Hi experts,

Does SPSS use factor analysis to perform principal component analysis? Are the factors generated from this analysis referred to as principal components?

Does the SPSS factor analysis routine with the extraction method principal component analysis conducting principal component analysis or factor analysis ?

Thank you

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Alice Fujiwara
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Hi,

1. Does SPSS utilise factor analysis to conduct principal component analysis?

No, SPSS doesn't employ factor analysis to carry out principal component analysis. When one selects the extraction method as PCA in SPSS's Factor procedure, it undertakes PCA, not factor analysis.

2. Are the factors derived from this analysis termed principal components?

Indeed, the factors obtained from a PCA analysis in SPSS are termed principal components.

3. When one uses SPSS's factor analysis routine with the extraction method set to principal component analysis, is it conducting principal component analysis or factor analysis?

Upon setting the extraction method to PCA in SPSS's factor analysis routine, it is indeed conducting a principal component analysis, not the conventional factor analysis.

Hope this helps. 

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Hsin-Yuan Chen

Original Message:
Sent: Wed July 26, 2023 05:00 AM
From: Alice Fujiwara
Subject: Does SPSS use factor analysis to perform principal component analysis? Are the factors generated from this analysis referred to as principal components?

Hi experts,

Does SPSS use factor analysis to perform principal component analysis? Are the factors generated from this analysis referred to as principal components?

Does the SPSS factor analysis routine with the extraction method principal component analysis conducting principal component analysis or factor analysis ?

Thank you

------------------------------
Alice Fujiwara
------------------------------