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An interactive multiobjective programming approach to combinatorial data analysis

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Abstract

Combinatorial optimization problems in the social and behavioral sciences are frequently associated with a variety of alternative objective criteria. Multiobjective programming is an operations research methodology that enables the quantitative analyst to investigate tradeoffs among relevant objective criteria. In this paper, we describe an interactive procedure for multiobjective asymmetric unidimensional seriation problems. This procedure uses a dynamic-programming algorithm to partially generate the efficient set of sequences for small to medium-sized problems, and a multioperation heuristic to estimate the efficient set for larger problems. The interactive multiobjective procedure is applied to an empirical data set from the psychometric literature. We conclude with a discussion of other potential areas of application in combinatorial data analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IMS Department, Florida State University, 32306-1110, Tallahassee, FL

    Michael J. Brusco

  2. Tallahassee, Florida

    Stephanie Stahl

Authors
  1. Michael J. Brusco
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  2. Stephanie Stahl
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Correspondence to Michael J. Brusco.

Additional information

Stephanie Stahl is a freelance writer and editor. She can be reached via e-mail at s-stahl@worldnet.att.net.

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Brusco, M.J., Stahl, S. An interactive multiobjective programming approach to combinatorial data analysis. Psychometrika 66, 5–24 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02295729

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