Question

In which type of analysis are the groups not necessarily known beforehand, but instead determined by the data?

1) Non-statistical analysis
2) Differential analysis
3) Cluster analysis
4) Regression analysis

Answer 1

Cluster analysis is the method where groups are determined based on the patterns in the data itself, without preconceived groupings.

Step-by-step explanation:

The type of analysis in which the groups are not necessarily known beforehand, but instead determined by the data, is cluster analysis. Cluster analysis is a statistical method used to group similar objects into respective categories where each group, or cluster, consists of objects that are similar to one another and dissimilar to objects in other groups. This analysis can be applied to a variety of data types and is used to reveal natural groupings or patterns within the data without preconceived notions of what those groupings might be.

Unlike regression analysis, which predicts the value of a dependent variable based on the value(s) of one or more independent variables, cluster analysis does not assume any prior hypotheses about the data. It is exploratory in nature and can be deployed using different methods, depending on whether the data are qualitative or quantitative, and whether the research goal is to divide the sample into classes or to combine them into larger groups.