SPEARMAN AND THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF FACTOR-ANALYSIS

Spearman invented factor analysis but his almost exclusive concern with the notion of a general factor prevented him from realizing its full potential. The leadership. passed to others, notably Thurstone and Thomson, but progress was hampered by inadequate computing facilities and a limited conceptual framework. It is argued that the fitful progress of factor analyais and its slow and incomplete assimilation into the mainstream of statistical theory can be traced to the lack of a clear idea, until relatively recently, of the role of a model in the development of statistical methods. The combination of an appropriate modelling framework with Spearman's original idea provides a base for further development.