Description
This week, you will critique a research study that uses factor analysis. First, you must locate an empirical article that presents research (preferably related to a topic in psychology) that uses a form of exploratory factor analysis. Tip: Please do not select an article that uses confirmatory factor analysis as this topic will not be covered until Week 11. Once you have chosen an appropriate article, write a paper to summarize the study, and provide a response to each of the following :
- Explain the purpose of this study and how this purpose aligns with the use of factor analysis. Determine if the use of factor analysis was appropriate, given the study’s purpose.
- Identify the assumptions that must be met to utilize factor analysis. Did the study meet these assumptions? Review the statistics that were performed to test for these assumptions.
- Examine the different factors used to determine the ideal sample size for this factor analysis. Did the study adhere to the recommended number of cases (participants)?
- Describe the analysis and results.
- Identify the type of extraction that was used.
- Explain where the factors were rotated and if so, describe how they were rotated. If not, why not?
- Explain charts, plots, or matrixes that were presented to aid in the interpretation of results.
- Summarize the results of the study.
- Critique common sources of bias in factor analysis and how the study addressed these issues.
- Explain the implications of this study based on the results of the factor analysis.
Length: 4-6 pages, not including title or reference pages
References: Include a minimum of 2 scholarly resources.
The completed assignment should address all of the assignment requirements, exhibit evidence of concept knowledge, and demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the content presented in the course.
Explanation & Answer
View attached explanation and answer. Let me know if you have any questions.
Running head: CRITIQUE OF A RESEARCH STUDY
Critique of a Research Study
Student’s Name
Institution Affiliation
CRITIQUE OF A RESEARCH STUDY
2
Critique of a Research Study
The Purpose of the Study and how this Purpose Aligns with the Use of Factor Analysis
The article entitled “a factor analysis of identifying the customer behavior patterns, a
case study in Tehran” by Jowkar et al. (2014) is about the purchasing patterns of customers. The
purpose of the research study was to identify the purchasing habits of customers in Tehran
province. According to Jowkar et al. (2014), conducting a research about the habits of consumers
is critical to understanding their behavior since it is a reoccurrence of a critical trait of everyday
life. The purpose of this study aligns with the use of factor analysis in that it focuses on the
analysis of similar patterns of responses. In particular, the purpose of this study aligns with the
use of factor analysis by allowing the researchers to minimize the items to be analyzed, which is
basically the use of factor analysis. Given the study’s purpose, it is crystal clear that the use of
factor analysis was appropriate because it allowed the study participants to respond to similar
questions concerning their shopping patterns.
The Assumptions that must be met to Utilize Factor Analysis
One assumption that must be met to utilize factor analysis is that there must be no outlier
in data. By definition, an outlier refers to a data point that is very different from other
observations. Hence, no data should differ from other observations in order to use factor
analysis. Another central assumption is that the sample size must be adequate. In this respect, the
factor must never be greater...
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