Trends And Challenges In Categorical Data Analysis

This book provides a selection of modern and sophisticated methodologies for the analysis of large and complex univariate and multivariate categorical data. It gives an overview of a substantive and broad collection of topics in the analysis of categorical data, including association, marginal and graphical models, time series and fixed effects models, as well as modern methods of estimation such as regularization, Bayesian estimation and bias reduction methods, along with new simple measures for model interpretability. Methodological innovations and developments are illustrated and explained through real-world applications, together with useful R packages, allowing readers to replicate most of the analyses using the provided code. The applications span a variety of disciplines, including education, psychology, health, economics, and social sciences.

The contributions gathered in this book focus on modern methods for statistical learning and modeling in data analysis and present a series of engaging real-world applications. The book covers numerous research topics, ranging from statistical inference and modeling to clustering and factorial methods, from directional data analysis to time series analysis and small area estimation. The applications reflect new analyses in a variety of fields, including medicine, finance, engineering, marketing and cyber risk. The book gathers selected and peer-reviewed contributions presented at the 12th Scientific Meeting of the Classification and Data Analysis Group of the Italian Statistical Society (CLADAG 2019), held in Cassino, Italy, on September 11–13, 2019. CLADAG promotes advanced methodological research in multivariate statistics with a special focus on data analysis and classification, and supports the exchange and dissemination of ideas, methodological concepts, numerical methods, algorithms, and computational and applied results. This book, true to CLADAG’s goals, is intended for researchers and practitioners who are interested in the latest developments and applications in the field of data analysis and classification.

Categorical data-comprising counts of individuals, objects, or entities in different categories-emerge frequently from many areas of study, including medicine, sociology, geology, and education. They provide important statistical information that can lead to real-life conclusions and the discovery of fresh knowledge. Therefore, the ability to manipulate, understand, and interpret categorical data becomes of interest-if not essential-to professionals and students in a broad range of disciplines. Although t-tests, linear regression, and analysis of variance are useful, valid methods for analysis of measurement data, categorical data requires a different methodology and techniques typically not encountered in introductory statistics courses. Developed from long experience in teaching categorical analysis to a multidisciplinary mix of undergraduate and graduate students, A Course in Categorical Data Analysis presents the easiest, most straightforward ways of extracting real-life conclusions from contingency tables. The author uses a Fisherian approach to categorical data analysis and incorporates numerous examples and real data sets. Although he offers S-PLUS routines through the Internet, readers do not need full knowledge of a statistical software package. In this unique text, the author chooses methods and an approach that nurtures intuitive thinking. He trains his readers to focus not on finding a model that fits the data, but on using different models that may lead to meaningful conclusions. The book offers some simple, innovative techniques not highighted in other texts that help make the book accessible to a broad, interdisciplinary audience. A Course in Categorical Data Analysis enables readers to quickly use its offering of tools for drawing scientific, medical, or real-life conclusions from categorical data sets.

The book collects the short papers presented at the 13th Scientific Meeting of the Classification and Data Analysis Group (CLADAG) of the Italian Statistical Society (SIS). The meeting has been organized by the Department of Statistics, Computer Science and Applications of the University of Florence, under the auspices of the Italian Statistical Society and the International Federation of Classification Societies (IFCS). CLADAG is a member of the IFCS, a federation of national, regional, and linguistically-based classification societies. It is a non-profit, non-political scientific organization, whose aims are to further classification research.

A valuable new edition of a standard reference The use of statistical methods for categorical data has increased dramatically, particularly for applications in the biomedical and social sciences. An Introduction to Categorical Data Analysis, Third Edition summarizes these methods and shows readers how to use them using software. Readers will find a unified generalized linear models approach that connects logistic regression and loglinear models for discrete data with normal regression for continuous data. Adding to the value in the new edition is: • Illustrations of the use of R software to perform all the analyses in the book • A new chapter on alternative methods for categorical data, including smoothing and regularization methods (such as the lasso), classification methods such as linear discriminant analysis and classification trees, and cluster analysis • New sections in many chapters introducing the Bayesian approach for the methods of that chapter • More than 70 analyses of data sets to illustrate application of the methods, and about 200 exercises, many containing other data sets • An appendix showing how to use SAS, Stata, and SPSS, and an appendix with short solutions to most odd-numbered exercises Written in an applied, nontechnical style, this book illustrates the methods using a wide variety of real data, including medical clinical trials, environmental questions, drug use by teenagers, horseshoe crab mating, basketball shooting, correlates of happiness, and much more. An Introduction to Categorical Data Analysis, Third Edition is an invaluable tool for statisticians and biostatisticians as well as methodologists in the social and behavioral sciences, medicine and public health, marketing, education, and the biological and agricultural sciences.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to methods and models for categorical data analysis and their applications in social science research. Companion website also available, at https://webspace.utexas.edu/dpowers/www/

Praise for the Second Edition "A must-have book for anyone expecting to do research and/or applications in categorical data analysis." —Statistics in Medicine "It is a total delight reading this book." —Pharmaceutical Research "If you do any analysis of categorical data, this is an essential desktop reference." —Technometrics The use of statistical methods for analyzing categorical data has increased dramatically, particularly in the biomedical, social sciences, and financial industries. Responding to new developments, this book offers a comprehensive treatment of the most important methods for categorical data analysis. Categorical Data Analysis, Third Edition summarizes the latest methods for univariate and correlated multivariate categorical responses. Readers will find a unified generalized linear models approach that connects logistic regression and Poisson and negative binomial loglinear models for discrete data with normal regression for continuous data. This edition also features: An emphasis on logistic and probit regression methods for binary, ordinal, and nominal responses for independent observations and for clustered data with marginal models and random effects models Two new chapters on alternative methods for binary response data, including smoothing and regularization methods, classification methods such as linear discriminant analysis and classification trees, and cluster analysis New sections introducing the Bayesian approach for methods in that chapter More than 100 analyses of data sets and over 600 exercises Notes at the end of each chapter that provide references to recent research and topics not covered in the text, linked to a bibliography of more than 1,200 sources A supplementary website showing how to use R and SAS; for all examples in the text, with information also about SPSS and Stata and with exercise solutions Categorical Data Analysis, Third Edition is an invaluable tool for statisticians and methodologists, such as biostatisticians and researchers in the social and behavioral sciences, medicine and public health, marketing, education, finance, biological and agricultural sciences, and industrial quality control.