Exploring multivariate data with the forward search

Anthony C. Atkinson, Marco Riani, Andrea Cerioli

The forward search provides a method of revealing the structure of data through a mixture of model fitting and informative plots. The continuous multivariate data that are the subject of this book are often analyzed as if they come from one or more normal distributions. Such analyses, including the need for transformation, may be distorted by the presence of unidentified subsets and outliers, both individual and clustered. These important features are disguised by the standard procedures of multivariate analysis. The book introduces methods that reveal the effect of each observation on fitted models and inferences. The powerful methods of data analysis will be of importance to scientists and statisticians. Although the emphasis is on the analysis of data, theoretical developments make the book suitable for a graduate statistical course on multivariate analysis. Topics covered include...