Capabilities and improvement of linkage analysis as a clustering method

simplest of all methods of clustering. Even though based on a re-stricted definition of clusters, it yields results characteristic of a method based on an exact and comprehensive definition, Rank Order Typal Analysis (McQuitty, 1963). Linkage Analysis is here improved as a hierarchical method. It can incorporate decisions based on theoretical considerations, or clinical insights, or it can proceed on the basis of statistical opera-tions exclusively. It classifies all variables, no matter how fallible, into an internally consistent and exacting hierarchical structure without at the same time determining the kind of structure; the data themselves determine the kind of structure, and the results indi-cate whether the structure is dimensional or typal. Linkage Analysis is therefore widely appropriate. A Review of Linkage and Rank Order T ypal Analyses Linkage Analysis classifies items (people or other objects) int