Notes on the bias of dissimilarity indices for incomplete data sets: the case of archaelogical classification.

Angela Montanari; Stefania Mignani

Qüestiió (1994)

  • Volume: 18, Issue: 1, page 39-49
  • ISSN: 0210-8054

Abstract

top
The problem of missing data is particularly present in archaeological research where, because of the fragmentariness of the finds, only a part of the characteristics of the whole object can be observed. The performance of various dissimilarity indices differently weighting missing values is studied on archaeological data via a simulation. An alternative solution consisting in randomly substituting missing values with character sets is also examined. Gower's dissimilarity coefficient seems to be the least biased one either with 25% missing values and 49%; it has not however a constant behaviour as to the sign of the bias. The simulation experiment has also shown that when average linkage cluster analysis is performed on an incomplete data set either using Gower's index or randomly substituting missing values gives satisfactory results while the modified indices fail to detect the cluster structure.

How to cite

top

Montanari, Angela, and Mignani, Stefania. "Notes on the bias of dissimilarity indices for incomplete data sets: the case of archaelogical classification.." Qüestiió 18.1 (1994): 39-49. <http://eudml.org/doc/40176>.

@article{Montanari1994,
abstract = {The problem of missing data is particularly present in archaeological research where, because of the fragmentariness of the finds, only a part of the characteristics of the whole object can be observed. The performance of various dissimilarity indices differently weighting missing values is studied on archaeological data via a simulation. An alternative solution consisting in randomly substituting missing values with character sets is also examined. Gower's dissimilarity coefficient seems to be the least biased one either with 25% missing values and 49%; it has not however a constant behaviour as to the sign of the bias. The simulation experiment has also shown that when average linkage cluster analysis is performed on an incomplete data set either using Gower's index or randomly substituting missing values gives satisfactory results while the modified indices fail to detect the cluster structure.},
author = {Montanari, Angela, Mignani, Stefania},
journal = {Qüestiió},
keywords = {Análisis cluster; Análisis multivariante; Análisis de datos; dissimilarity indices; missing values; classification; cluster analysis; archeological analysis},
language = {eng},
number = {1},
pages = {39-49},
title = {Notes on the bias of dissimilarity indices for incomplete data sets: the case of archaelogical classification.},
url = {http://eudml.org/doc/40176},
volume = {18},
year = {1994},
}

TY - JOUR
AU - Montanari, Angela
AU - Mignani, Stefania
TI - Notes on the bias of dissimilarity indices for incomplete data sets: the case of archaelogical classification.
JO - Qüestiió
PY - 1994
VL - 18
IS - 1
SP - 39
EP - 49
AB - The problem of missing data is particularly present in archaeological research where, because of the fragmentariness of the finds, only a part of the characteristics of the whole object can be observed. The performance of various dissimilarity indices differently weighting missing values is studied on archaeological data via a simulation. An alternative solution consisting in randomly substituting missing values with character sets is also examined. Gower's dissimilarity coefficient seems to be the least biased one either with 25% missing values and 49%; it has not however a constant behaviour as to the sign of the bias. The simulation experiment has also shown that when average linkage cluster analysis is performed on an incomplete data set either using Gower's index or randomly substituting missing values gives satisfactory results while the modified indices fail to detect the cluster structure.
LA - eng
KW - Análisis cluster; Análisis multivariante; Análisis de datos; dissimilarity indices; missing values; classification; cluster analysis; archeological analysis
UR - http://eudml.org/doc/40176
ER -

NotesEmbed ?

top

You must be logged in to post comments.

To embed these notes on your page include the following JavaScript code on your page where you want the notes to appear.

Only the controls for the widget will be shown in your chosen language. Notes will be shown in their authored language.

Tells the widget how many notes to show per page. You can cycle through additional notes using the next and previous controls.

    
                

Note: Best practice suggests putting the JavaScript code just before the closing </body> tag.