Factor analysis is a statistical method used to describe variability among observed, correlated variables in terms of a potentially lower number of unobserved variables called factors. For example, it is possible that variations in four observed variables mainly reflect the variations in two unobserved variables.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factor_analysis
Factor analysis in psychology is most often associated with intelligence research. However, it also has been used to find factors in a broad range of domains such as personality, attitudes, beliefs, etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factor_analysis
Factor Analysis is a statistical tool that measures the impact of a few un-observed variables called factors on a large number of observed variables. It is used as a data reduction method. It may be used to uncover and establish the cause and effect relationship between variables or to confirm a hypothesis.
https://www.researchoptimus.com/article/factor-analysis.php
Factor Analysis has been successfully used in a wide variety of industries and fields. Its use was pioneered in the field of psychology where it still used in various studies to identify what factors influence intelligence, attitudes, behaviors, etc.
https://www.researchoptimus.com/article/factor-analysis.php
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http://psychology.wikia.com/wiki/Factor_structure
Factor analysis is related to principal component analysis (PCA), but the two are not identical. Latent variable models, including factor analysis, use regression modelling techniques to test hypotheses producing error terms, while PCA is a descriptive statistical technique.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factor_analysis
Principal Factor Analysis is also called Common Factor Analysis and it aims to identify the minimum number of factors that can lead to the correlation between a given set of variables.
https://www.researchoptimus.com/article/factor-analysis.php
Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is used to identify complex interrelationships among items and group items that are part of unified concepts. The researcher makes no a priori assumptions about relationships among factors.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factor_analysis
For example, when you take a multiple choice Introductory Psychology test, a factor analysis can be done to see what types of questions you did best on and worst on (maybe they did best on factual types of questions but really poorly on conceptual types of questions).
http://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.php?term=Factor%20Analysis
In 1904, Charles Spearman first used Factor Analysis in the field of psychology when he suggested that the performance of school children on a large number of subjects was linearly related to a common underlying factor (which he called g, hence ‘g Theory’) that defined general intelligence.
https://www.researchoptimus.com/article/factor-analysis.php
factor analysis definition in psychology
In psychology, factor analysis is a statistical method used to describe variability among observed, correlated variables in terms of a potentially lower number of unobserved variables called factors. In psychology, factor analysis is a statistical method used to describe variability among observed, correlated variables in terms of a potentially lower number of unobserved variables .