APA Dictionary of Psychology

a type of factorial design in which dozens of independent variables that influence a single dependent variable of interest are assessed simultaneously to identify those vital few that are most influential. In a supersaturated design, the number of variables being investigated exceeds the number of runs or trials conducted; algorithms and other criteria exist to determine the appropriate number of runs to conduct. Such designs commonly are used for screening purposes, wherein the goal is to identify a small number of dominant active factors with minimal cost.