Page 53 - Lungshan Pottery Lunshanoid Research 1977 Paper

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Chapter 5

The Use of Cluster Analysis and Multidimensional Scaling

The use of these techniques in Chinese archaeology

has not teen attempted "before. I believe these methods

contribute a more objective but till,culturally signifi-
s
cant approach to the procedure of classification. From

the general description of these techniques above, i t i s

quite obvious that the variables (or features) are probably

the most important links in the process of analysis,

because the resemblance of data units completely depends

on the values of the variables, the cluster of data units

also depends on the value of the a l l of the variables i n

each data unit. Thus, the choice of variables to test the

resemblance and to make the cluster i s the crucial factor.

This procedure of choosing variables i s , in my opinion,

the concrete expression of the values of social science,

since we have to make a somewhat subjective decision i n

selecting variables which have cultural and/or social

meaning. After choosing the variables, a l l the remaining