Using Classification And Regression Trees: A Practical Primer

Description

Classification and regression trees (CART) is one of the several contemporary statistical techniques with good promise for research in many academic fields. There are very few books on CART, especially on applied CART. This book, as a good practical primer with a focus on applications, introduces the relatively new statistical technique of CART as a powerful analytical tool. The easy-to-understand (non-technical) language and illustrative graphs (tables) as well as the use of the popular statistical software program (SPSS) appeal to readers without strong statistical background. This book helps readers understand the foundation, the operation, and the interpretation of CART analysis, thus becoming knowledgeable consumers and skillful users of CART. The chapter on advanced CART procedures not yet well-discussed in the literature allows readers to effectively seek further empowerment of their research designs by extending the analytical power of CART to a whole new level. This highly practical book is specifically written for academic researchers, data analysts, and graduate students in many disciplines such as economics, social sciences, medical sciences, and sport sciences who do not have strong statistical background but still strive to take full advantage of CART as a powerful analytical tool for research in their fields. Cover......Page 1 Using Classification and Regression Trees......Page 4 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 12 Chapter 1: Introduction......Page 14 Chapter 2: Statistical Principles of CART......Page 28 Chapter 3: Basic Techniques of CART......Page 52 Chapter 4: Issues in CART Analysis......Page 72 Chapter 5: Applications of CART......Page 88 Chapter 6: Advanced Techniques of CART......Page 114 References......Page 142 APPENDIX A: Functionally Equivalent Binary Tree......Page 146 APPENDIX B: Common CART Software Programs......Page 148 APPENDIX C: SPSS Decision Tree Syntax......Page 152 APPENDIX D: SPSS Decision Tree Output......Page 154 APPENDIX E: SPSS Decision Tree Syntax Using Costs and Profits......Page 156 APPENDIX F: SPSS Decision Tree Syntax Using Priors......Page 158 APPENDIX G: SPSS Decision Tree Syntax for Drinking and Smoking Data......Page 160 APPENDIX H: SPSS Decision Tree Syntax for Mental Health and Physical Health Data......Page 162 APPENDIX I: SPSS Decision Tree Syntax for CART Produce for Meta-Analysis......Page 164 About the Author......Page 166