The issue of indeterminacy in factor analysis and the debate between the proposed alternative solution and posterior moment position are explored in an article and 14 commentaries and rebuttals in two rounds. Implications for applied work involving factor analysis are discussed. (SLD)

Data reduction techniques seek to combine variables that account for patterns of variation in observed dependent variables in such a way that a simpler model is available for analysis. Factor analysis is a data reduction technique that attempts to model or explain a set of variables in terms of their associations. To understand why this technique…

The use of the 2 x 2 matrix in qualitative data analysis and theory generation is discussed, embracing the perspective that the objective of qualitative research in general and the analysis of qualitative data in particular is the development of theory. A 2 x 2 matrix is considered to be a tabular representation of the relationship of two…

In an analysis of multitrait-multimethod matrices the criteria for discriminant validity are shown to include a "structure" criterion as an invariance of traits structure to methods. The criterion is meant to fit data to an additive model with traits and methods but not interaction terms. The importance of the structure criterion and the…

A method is presented that eliminates some interpretational limitations arising from assumptions implicit in the use of arbitrary rules of thumb to interpret exploratory factor analytic results. The bootstrap method is presented as a way of approximating sampling distributions of estimated factor loadings. Simulated datasets illustrate the…

Results of this study suggest that certain kinds of treatment differences may be better uncovered by viewing test data in a repeated measures format. (Author/MB)

Use of parallel analysis (PA), a selection rule for the number-of-factors problem, is investigated from the viewpoint of permutation assessment through a Monte Carlo simulation. Results reveal advantages and limitations of PA. Tables of sample eigenvalues are included. (SLD)

This paper is concerned with the study of similarities and differences in factor structures between different groups. A common situation is when a battery of tests has been administered to samples of examinees from several populations. A very general model is presented, in which any parameter in the factor analysis models (factor loadings, factor…

A confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine the respective viability of factor structure models for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) standardization data. The traditional verbal-performance split was compared to an alternative model proposed by Gutkin, Reynolds and Galvin. The confirmatory analysis indicated that the…

The effects of varying degrees of correlation between abilities and of various correlation configurations between item parameters on ability and item parameter estimation using the three parameter logistic model were examined. Ten two-trait configurations and one unidimensional test configuration for 30 item tests were simulated. Each…

The factorial structure of the Rotter Internal-External (IE) scale was examined. While there was strong evidence against the unidimensionality of the Rotter scale, the findings suggested that the first-order factors do define a single higher-order construct that may represent the generalized IE construct. (Author/LMO)

The purposes of the present investigation were to examine the dimensionality of the Rotter Internal-External (I-E) scale, to test the invariance of its factor structure before and after an intervention designed to alter I-E, and to demonstrate the use of confirmatory factor analysis. An a priori model based on the content of the Rotter items…

This paper illustrates the transformation of a raw data matrix into a matrix of associations, and then into a factor matrix. Factor analysis attempts to distill the most important relationships among a set of variables, thereby permitting some theoretical simplification. In this heuristic data, a correlation matrix was derived to display…

The purposes of this study are to examine the factorial invariance of responses by preadolescent males and females to a multidimensional self-concept instrument, and to demonstrate the use of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Sets of responses by 500 males and by 500 females were each randomly divided in half to form four groups (M1, M2, F1, and…

Bayesian estimation procedures are summarized and numerically illustrated by means of simulation methods. Procedures of data generation for simulation purposes are also delineated and computationally demonstrated. The logistic model basic to the Bayesian estimation procedures is shown to be explicit with respect to the probability distribution…