An interactive technique for the analysis of multivariate data
Laurence I. Press, Miles S. Rogers, Gerald H. Shure · Systems Research and Behavioral Science · 1969
IDEA, a computer program for Inductive Data Exploration and Analysis, is operational under SDC's O-32 time-sharing system. Using IDEA, a researcher, through on-line inter action with his data, is able to explore various ways of accounting for relationships that exist among his measurements. Instead of conventional poly-nominal regression coefficients, IDEA represents these relationships as decision trees whose form, shape, depth and so on are determined by the user from his data, using unique IDEA heuristics to guide him. Three case studies are reported in which IDEA is contrasted with discriminant analysis. A summary is made of a preliminary study using artificial data of the effect of measurement error on IDEA analysis.