Joining Forces Joining Families, November 2010 – Development of the Decision Tree Algorithm

Featured Interview:

Development of the Decision Tree Algorithm (DTA) and Validity of the Definitions

Interview with Richard Heyman, PhD, and Amy Slep, PhD
Conducted by James McCarroll, PhD

This issue of Joining Forces Joining Families (JFJF) presents several features on the development of the Decision Tree Algorithm (the DTA), the protocol used to determine family maltreatment case substantiation by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force. JFJF was privileged to interview Richard Heyman, PhD, and Amy Slep, PhD, of the State University of New York, Stony Brook, who developed the DTA. Additional background regarding the development and implementation of the DTA is also included. The regular statistics feature describes two basic psychometric processes.