Multidimensional scaling: a brief overview.
BACKGROUND
Multidimensional scaling (MDS) is an exploratory technique used to identify unrecognized dimensions affecting behavior. Using MDS reduces large amounts of data to relatively simple, easy-to-visualize structures that reveal important relationships in an economical way and provides general solutions to many problems in perception, emotion, and cognition, where the stimuli are too complex to be quantified by other means.


OBJECTIVE
To provide a basic introduction to MDS for the nonmathematician, in particular, the spatial distance model, which maps objects as points in a multidimensional space.


METHODS
This introductory article is focused on the spatial distance model, which is used to map objects as points in a multidimensional space. A brief overview of MDS is provided, the procedure is outlined with examples, and nursing implications are discussed.


RESULTS
Individual and aggregate analyses and individual differences scaling results are presented.


CONCLUSIONS
Using MDS is ideal for the study of such complicated issues as a patient's perception of cancer pain, breathlessness in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the assessment of vulnerable populations where social desirability bias is an issue.
Mugavin
Marie E
ME
College of Nursing, Health Sciences Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA. Memugavin@salud.unm.edu
D006801:Humans; D012107:Research Design; D013223:Statistics as Topic / Q000379:methods*