Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is a commonly used statistical technique for examining the relationships between variables (e.g., items) and the factors (e.g., latent traits) they depict. There are several decisions that must be made when using EFA, with one of the more important being choice of the rotation criterion. This selection can be…

H. F. Kaiser, S. Hunka, and J. Bianchini have presented a method (1971) to compare two matrices of factor loadings based on the same variables, but different groups of individuals. The optimal rotation involved is examined from a mathematical point of view, and the method is shown to be invalid. (SLD)

Enriching factor rotation algorithms with the capacity to conduct repeated searches from random starting points can make the tendency to converge to optima that are merely local a way to catch rotations of the input factors that might otherwise elude discovery. Use of the HYBALL computer program is discussed. (SLD)

A relatively simple technique for assessing the convergence of sets of variables across method domains is presented. The technique, two-step principal components analysis, empirically orthogonalizes each method domain into sets of components, and then analyzes convergence among components across domains. (Author)

Twelve articles (including two rounds of commentary) consider the proposition that the use of multi-item scales requires only that conditions of simple structure and metric invariance be satisfied at the scale level, rather than for each item individually. The place of the approach in confirmatory factor analysis is debated. (SLD)

An alternative strategy for computing factor scores was introduced and compared to a popular scoring procedure. The new strategy, which involves unit-weighted composites of standardized items with salient factor score coefficients, is shown superior to the common method. Implications of findings are discussed. (SLD)

Twelve divergent production tests were administered to two groups of adolescents with average Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) IQ's of 69.5 and 104.5. Six divergent production factors were extracted in each group and rotated to a target derived from Guilford's Structure of Intellect Model. The subnormal group fitted better to the…

Multidimensional scaling (MDS) and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were compared in the assessment of the dimensionality of data sets, using sets generated to be one-dimensional or two-dimensional and differing in degree of interdimensional correlation and number of items defining a dimension. (SLD)

The representation of multivariate data by icons is discussed. The factorial sun is suggested as superior to the commonly used snowflake or sun icons and as better representing the values of the different variables and their correlational structure. Two experiments with 60 college students demonstrate the factorial sun's superiority. (SLD)

Structure of measures of speed was studied by conducting simultaneous confirmatory factor analysis for 1 sample of 149 elderly adults and a sample of 147 young adults using 16 measures of speed. Five first-order factors of speed were found, as hypothesized, and three second-order speed factors were necessary. (SLD)

Speeded cognitive processing tasks involving card sorting and reaction time were administered to 141 young adults aged 18 to 33 and to 142 elderly adults aged 58 to 73. Confirmatory factor analysis was unsuccessful, but independent analyses revealed different factors for the two age groups. (Author/GDC)

Objective criteria for evaluating the Eysenck Personality Inventory's internal structure are discussed. An approach based on targeted rotations and the test's scoring key is proposed as a means of providing common criteria. Data from earlier structure and test results for 195 undergraduates support the utility of 3 criteria developed. (SLD)

A questionnaire measuring affective, conative, and cognitive responses to 3 aspects of Black advancement in the workplace was administered to 128 White English-speaking and 140 Afrikaans-speaking South Africans. Results of confirmatory, single-group, and multigroup analyses of the data indicate that the structures were very similar across the…