value dependence

the data in a field having a certain value or range of values only on condition that data in a certain other field has a certain value or range of values; v. d. complicates the simultaneous use of both field weights in probabilistic record linkage without adjusting the measured coincidence value. For example, the child's surname (patronymic) of "Nielsen" or "Nielsdatter" (or their variations) depends on the father's given name being "Niels." (or one of its variations.) The choice of given name for a child (its gender) usually depends on the child's sex. The code assigned to a name depends on its spelling. This is an example of "natural" v. d.; the assignment of the same name codes for different spellings of the same name is an example of "constructive" v. d. (Cf. presence dependence, dependency chain, chain (2).) [Cf. Ch. 5, §1, ¶2 especially Ch. 5, §3]