Rubin and Thayer recently presented equations to implement maximum likelihood estimation in factor analysis via the EM algorithm. It is argued here that the advantages of using the EM algorithm remain to be demonstrated. (Author/JKS)

The authors respond to a criticism of their earlier article concerning the use of the EM algorithm in maximum likelihood factor analysis. Also included are the comments made by the reviewers of this article. (JKS)

Factor and cluster analyses are distinctly different multivariate procedures with different goals. However, when used in a complementary fashion, each set of methods can be used to enhance the interpretation of results found in the other set of methods. Simple examples illustrating the joint use of the methods are provided. (Author)

This note proposes an alternative implementation of the regression method which should be slightly faster than the principal components methods for estimating missing data. (RC)

The interdisciplinary relationships among 15 kinds of creative achievement were examined over 130 generations of European history. A P-technique factor analysis located three major interdisciplinary clusters: (a) discursive; (b) presentational; and (c) rationalism-mysticism. (Author)

Several procedures are outlined for replacing missing values in multivariate analyses by regression values obtained in various ways, and for adjusting coefficients (such as factor score coefficients) when data are missing. None of the procedures are complex or expensive. (Author)

This paper discusses alternatives to R-technique factor analysis that are applicable to counseling and psychotherapy. The traditional R-technique involves correlating columns of a data matrix. O, P, Q, S, and T techniques are discussed with particular emphasis on Q-technique. In Q-technique, people are factored across items or variables with the…

A factor validity study of the Learning Style Profile (LSP) developed by the National Association of Secondary School Principals was conducted. Developed for use with students in grades 6 through 12, the Profile, which consists of 26 questions representing 24 independent subscales, requires approximately 60 minutes to finish. A random sample of…

This paper describes a questionnaire for exploring university students' approaches to learning statistics and investigates the approaches of more than 200 psychology students studying statistics. The Approaches to Learning Questionnaire (ALSQ) consists of two scales indicating deep and surface approaches to learning respectively. Three underlying…

The latent structure of the reading test of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Reading Literacy study was investigated. The use of latent class modeling for investigating the measurement properties of a large-scale reading assessment database is demonstrated. The study focused on response data from…

This paper explains the meaning and use of three important factor analytic statistics: factor scores, factor structure coefficients, and communality coefficients. For the discussion, 301 observations of junior high school students 11 measured variables from a previous study are analyzed. While factors provide the researcher with general…

The robustness of the polytomous Item Response Theory (IRT) model to violations of the unidimensionality assumption was studied. A secondary purpose was to provide guidelines to practitioners to help in deciding whether to use an IRT model to analyze their data. In a simulation study, the unidimensionality assumption was deliberately violated by…

In the present paper, the selection of scales and concepts and the format for administration are discussed in terms of an underlying linear model. (Editor)

In this article, new arguments and empirical evidence are presented justifying the use of standardized R- analysis (or equivalently Q- technique) in certain types of factor-analytic studies. (Editor)

This study reports the results of a factor analysis that prepared the way for the utilization of MSCA, which is designed to measure the developmental level of children aged 2 1/2 to 8 1/2 in a variety of areas. (Author/RK)