________ is a clustering procedure characterized by the development of a tree-like structure.
A) Optimizing partitioning clustering
B) Non-hierarchical clustering
C) Hierarchical clustering
D) TwoStep clustering

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Hierarchical clustering is characterized by the development of a tree-like structure, also known as a dendrogram. The process begins by assigning each data point to a separate cluster and then merging clusters, creating a hierarchy of clusters. This process continues until all data points are in a single cluster or until a stopping criterion is met. In contrast, non-hierarchical clustering (also known as partitioning clustering) assigns data points to a fixed number of clusters without creating a hierarchy. TwoStep clustering is a specific type of non-hierarchical clustering, while optimizing partitioning clustering refers to techniques that aim to find the optimal number of clusters in non-hierarchical clustering.

________ Is a Clustering Procedure Characterized by the Development of a Tree-Like