Factor analysis (FA)

Factor analysis (FA) explores the underlying factors (latent variables) among a large number of interrelated variables.

Factor analysis is related to principal component analysis (PCA), but the two are not identical and have different purposes. FA makes the assumption that an underlying model exists, whereas PCA is a descriptive variable reduction technique.

• EFA
  Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) identifies the underlying relationships between a large number of interrelated variables when there are no prior hypotheses about factors or patterns amongst the variables.
• Factor rotation
  Rotations minimize the complexity of the factor loadings to make the structure simpler to interpret.