Confirmatory Factor Analysis: How To Measure Something We Cannot Observe or Measure Directly

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by Christos Giannoulis, PhD

Many times in science we are intrigued to measure an underlying characteristic that cannot be observed or measured directly. This measure is hypothesized to exist to explain variables, such as behavior, that can be observed.

The measurable variables are called manifest variables. The unmeasurable are called latent variables.

Latent variables are often called factors, especially in the context of factor analysis.

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Three Myths and Truths About Model Fit in Confirmatory Factor Analysis

by Christos Giannoulis, PhD We mentioned before that we use Confirmatory Factor Analysis to evaluate whether the relationships among the variables are adequately represented by the hypothesized factor structure. The factor structure (relationships between factors and variables) can be based on theoretical justification or previous findings. Once we estimate the relationship indicators of those factors, the […]

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June 2018 Member Webinar: The Fundamentals of Sample Size Calculations

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Regardless of how they make you feel, they are super important to do for your study before you collect the data.

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A research study rarely involves just one single statistical test. And multiple testing can result in statistically significant findings just by chance.
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