BOOTSTRAPS TAXOMETRICS - SOLVING THE CLASSIFICATION PROBLEM IN PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

Classification in psychopathology is a problem in applied mathematics; it answers the empirical question ''Is the latent structure of these phenotypic indicator correlations taxonic (categories) or nontaxonic ( dimensions, factors)?'' It is not a matter of convention or preference . Two taxometric procedures, MAMBAC and MAXCOV-HITMAX, provide indepen dent tests of the taxonic conjecture and satisfactorily accurate estim ates of the taxon base rate, the latent means, and the valid and false -positive rates achievable by various arts. The method requires no gol d standard criterion, applying crude fallible diagnostic ''criteria'' only in the phase of discovery to identify plausible candidate indicat ors. Confidence in the inference to taxonic structure and numerical ac curacy of latent values is provided by multiple consistency tests, hen ce the term coherent cut kinetics for the general approach. Further re vision of diagnostic systems should be based on taxometric analysis ra ther than on committee decisions based on clinical impressions and non taxometric research.