Hierarchical Grouping to Optimize an Objective Function
作者:
JoeH. Ward,
期刊:
Journal of the American Statistical Association
(Taylor Available online 1963)
卷期:
Volume 58,
issue 301
页码: 236-244
ISSN:0162-1459
年代: 1963
DOI:10.1080/01621459.1963.10500845
出版商: Taylor & Francis Group
数据来源: Taylor
摘要:
A procedure for forming hierarchical groups of mutually exclusive subsets, each of which has members that are maximally similar with respect to specified characteristics, is suggested for use in large-scale (n> 100) studies when a precise optimal solution for a specified number of groups is not practical. Givennsets, this procedure permits their reduction ton− 1 mutually exclusive sets by considering the union of all possiblen(n− 1)/2 pairs and selecting a union having a maximal value for the functional relation, or objective function, that reflects the criterion chosen by the investigator. By repeating this process until only one group remains, the complete hierarchical structure and a quantitative estimate of the loss associated with each stage in the grouping can be obtained. A general flowchart helpful in computer programming and a numerical example are included.
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