factor analysis
Quick Summary
Factor analysis is a statistical method used in psychology to understand the underlying structure of data, particularly in assessing intellectual ability and personality. It aims to identify common factors that explain the correlations observed among a set of variables.12
Pioneered by researchers like Charles E. Spearman and Louis L. Thurstone, factor analysis was initially used to explore the concept of a general intelligence factor (g) and specific abilities (s). Modern applications utilize computer-generated solutions for hypothesis testing and exploring complex data structures. This technique is also applied to personality measures, with some studies suggesting four broad factors: conformity, extroversion, anxiety, and dependability.1
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- Sir Cyril Burt
…play in psychological testing (factor analysis involves the extraction of small numbers of independent factors from a large group of intercorrelated measurements). His method of factor analysis was fully presented in The Factors of the Mind (1940). Burt’s studies convinced him that intelligence was primarily hereditary in origin, although…
Read More…play in psychological testing (factor analysis involves the extraction of small numbers of independent factors from a large group of intercorrelated measurements). His method of factor analysis was fully presented in The Factors of the Mind (1940). Burt’s studies convinced him that intelligence was primarily hereditary in origin, although…
Read More - Joy Paul Guilford
A leading American exponent of factor analysis for a comprehensive assessment of personality, Guilford constructed for this purpose batteries of tests, or factor inventories. His comprehensive, systematic theory of intellectual abilities, known as the structure of intellect, was outlined in The Nature of Human Intelligence (1967).
Read MoreA leading American exponent of factor analysis for a comprehensive assessment of personality, Guilford constructed for this purpose batteries of tests, or factor inventories. His comprehensive, systematic theory of intellectual abilities, known as the structure of intellect, was outlined in The Nature of Human Intelligence (1967).
Read More