SIMPLE STRUCTURE RECONSIDERED - DISTINGUISHABILITY AND INVARIANCE IN FACTOR ANALYSIS

Consideration of some elementary examples suggests that simple structure does not solve the problem of factorial invariance. For a variant of Thurstons's box problem it was shown that some widely used analytic solutions do not exhibit factorial invariance for a problem easily solved by graphical methods. Using the concept of distinguishability, an objective method of arriving at a factor solution is described. The solution is factorially invariant for the box problem and gives the accepted results for a range of standard problems. It is suggested that the concept of distinguishability will in general lead to solutions with more likelihood of factorial invariance than will parsimony of description. © 1969, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.