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Psychometrika

, Volume 27, Issue 2, pp 125–140 | Cite as

The analysis of proximities: Multidimensional scaling with an unknown distance function. I.

  • Roger N. Shepard
Article

Abstract

A computer program is described that is designed to reconstruct the metric configuration of a set of points in Euclidean space on the basis of essentially nonmetric information about that configuration. A minimum set of Cartesian coordinates for the points is determined when the only available information specifies for each pair of those points—not the distance between them—but some unknown, fixed monotonic function of that distance. The program is proposed as a tool for reductively analyzing several types of psychological data, particularly measures of interstimulus similarity or confusability, by making explicit the multidimensional structure underlying such data.

Keywords

Computer Program Public Policy Euclidean Space Distance Function Statistical Theory 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Psychometric Society 1962

Authors and Affiliations

  • Roger N. Shepard
    • 1
  1. 1.Bell Telephone LaboratoriesUSA

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