The Identification and Interpretation of Factors

Abstract

Behind us lies exploration and definition of the varieties of scientific factor models, and the grasp of practical procedures for extracting and uniquely rotating factors in conformity with those models. The trunk of the tree of factor analytic procedures is completed and we stand at a juncture where we may branch out in a variety of directions. Among these directions are included: (1) the identification and interpretation of factors; (2) the calculation of individual factor scores; (3) the calculation of factor battery validities; (4) the application in this area of psychometric concepts that go with scaling; (5) the examination of the outcome of using various covariation indices in the correlation matrix; and (6) further pursuit of the model, from traits, into the domain of states and processes, etc.