Final answer:
The true statement about multiple regression is that it typically requires the use of a computer due to its computational complexity when dealing with multiple independent variables.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Multiple Regression
Among the options presented regarding multiple regression, the true statement is that any practical application of multiple regression requires the use of a computer. This method handles multiple independent variables to predict the outcome of a dependent variable. As the complexity increases with additional variables, the computation becomes more extensive than that of simple regression with one independent variable. Multiple regression can involve more than two independent variables, contrary to the option stating it only involves two or fewer.
Multiple regression is indeed an extension of linear regression, but not specifically of the industrial engineering method, so the first statement is incorrect. The computational requirements for multiple regression are significantly more complex than those for simple linear regression, which involves only one independent variable, thus the second statement is incorrect. The third statement is false because multiple regression is not limited to two or fewer independent variables; it can handle many more.
Therefore, the most accurate statement amongst those provided is the fourth one.