: Hidden variables that cannot be directly measured (e.g., "Intelligence" or "Extroversion") but influence the observable variables.
: The proportion of variance in each observed variable that is explained by the extracted common factors. The EFA Step-by-Step Procedure Exploratory Factor Analysis EFA in SPSS Exploratory Factor Analysis
Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) is a multivariate statistical method used to uncover the underlying structure—or latent constructs—that explain correlation patterns between a set of observed variables. It is primarily used when researchers have no prior hypothesis about the data's nature and want to identify which variables group together to form common themes. : Hidden variables that cannot be directly measured (e