FACTOR ANALYSIS

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does factor analysis mean? 

• FACTOR ANALYSIS (noun)
  The noun FACTOR ANALYSIS has 1 sense:

1. any of several methods for reducing correlational data to a smaller number of dimensions or factors; beginning with a correlation matrix a small number of components or factors are extracted that are regarded as the basic variables that account for the interrelations observed in the data

  Familiarity information: FACTOR ANALYSIS used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FACTOR ANALYSIS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of several methods for reducing correlational data to a smaller number of dimensions or factors; beginning with a correlation matrix a small number of components or factors are extracted that are regarded as the basic variables that account for the interrelations observed in the data

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("factor analysis" is a kind of...):

correlational analysis (the use of statistical correlation to evaluate the strength of the relations between variables)

Domain category:

statistics (a branch of applied mathematics concerned with the collection and interpretation of quantitative data and the use of probability theory to estimate population parameters)

Derivation:

factor analytical (of or relating to or the product of factor analysis)

factor analyze (to perform a factor analysis of correlational data)