Factor analysis
Análisis factorial
- Date
- 1904 · confidence medium
- Place
- Leipzig, Saxony, Germany
- Credited to
- Charles Spearman
- Field
- Knowledge & symbols
What was discovered
Spearman proposed factor analysis to explain the correlations among different mental ability tests through a single general factor, "g", plus task-specific factors. The method became the standard statistical tool for reducing many correlated variables to a smaller number of latent factors.
What it led to
- General intelligence theory (g factor)
- Principal component analysis
- Modern psychometrics
Built on
- Pearson correlation coefficient