Multidimensional Scaling

Multidimensional scaling (MDS) is a series

of techniques that
helps the analyst to identify key dimensions
underlying
respondents evaluations of objects. It is
often used in Marketing to
identify key dimensions underlying
customer evaluations of
products, services or companies.
Once the data is in hand, multidimensional scaling
can help
determine:
what dimensions respondents use when evaluating
objects
how many dimensions they may use in a
particular situation
the relative importance of each dimension, and
how the objects are related perceptually
The purpose of MDS
The purpose of MDS is to transform
consumer judgments of
similarity or preference (eg. preference for
stores or brands) into
distances represented in multidimensional
space. The resulting
perceptual maps show the relative
positioning of all objects.
Objectives Of
Multidimensional Scaling
Perceptual mapping, and multidimensional scaling in
particular, is
most appropriate for achieving two objectives:
1. As an exploratory technique to identify unrecognized
dimensions affecting behavior
2. As a means of obtaining comparative evaluations of
objects
when the specific bases of comparison are unknown or
undefinable
types of multidimensional
scaling models
There are two types of multidimensional
scaling models: Metric and Non-metric.
Multidimensional scaling which is based on
measured proximities is called metric
multidimensional scaling.
Multidimensional scaling, which is based
on proximities based on judgments, is called
non-metric multidimensional scaling.