## Statistical Science

### Classifier Technology and the Illusion of Progress

David J. Hand

#### Abstract

A great many tools have been developed for supervised classification, ranging from early methods such as linear discriminant analysis through to modern developments such as neural networks and support vector machines. A large number of comparative studies have been conducted in attempts to establish the relative superiority of these methods. This paper argues that these comparisons often fail to take into account important aspects of real problems, so that the apparent superiority of more sophisticated methods may be something of an illusion. In particular, simple methods typically yield performance almost as good as more sophisticated methods, to the extent that the difference in performance may be swamped by other sources of uncertainty that generally are not considered in the classical supervised classification paradigm.

#### Article information

Source
Statist. Sci. Volume 21, Number 1 (2006), 1-14.

Dates
First available in Project Euclid: 6 June 2006

http://projecteuclid.org/euclid.ss/1149600839

Digital Object Identifier
doi:10.1214/088342306000000060

Mathematical Reviews number (MathSciNet)
MR2275965

Zentralblatt MATH identifier
05191849

#### Citation

Hand, David J. Classifier Technology and the Illusion of Progress. Statist. Sci. 21 (2006), no. 1, 1--14. doi:10.1214/088342306000000060. http://projecteuclid.org/euclid.ss/1149600839.

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