free parameter

free parameter

a value that is estimated from data, usually in a modeling procedure such as structural equation modeling. A free parameter contrasts with a fixed parameter, which is kept at a known, specific value. For example, in confirmatory factor analysis, one factor loading for each latent variable is usually a fixed parameter of 1.0 and the other loadings are free parameters that are estimated.

Related Terms

sentimentality

sentimentality n. the quality of being excessively or affec...

active voice

active voice in linguistics, the category of a verb in whic...

multiple classification

multiple classification the ability to classify items in te...

categorical data

categorical data information that consists of counts or obs...

probability distribution

probability distribution a distribution describing the prob...

software

software n. any information-processing program utilized by...

Quick Info

Category Psychology Term
Definitions 1
First Letter F

Browse 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