This thesis is concerned with problems of variable selection, influence of sample size and related issues in the applications of various techniques of exploratory multivariate analysis (in particular, correspondence analysis, biplots and canonical correspondence analysis) to archaeology and ecology. Data sets (both published and new) are used to illustrate these methods and to highlight the problems that arise - these practical examples are returned to throughout as the various issues are discussed. Much of the motivation for the development of the methodology has been driven by the needs of the archaeologists providing the data, who were consulted extensively during the study. The first (introductory) chapter includes a detailed description of the data sets examined and the archaeological background to their collection. Chapters Two, Three and Four explain in detail the mathematical theory behind the three techniques. Their uses are illustrated on the various examples of interest, raising data-driven questions which become the focus of the later chapters. The main objectives are to investigate the influence of various design quantities on the inferences made from such multivariate techniques. Quantities such as the sample size (e.g. number of artefacts collected), the number of categories of classification (e.g. of sites, wares, contexts) and the number of variables measured compete for fixed resources in archaeological and ecological applications. Methods of variable selection and the assessment of the stability of the results are further issues of interest and are investigated using bootstrapping and procrustes analysis. Jack-knife methods are used to detect influential sites, wares, contexts, species and artefacts. Some existing methods of investigating issues such as those raised above are applied and extended to correspondence analysis in Chapters Five and Six. Adaptions of them are proposed for biplots in Chapters Seven and Eight and for canonical correspondence analysis in Chapter Nine. Chapter Ten concludes the thesis.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:323197 |
| Date | January 2000 |
| Creators | Hopkins, Julie Anne |
| Publisher | University of Sheffield |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/14798/ |
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