Fuzzy-based linguistic patterns as a tool for the flexible assessment of a priority vector obtained by pairwise comparisons

A novel approach to the assessment of a hierarchy vector generated by an expert pairwise comparison matrix is proposed. The ‘quality’ of a given hierarchy is measured using so-called ‘linguistic patterns’, i.e., specially constructed logical expressions, and an expert assessment matrix. The idea of this approach is based on a concept proposed previously as a flexible criterion for the domain of facility layout problems. The adaptation of the linguistic pattern approach to the assessment of a hierarchy vector also (by analogy to the analytic hierarchy process or AHP) facilitates evaluations of expert consistency. The proposed idea is shown to be less sensitive to potential expert errors than both the classical and fuzzy AHP techniques. The proposed approach is described in detail and illustrated with simple examples. Some features of the proposed approach were studied using computer simulation experiments and the results are reported together with the conclusions obtained.