communality

n. in factor analysis, the proportion of variance in one variable that is accounted for by an underlying element common to all of the variables in a set. It is given by the communality coefficient (h²), which is scaled such that the closer it is to 1.0 in value the more completely the underlying element accounts for the observed variability. Also called common variance. Compare uniqueness.

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Psychology term of the day

December 27th 2024

self-organizing system

any system whose elements spontaneously interact in such a way as to create a higher level structure as a result of their intrinsic properties. Many biological molecules show spontaneous self-organization, but purely physical systems do so as well, as in phase changes in water at different temperatures.