A Nontechnical Introduction to Latent Class Models

Over the past several years more significant books have been published on latent class (LC) and finite mixture models than any other class of statistical models. The recent increase in interest in LC models is due to the development of extended computer algorithms, which allow today's computers to perform latent class analysis on data containing more than just a few variables. In addition, researchers are realizing that the use of latent class models can yield powerful improvements over traditional approaches to cluster, factor, regression/segmentation and neural network applications, and related graphical displays.