. The latter information is derived from the…

Investigated the usefulness of multidimensional scaling (MDS) for assessing the dimensionality of dichotomous test data. Focused on two MDS proximity measures, one based on the PC statistic (T. Chen and M. Davidson, 1996) and other, on interitem Euclidean distances. Simulation results show that both MDS procedures correctly identify…

Three dissimilarity measures for the unconstrained sorting task are investigated. All three are metrics, but differ in the kind of compensation which they make for differences in the sizes of cells within sortings. Empirical tests of the measures are done with sorting data for occupations names and the names of behaviors, using multidimensional…

An analysis of preferences with respect to silhouette drawings of nude females is presented. Systematic intransitivities were discovered. The dispersions of differences (comparatal dispersons) were shown to reflect the multidimensional structure of the stimuli, a finding expected on the basis of prior work. (Author)

Constructing scales on the basis of components analysis by assigning weights 1 to variables with high positive loadings on the components and -1 to variables with high negative loadings was compared with other strategies of scale construction, which assign weights 1 or -1 to variables with high weights for the components. (Author/BW)

The problem of correlating variables from different scale types is discussed. A general correlation coefficient, based on symmetrization theory, is derived. The coefficient is invariant over permitted transformations of the variables for their respective (possibly nonequivalent) scale types. (Author/JKS)

Two popular models for performing multidimensional scaling, Tucker and Messick's points-of-view model, and Tucker's three mode model, are combined into a single analytic procedure, the 3M-POV model. The procedure is described and its strengths are discussed. Carroll and Chang's INDSCAL model is also mentioned. (JKS)

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…

Multidimensional scaling (MDS) and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were compared in the assessment of the dimensionality of data sets, using sets generated to be one-dimensional or two-dimensional and differing in degree of interdimensional correlation and number of items defining a dimension. (SLD)

Principal component, image component, three types of factor score estimates, and one scale score method were compared over different levels of variables, saturations, sample sizes, variable to component ratios, and pattern rotations. There were virtually no overall differences among methods, with the average correlation between matched scores…