manifest variable

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

June 18th, 2018 by


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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