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Statistics: 3.1 Cluster Analysis Rosie Cornish. 2007. 1 Introduction This handout is designed to provide only a brief introduction to cluster analysis and how it is done. Books giving further details are listed at the end. Cluster analysis is a multivariate method which aims to classify a sample of subjects (or ob- jects) on the basis of a set of measured variables into a number of different groups such that similar subjects are placed in the same group. An example where this might be used is in the field of psychiatry, where the characterisation of patients on the basis of of clusters of symptoms can be useful in the identification of an appropropriate form of therapy. In market- ing, it may be useful to identify distinct groups of potential customers so that, for example, advertising can be appropriately targetted. WARNING ABOUT CLUSTER ANALYSIS Cluster analysis has no mechanism for differentiating between relevant and irrelevant variables. Therefore the choice of variables included in a cluster analysis must be underpinned by concep- tual considerations. This is very important because the clusters formed can be very dependent on the variables included. 2 Approaches to cluster analysis There are a number of different methods that can be used to carry out a cluster analysis; these methods can be classified as follows: • Hierarchical methods – Agglomerative methods, in which subjects start in their own separate cluster. The two ’closest’ (most similar) clusters are then combined and this is done repeatedly until all subjects are in one cluster. At the end, the optimum number of clusters is then chosen out of all cluster solutions. – Divisive methods, in which all subjects start in the same cluster and the above strategy