Dear Jens, One of the nice features of maximum-likelihood factor analysis, implemented in factanal(), is that you can test for the number of common factors.
More generally, the estimated uniquenesses will depend upon the number of common factors. Using sem() requires a stronger initial specification -- not only the number of common factors, but a prior specification of which variables load on each. If you make the model too general, it won't be identified. Furthermore, although I suggested that you use the uniquenesses to assess unreliability, the justification for this is clearest in models in which each variable loads on just one factor. I guess it would help to know a bit more about the application. Regards, John > -----Original Message----- > From: Jens Oehlschl�gel [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, May 14, 2004 8:52 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [R] please help with estimation of true > correlations and reliabilities > > > Dear John, > > I checked for the uniquenesses from factanal() and found out > that these estimates need an a priori assumption about the > number of latent factors (and they depend strongly on that > assumption). What I want is an estimate of reliablity > independent of such an assumption. Is it possible to specify > such "structure" to sem or another SEM software? (no > assumption about number of factors, no assumptions about > which variables group together). > > Best regards > > > Jens Oehlschl�gel > ______________________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list https://www.stat.math.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help PLEASE do read the posting guide! http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
