Test your knowledge of Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) essentials. Each question sharpens your strategic marketing insight.
MDS positions brands so that overall dissimilarities appear as Euclidean ______.
weights
clusters
angles
distances
The technique converts dissimilarity matrices into spatial distances. Two close points signal high perceived similarity.
Stress value in MDS output measures lack of ______ between distances in the map and input data.
fit
variance
sampling
rotation
Lower stress means the map faithfully preserves the original dissimilarities.
Adding one more dimension to an MDS solution typically ______ stress.
eliminates
inflates
reduces
reverses
More dimensions give the model greater flexibility to capture variance, lowering error.
In perceptual mapping via MDS, axis interpretation relies on post‑hoc correlation with known ______.
attributes
promotions
prices
SKUs
Researchers relate map coordinates to product attributes to label the axes meaningfully.
MDS requires an input matrix that is ______ and square.
binary
orthogonal
sparse
symmetric
Dissimilarities between i and j equal those between j and i, forming a symmetric matrix.
A Shepard diagram plots fitted distances against original ______.
dissimilarities
weights
prices
rotations
It visually assesses MDS goodness of fit—points near the line show fidelity.
When customer similarity judgments are ordinal only, marketers choose ______ MDS.
Bayesian
non‑metric
probabilistic
metric
Non‑metric algorithms rely on rank order rather than absolute values.
Kruskal's stress‑1 statistic equals zero when distances are reproduced ______.
perfectly
randomly
orthogonally
approximately
Ideal maps show no discrepancy between observed and reproduced distances.
The preferred MDS dimensionality is found where stress versus dimension plot shows an '______'.
arc
peak
valley
elbow
Beyond the elbow, extra dimensions give diminishing returns.
Before running MDS, analysts often standardize inputs to remove ______ scale effects.
seasonal
unit
currency
time
Standardisation equalises measurement units so distances reflect pure structure.
Starter
Dive deeper into the fundamentals.
Solid
You have a good grasp—keep polishing.
Expert!
Impressive command of advanced concepts.
