The shape of the response surface associated with a discriminant analysis provides insight into the value of the derived optimal discriminant variates. A procedure for the determination of "indifference regions," presented in this article, allows the assessment of the degree of flatness of the response surface for any analysis.…

Assessed the personality differences between pregnant unwed young women who had a varying number of pregnancies and sexually active females. A discriminant function analysis was employed to predict group membership on the basis of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory scales, which were used as predictor variables. (Author/BL)

A computer program for two-group nonparametric discriminant analysis is presented. Based on Bayes' Theorem for probability revision, the statistical rationale for this program uses the calculation of maximum likelihood estimates of group membership. The program compares the Bayesian procedure to the standard Linear Discriminant Function.…

We consider the problem of classifying an unknown observation into one of several populations using tree-structured allocation rules. Although many parametric classification procedures are robust to certain assumption violations, there is need for discriminant procedures that can be utilized regardless of the group-conditional distributions that…

Scores on different items of a test are often combined linearly (sometimes with equal weights) to form the test score, mainly for the sake of computational convenience. In this paper, the author studies the consequences of doing this, and also studies the problems involved in finding a suitable linear combination. (Author/RK)

The use of generalized discriminant analysis as a descriptive technique which can be employed outside of the traditional analysis of variance studies is discussed. Examples based on real data are provided. (Author/JKS)

This paper discusses considerations in the unwary use of packaged discriminant analysis procedures including: the differences between the "group classification function" and the textbook classification function in both form and use, classification table confusions and their alleviation, and the hazards of stepping procedures. (Author/BW)

A bidimensional 2-parameter logistic model was applied to data generated for 2 groups on a 40-item test. Item parameters were the same across groups; correlation across the 2 traits varied. Results indicate the need for caution in using item-response theory (IRT)-based invariance indexes with multidimensional data for these groups. (TJH)

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. Separate-group and total-group proportions of correct classifications can be compared for the two rules, as is illustrated. (Author/SLD)

This study investigated differences in personality patterns between person-oriented and technique-oriented physicians. It tested an integrative framework by converting the scores on the Personality Research Form (PRF) to the Big-Five factors and built a predictive model of group membership in clinical specialty area. PRF scores from 238 physicians…

This article examines a wide range of parish school indicators that can be used to predict long-term viability. The study reported in this article explored the relationship between demographic variables, financial variables, and parish grade school closures in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. Specifically, this study investigated whether…

This paper discusses how a seldom-used statistical procedure, recursive regression (RR), can numerically and graphically illustrate data-driven nonlinear relationships and interaction of variables. This routine falls into the family of exploratory techniques, yet a few interesting features make it a valuable compliment to factor analysis and…