Factor-analytic theories

Definition

Factor-analytic theories are psychological theories that aim to understand the structure of intelligence and personality traits by identifying underlying factors or dimensions that explain patterns of observed correlations between different tests or measures.

Related terms

General factor ('g'): This term refers to the idea that there is a single underlying factor that contributes to performance on all cognitive tasks.

Principal component analysis (PCA): PCA is a statistical technique used in factor analysis to identify the most meaningful factors or dimensions from a set of variables.

Common variance: Common variance refers to the shared variation among different variables that can be explained by one or more underlying factors.