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- Publisher
- American Psychological Association
- Copyright
- Copyright © 1999 American Psychological Association
- ISSN
- 1082-989x
- eISSN
- 1939-1463
- DOI
- 10.1037/1082-989X.4.3.272
- Publisher site
- See Article on Publisher Site
Abstract
Despite the widespread use of exploratory factor analysis inpsychological research, researchers often make questionable decisionswhen conducting these analyses. This article reviews the major designand analytical decisions that must be made when conducting a factor analysisand notes that each of these decisions has important consequences for theobtained results. Recommendations that have been made in themethodological literature are discussed. Analyses of 3 existingempirical data sets are used to illustrate how questionable decisions inconducting factor analyses can yield problematic results. The articlepresents a survey of 2 prominent journals that suggests that researchersroutinely conduct analyses using such questionable methods. Theimplications of these practices for psychological research arediscussed, and the reasons for current practices arereviewed.
Journal
Psychological Methods – American Psychological Association
Published: Sep 1, 1999