Clustering Techniques and Dendrogram Analysis

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What technique is used for grouping individuals or objects into unknown groups in cluster analysis?

K-means clustering (correct)

Hierarchical clustering

Discriminant analysis

Non-hierarchical clustering

Which diagram is recommended before performing clustering to display the main characteristics of underlying clusters?

Profile diagram

Bar chart

Box plot

Scatter diagram (correct)

What is a helpful technique for a moderate number of variables in cluster analysis?

Pie chart

Histogram

Profile diagram (correct)

Scatter plot

Which distance measure is commonly used in clustering based on distances between observations and clusters?

Manhattan distance Signup and view all the answers

In cluster analysis, what type of data checking is advisable due to sensitivity to outliers?

Checking for outliers/errors Signup and view all the answers

What can yield different clusters in cluster analysis?

Applying different distance measures Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the centroid method in clustering?

To find the center point of a cluster Signup and view all the answers

In clustering, what does a large increase in distance in the dendrogram indicate?

An unnatural joining of clusters Signup and view all the answers

Why might it be desirable to perform principal components analysis or factor analysis before clustering?

To facilitate the interpretation of clustering results Signup and view all the answers

What is a common approach to evaluate clustering results when different runs produce varying outputs?

Compare results from different runs and reach a consensus Signup and view all the answers

Why is it recommended to split data and run clustering on both halves to see if they yield similar results?

To evaluate the stability and reliability of clustering results Signup and view all the answers

What is a key aspect to consider when trying different clustering methods and number of clusters?

Evaluating whether the results are intuitive Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of standardizing variables in clustering when they have different units of measurement?

To minimize the 'dominant size' effect Signup and view all the answers

In hierarchical clustering, what happens in each successive step in agglomerative methods?

The number of clusters is reduced by one Signup and view all the answers

What is the key concept behind the centroid method in agglomerative hierarchical clustering?

The distance between group centroids Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary approach used to split clusters in divisive hierarchical methods?

Splitting off observations dissimilar to the remaining ones Signup and view all the answers

Why might hierarchical procedures mislead investigators in clustering analysis?

Due to early undesirable combinations persisting Signup and view all the answers

What is considered an important issue when performing clustering analysis?

Selecting the optimal number of clusters Signup and view all the answers