factorial invariance

the situation in which the pattern of factor loadings on a latent variable in a factor analysis remains identical from sample to sample. For example, if the same factor loading values were obtained for a measure of general intelligence whether a researcher tested men or women, the general intelligence test would be said to demonstrate factorial invariance by gender. In other contexts, factorial invariance is referred to more broadly as measurement invariance.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

psychonomic

adj. denoting an approach to psychology that emphasizes quantitative measurement, experimental control, and operational definitions, especially in the area of experimental, laboratory psychology. The word was coined to provide a name for the Psychonomic Society, which was created in 1959 by a number of experimental psychologists who were opposed to what they regarded as a swing in the American Psychological Association toward an emphasis on the mental health concerns of psychology. See experimental psychology.