Factor analysis

Question 1

What is factor analysis?

Answer 1

Determines how well we measure a concept

Question 2

What are latent variables?

Answer 2

Cannot be measured directly

Question 3

What are practical uses of factor analysis?

Answer 3

Scale development
Scale validation
Data reduction
Understand the nature of psychological constructs

Question 4

What are the types of factor analysis?

Answer 4

Exploratory - exploring something new, data driven
Confirmatory - often replicate findings, theory driven

Question 5

What is the procedure of factor analysis?

Answer 5

Extraction
Rotation
Interpretation

Question 6

What are the meanings of the EFA equation?
X = λξ + δ

Answer 6

X = observed score
Lambada (λ) = factor loading - strength of questions to construct
Xi (ξ) = true score on the latent construct
Delta (δ) = measurement error

Question 7

What is lambada?

Answer 7

Range from -1 to +1 - higher demonstrate higher degree of association between latent variable and the indicator (better indicator of latent construct)

Question 8

What is a desirable size for factor loading?

Answer 8

Above 0.6 desirable
Above 0.4 acceptable

Question 9

What are the 2 types of rotation?

Answer 9

Orthogonal
Oblique