Taxometrics using Coherent Cut Kinetics

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New as of August 2014: begin structure for taxometrics page, relevant publications

Coherent Cut Kinetics (CCK) is Paul Meehl's method for taxometric analysis. It consists of individual procedures and consistency tests to be used on a data set, each delivering information to be combined for a decision about the data used. Procedures include:

"No statistic is self-interpreting, and taxometrics is not different from any other psychometric or statistical method in that regard. Here, as always, the guiding light is the logicians' Total Evidence Rule."

–Meehl, 1999 ("Clarifications about taxometric method.")

 

Meehl's publications on taxometrics 

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An efficient way to understand Meehl's taxometric methodology is to start with his later publications and work backward. Publication numbers will link to posted articles.

181. Meehl, P. E. (2004) What's in a taxon? Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 113, pp. 39-43.

176. --- (2001) Comorbidity and taxometrics.  Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 8, 507-519.

174. --- (1999) Clarifications about taxometric method. Journal of Applied and Preventive Psychology, 8, 165-174.
Reprinted in #184 A Paul Meehl Reader: Essays on the practice of scientific psychology (pp. 389-404). (N.G. Waller, L.J. Yonce, W.M. Grove, D. Faust, & M.F. Lenzenweger, Eds.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2006.

170. Waller, N. G., & Meehl, P. E. (1998) Multivariate taxometric procedures: Distinguishing types from continua. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. [This book may be ordered from Sage Publications]

166. --- (1996) MAXCOV pseudotaxonicity. American Psychologist, 51, 1184-1186. [Reply to Miller]

165. Meehl, P. E., & Yonce, L. J. (1996) Taxometric analysis: II. Detecting taxonicity using covariance of two quantitative indicators in successive intervals of a third indicator (MAXCOV procedure). Psychological Reports78, 1091-1227. (This large monograph may also been viewed as 165 MAXCOV_text_only and 165 MAXCOV_appendices. See both links for the complete monograph.)  [Download_Monte_Carlo_data_sets_used]

163. --- (1995) Extension of the MAXCOV-HITMAX taxometric procedure to situations of sizeable nuisance covariance. In D. Lubinski and R. V. Dawis (Eds.), Assessing individual differences in human behavior: New concepts, methods, and findings (pp. 81-92). Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black. [This is the first publication describing the generalized MAXCOV procedure.]

162. --- (1995) Bootstraps taxometrics: Solving the classification problem in psychopathology. American Psychologist, 50, 266-275. 
Reprinted in #184 A Paul Meehl Reader: Essays on the practice of scientific psychology (pp. 371-387). (N.G. Waller, L.J. Yonce, W.M. Grove, D. Faust, & M.F. Lenzenweger, Eds.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2006.

160. Meehl, P. E., & Yonce, L. J. (1994) Taxometric analysis: I. Detecting taxonicity with two quantitative indicators using means above and below a sliding cut (MAMBAC procedure). Psychological Reports, 74, 1059-1274.  (This large monograph may also been viewed as 160_MAMBAC_text_only  and 160_MAMBAC_appendicesSee both links for the complete monograph.) [Download_Monte_Carlo_data_sets_used]  

159. Grove, W. M., & Meehl, P. E. (1993) Simple regression-based procedures for taxometric investigations. Psychological Reports, 73, 707-737.

150. --- (1992) Factors and taxa, traits and types, differences of degree and differences in kind. Journal of Personality, 60, 117-174. [Additional remarks by Meehl replying to a memo from L. R. Goldberg] Reprinted in #184 A Paul Meehl Reader: Essays on the practice of scientific psychology (pp. 331-370). (N.G. Waller, L.J. Yonce, W.M. Grove, D. Faust, & M.F. Lenzenweger, Eds.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2006.

130. --- (1986). Diagnostic taxa as open concepts: Metatheoretical and statistical questions about reliability and construct validity in the grand strategy of nosological revision. In T. Millon & G. L. Klerman (Eds.), Contemporary directions in psychopathology (pp. 215-231). New York: Guilford Press.
Reprinted in T. Millon, R. F. Krueger, & E. Simonsen (Eds.), Contemporary directions in psychopathology: Scientific foundations of the DSM-V and ICD-11 (pp. 174-186). New York: Guilford Press, 2010.

122. Meehl, P. E., & Golden, R. (1982). Taxometric methods. In P. Kendall & J. Butcher (Eds.), Handbook of research methods in clinical psychology (pp. 127-181). New York: Wiley.

119. Golden, R., & Meehl, P. E. (1980). Detection of biological sex: An empirical test of cluster methods. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 15, 475-496.

118. --- (1979). A funny thing happened to us on the way to the latent entities. Journal of Personality Assessment, 43, 563-581.

117. Golden, R., & Meehl, P. E. (1979). Detection of the schizoid taxon with MMPI indicators. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 88, 217-233.

112. Golden, R., & Meehl, P. E. (1978). Testing a single dominant gene theory without an accepted criterion variable. Annals of Human Genetics London, 41, 507-514.

098. --- (1973). MAXCOV-HITMAX: A taxonomic search method for loose genetic syndromes. In #97 Psychodiagnosis: Selected papers (pp. 200-224). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

070. Dawes, R. M., & Meehl, P. E. (1966). Mixed group validation: A method for determining the validity of diagnostic signs without using criterion groups. Psychological Bulletin, 66, 63-67. Reprinted in #97 Psychodiagnosis: Selected papers (pp. 156-164). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1973.

Early research reports: (back to Top)

These early reports help document Meehl's development of his taxometric procedures. They sometimes contain errors that may or may not have been corrected later, inconsistent use of terminology, or migrations in status from consistency tests to formal procedures as more was learned. No formal list of corrections or changes was kept, but they are indicated in some cases in the online postings. These research reports are mainly useful as a historical record and sources of proofs when they are cited in more formal publications -- always trust subsequent published assertions when they exist.

104. Golden, R., Tyan, S., & Meehl, P. E. (1974). Detecting latent clinical taxa, IX: A Monte Carlo method for testing taxometric theories (Report No. PR-74-7). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Research Laboratories of the Department of Psychiatry. Appendix B is very large; you may view text only or appendices only.

103. Golden, R., & Meehl, P. E. (1974). Detecting latent clinical taxa, VIII: A preliminary study in the detection of the schizoid taxon using MMPI items as indicators (Report No. PR-74-6). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Research Laboratories of the Department of Psychiatry.

102. Golden, R., Tyan, S., & Meehl, P. E. (1974). Detecting latent clinical taxa, VII: Maximum likelihood solution and empirical and artificial data trials of the multi-indicator multi-taxonomic class normal theory (Report No. PR-74-5). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Research Laboratories of the Department of Psychiatry.

101. Golden, R., Tyan, S., & Meehl, P. E. (1974). Detecting latent clinical taxa, VI: Analytical development and empirical trials of the consistency hurdles theory (Report No. PR-74-4). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Research Laboratories of the Department of Psychiatry. [Procedure that became MAMBAC was used as a consistency hurdles test to cull items, not on continuous variables. First examples of the curve were drawn, the curve shape described, maximum near the hitmax cut "...Analytical demonstration of this fact has unfortunately proved elusive so far," i.e., the quasi-proofs of Meehl (1968, Detecting latent clinical taxa II)  and Golden and Meehl (1973, Detecting latent clinical taxa, V) for MAMBAC and the hitmax cut are invalid.]

096. Golden, R., & Meehl, P. E. (1973). Detecting latent clinical taxa, V: A Monte Carlo study of the maximum covariance method and associated consistency tests (Report No. PR-73-3). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Research Laboratories of the Department of Psychiatry. [Procedure that became MAMBAC was called the "Maximum Mean Difference" consistency test, and the shape of the expected distribution described.]

095. Golden, R., & Meehl, P. E. (1973). Detecting latent clinical taxa, IV: Empirical study of the maximum covariance method and the normal minimum chi-square method, using three MMPI keys to identify the sexes (Report No. PR-73-2). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Research Laboratories of the Department of Psychiatry.

079. Meehl, P. E., Lykken, D. T., Burdick, M. R., & Schoener, G. R. (1969). Identifying latent clinical taxa, III. An empirical trial of the normal single-indicator method, using MMPI Scale 5 to identify the sexes (Report No. PR-69-1). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Research Laboratories of the Department of Psychiatry.

076. --- (1968). Detecting latent clinical taxa, II: A simplified procedure, some additional hitmax cut locators, a single-indicator method, and miscellaneous theorems (Report No. PR-68-4). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Research Laboratories of the Department of Psychiatry. [Procedure that became MAMBAC was first described as an alternative procedure for locating the hitmax cut.]

065. --- (1965). Detecting latent clinical taxa by fallible quantitative indicators lacking an accepted criterion (Report No. PR-65-2). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Research Laboratories of the Department of Psychiatry.