ABSTRACT
What does factor analysis really do? The pat answer is that it isolates a series of underlying "dimensions" of individual differences and makes it possible to describe a large set of test scores in terms of a relatively small number of such dimensions. Given a set of tests, the use of factor analysis helps one understand what kinds of things are being measured and provides an account of the "structure" of the domain under study. An attempt is made to "interpret" the separate factors or dimensions, and some of the more venturesome of the factor-analytic guild have even attempted to draw inferences from factor analytic results about the structure of the intellect itself.
