A cyclical conditional maximum likelihood estimation procedure is developed for the multidimensional unfolding of two- or three-way dominance data (e.g., preference, choice, consideration) measured on ordered successive category rating scales. The technical description of the proposed model and estimation procedure are discussed, as well as the…

To avoid reduction in observational data resulting from correlational techniques for analyzing interpersonal interactions, a data-transformation method based on multidimensional scaling techniques was applied to the Family Interaction Coding System. Two resulting dimensions, prosocial-deviance and high-low involvement, were applied to observations…

Multidimensional scaling (MDS) offers a rigorous approach to many problems in perception, emotion, personality, and cognition, where the stimuli are too complex to be quantified by other means. In these procedures similarity ratings of the stimulus objects are modeled as points in multidimensional space, such that perceived similarity is…

This study determined through psychophysical comparison of scaling data that speech naturalness judgments of stutterers and nonstutterers from audiovisual recordings form a metathetic (or qualitative) rather than prothetic (or quantitative) continuum. Both direct magnitude estimation and equal-appearing interval scaling were valid, but interval…

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the domain specificity of multidimensional motivation and engagement (adaptive cognitions, adaptive behaviors, impeding/maladaptive cognitions, maladaptive behaviors) in mathematics, English and science high school subjects, with an additional focus on three key educational correlates (educational…

Provides a nontechnical explanation of the family of multivariate statistical techniques known as multidimensional scaling (MDS). Explains the purpose of MDS, and the advantages of using these techniques in the study of musical perception. Discusses two approaches to the interpretation of MDS solutions. Lists examples of musical studies using MDS.…

This study had two purposes: to test the usefulness of partial order scalogram analysis with multivariate response data; and to illustrate the multidimensional nature of suicide risk. A detailed introduction describes partial order scalograms, which locate respondents' profiles in a two-dimensional space (rather than on a unidimensional Guttman…

Despite revived interest in the study of relationships, the effect of loss of relationships in adulthood has lacked empirical study. To examine the dimensions underlying peoples' conceptions of their attachments in relationships and their reactions to the loss of relationships, 53 college students (31 females, 22 males) completed a questionnaire…

A questionnaire was constructed for the purpose of investigating various aspects of the career choices made by graduate students. The research was to determine the underlying structure of the questionnaire and to compare the capability of nonmetric multidimensional scaling (MDS) and linear factor analysis (FA) to reveal dimensions measured by the…

The Galileo System, a variant of metric multidimensional scaling, is used in this paper to analyze over-time changes in social networks. The paper first discusses the theoretical necessity for the use of this procedure and the methodological problems associated with its use. It then examines the air traffic network among 31 major cities in the…

This report describes the multidimensional scaling (MDS) method for interpreting collection overlap based on the number of books held by pairs of libraries in large groups (as many as 100 libraries or more). MDS results for four groups of libraries sampled from the OCLC database are also presented. MDS is described as a class of data-analytic or…

The purpose of this paper is to present a generalization of the concept of item difficulty to test items that measure more than one dimension. Three common definitions of item difficulty were considered: the proportion of correct responses for a group of individuals; the probability of a correct response to an item for a specific person; and the…

Author cocitation analysis was used to investigate changes in intellectual structure of macroeconomics over two consecutive time periods, 1972-1977 and 1978-1983. Profile analysis, nonmetric multidimensional scaling, and clustering techniques were used to create two-dimensional maps displaying changing relationships among 41 authors as perceived…

The technique of nonmetric multidimensional scaling (MDS) was applied to real item response data obtained from a multiple-choice achievement test of unknown dimensionality. The goal was to classify the 50 items into the various subtests from which they were drawn originally, the latter being unknown to the investigator. Issues addressed in the…

Readiness skills of 1,261 kindergarten students were assessed with the use of the Kindergarten Instructional Design System (KIDS). The profile provides assessment in five areas: Motor, Visual, Auditory, Language, and Conceptual. Two statistical techniques were utilized to examine the underlying structure of the measure: factor analysis and…