Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-d8cs5 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-08T15:46:29.317Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

On the Factor Score Controversy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2025

Bert F. Green Jr.*
Affiliation:
The Johns Hopkins University
*
Requests for reprints should be sent to Dr. Bert F. Green, Jr., Department of Psychology, The John Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218.

Abstract

A summary and interpretation of the recent literature on the indeterminacy of factor scores is given in simple terms. A good index of factor score determinacy is the squared multiple correlation of the factor with the observed variables.

Type
Original Paper
Copyright
Copyright © 1976 The Psychometric Society

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Green, B. F. Best linear composites with a specified structure. Psychometrika, 1969, 34, 301318.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guilford, J. P. and Michael, W. B. Approaches to univocal factor scores. Psychometrika, 1948, 13, 122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guttman, L. The determinacy of factor score matrices with applications for five other basic problems of common-factor theory. British Journal of Statistical Psychology, 1955, 8, 6582.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, C. W. On factors and factor scores. Psychometrika, 1967, 32, 363379.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heermann, E. F. The geometry of factorial indeterminacy. Psychometrika, 1964, 29, 371382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heermann, E. F. Univocal or orthogonal estimators of orthogonal factors. Psychometrika, 1963, 28, 161172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDonald, R. P. The measurement of factor indeterminacy. Psychometrika, 1974, 39, 203222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDonald, R. P. and Burr, E. J. A comparison of four methods of constructing factor scores. Psychometrika, 1967, 32, 381401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mulaik, S. A. Comments on “The measurement of factorial indeterminacy”. Psychometrika, 1976, 41, 249262.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nie, N. H., Hull, C. H., Jenkins, J. G., Steinbrenner, K. and Bent, D. H. SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, 2nd ed., New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975.Google Scholar
Schönemann, P. H. The minimum average correlation between equivalent sets of uncorrelated factors. Psychometrika, 1971, 36, 2130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schönemann, P. H. and Wang, Ming-Mei Some new result on factor indeterminacy. Psychometrika, 1972, 37, 6191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thurstone, L. L. Multiple factor analysis, 1947, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar