Stress Measures
The stress and fit measures give an indication of how well the distances in the solution approximate the original distances.
Each of the four stress statistics measures the misfit of the data, while the dispersion accounted for and Tucker’s coefficient of congruence measure the fit. Lower stress measures (to a minimum of 0) and higher fit measures (to a maximum of 1) indicate better solutions.
The decomposition of stress helps you identify which sources and objects contribute the most to the overall stress of the solution. In this case, most of the stress among the sources is attributable to sources 1 and 2, while among the objects, most of the stress is attributable to Brother, Granddaughter, Grandfather, Grandmother, Grandson, and Sister.
The two sources that are accountable for most of the stress are the two groups that sorted the terms only once. This information suggests that the students considered multiple factors when sorting the terms, and those students who were allowed to sort twice focused on a portion of those factors for the first sort and then considered the remaining factors during the second sort.
The objects that account for most of the stress are those objects with a degree of 2. These people are relations who are not part of the “nuclear” family (Mother, Father, Daughter, Son) but are nonetheless closer than other relations. This middle position could easily cause some differential sorting of these terms.