A conceptual clustering method for large-scale group decision-making with linguistic truth-valued lattice implication algebra

Abstract

The increasing complexity of decision-making environments has led to a rise in the involvement of decision-makers (DMs) in group decision-making problems. Clustering is widely used in large-scale group decision-making (LSGDM) to categorize DMs into smaller groups. Ensuring reasonable decision-making results requires providing explanations for the generated groups during the clustering process. To address the clustering problem in LSGDM within uncertain linguistic environments, this paper proposes a conceptual clustering method based on the linguistic concept lattice. The method efficiently manages comparable and incomparable linguistic information. To achieve interpretable clustering results for DMs, attribute and expert induction matrices are first introduced. Cluster stability analysis is then employed to automatically determine the optimal number of clusters. Second, linguistic truth-valued aggregation operators are proposed to aggregate the linguistic evaluation information of DMs in each cluster. In addition, a consensus reaching process is conducted within each cluster, and a feedback mechanism is established to iteratively update clusters when consensus cannot be reached. Finally, numerical examples and comparative analyses are presented that verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach in effectively addressing the LSGDM problem within uncertain linguistic environments.