What does an association matrix show?

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An association matrix is used to capture how groups relate to one another. In the matrix, each group is represented by a row and a column, and the value in the intersection shows the strength or presence of the relationship between those two groups. This lets you quickly see which groups are connected, how strongly, and identify clusters of related groups. It isn’t about a time sequence, nor about how much data you have, nor about color patterns in a visualization—the core idea is the existence and strength of connections between groups. For example, a high value between two groups means they interact frequently or share a strong association, while a zero or low value indicates little or no relationship.