An Easy Guide to Factor Analysis

Book excerpt: Factor analysis is a statistical technique widely used in psychology and the social sciences. With the advent of powerful computers, factor analysis and other multivariate methods are now available to many more people. An Easy Guide to Factor Analysis presents and explains factor analysis as clearly and simply as possible. The author, Paul Kline, carefully defines all statistical terms and demonstrates step-by-step how to work out a simple example of principal components analysis and rotation. He further explains other methods of factor analysis, including confirmatory and path analysis, and concludes with a discussion of the use of the technique with various examples. An Easy Guide to Factor Analysis is the clearest, most comprehensible introduction to factor analysis for students. All those who need to use statistics in psychology and the social sciences will find it invaluable. Paul Kline is Professor of Psychometrics at the University of Exeter. He has been using and teaching factor analysis for thirty years. His previous books include Intelligence: the psychometric view (Routledge 1990) and The Handbook of Psychological Testing (Routledge 1992).