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FACTOR doing only a rotation (no factoring) refuses when factors are more than variables

  • 1.  FACTOR doing only a rotation (no factoring) refuses when factors are more than variables

    Posted Fri July 01, 2022 03:06 PM
    There is an option in syntax of FACTOR (factor analysis) command to just read a loading matrix and perform a rotation (e.g., varimax) of the factors. It is ordered like

    FACTOR /MATRIX= IN(FAC=*)
    /CRITERIA ITERATE(50) RCONVERGE(.0001)
    /ROTATION VARIMAX.

    I was surprised with that if I suggest a loading matrix with m (number of factors) > p (number of variables), FACTOR would take in and rotate only the square p x p portion of the matrix. The "surplus" factors are simply unnoticed.

    I don't think it is correct behaviour, because a rotation operation (such as varimax, quartimax, etc.) itself does not require m<p. It is the factor extraction which will demand m<p or m<=p.

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    Kirill Orlov
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    #SPSSStatistics


  • 2.  RE: FACTOR doing only a rotation (no factoring) refuses when factors are more than variables

    Posted Fri July 08, 2022 08:11 AM
    I would very much appreciate a due reply, especially from the SPSS development team.

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    Kirill Orlov
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