Exploratory Factor Analysis And Principal Component Analysis In Clinical Studies: Which One Should You Use?

Factor analysis covers a range of multivariate methods used to explain how underlying factors influence a set of observed variables. When research aims to identify these underlying factors, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is used. In contrast, when the aim is to test whether a set of observed variables influences responses in accordance with an existing conceptual basis, confirmatory factor analysis is performed. EFA has many similarities with a commonly used data reduction technique called principal component analysis (PCA).