CHAID and XAID: Exploratory Techniques for Analyzing Extensive Data Sets

In many situations techniques are called for which will enable the researcher to identify particular patterns in the data and which can be used for formulating any structural relationships between the variables. The computer programs CHAID and XAID, which are to be discussed in this chapter, are both examples of so-called AID procedures (Automatic Interaction Detection), according to which the outcome of a dependent variable Y can be predicted on the basis of those predictors (independent variables) which contribute the most to the variation in Y.