Artificial Intelligence and Statistics

REX (Regression EXpert) was written to explore the feasibility of using expert system techniques to construct a statistical consultation system. The purpose of such a system would be to assist statistically naive users in routine statistical analyses. The statistically naive cannot use current software safely, because they do not know the kinds of ways that real data deviates from text book simplicity. Nor do they know what remedial measures are possible when a complication is encountered. The primary research question addressed by REX was whether expert system techniques could adequately represent this knowledge.