Demystifying Factor Analysis:: How It Works and How To Use It

Frank Walkey, PhD began his teaching and research career in the Department of Psychology at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand in 1965, rising to Associate Professor during his tenure at the university. His main teaching and research interests have been in the fields of social psychology and psychological measurement, where he has published or co-authored close to a hundred papers. His special interest has been in the application of factor analysis to psychological measurement. Garry Welch, PhD is a behavioral medicine researcher and Director of Behavioral Medicine Research at Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, Ma. He is Research Associate Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine and was a reviewer for 5 years on the Behavioral Medicine Interventions and Outcomes (BMIO) grants review committee at the National Institutes of Health. His research interests include the behavioral and medical management of chronic medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes and obesity as well as the use of telemedicine and patient-centered interventions for patients with these conditions. He began his research career as a doctoral fellow interested in psychometrics and behavioral medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Walkey in New Zealand. He has a long standing interest in the use of factor analysis to evaluate measures of health-related quality of life and psychological adjustment.