Psychopathology and Boolean Factor Analysis: a mismatch

It has recently been claimed that Boolean Factor Analysis (BFA) is superior to more traditional approaches to empirical syndrome identification in psychopathology (Weber & Scharfetter, 1984). This paper examines the underlying assumptions and the empirical basis of this claim. A hypothetical dat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological medicine 1985-08, Vol.15 (3), p.623-628
Main Author: Veiel, Hans O. F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Factor Analysis, Statistical
Humans
Medical sciences
Mental Disorders - diagnosis
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Software
Statistics
Techniques and methods
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Summary:It has recently been claimed that Boolean Factor Analysis (BFA) is superior to more traditional approaches to empirical syndrome identification in psychopathology (Weber & Scharfetter, 1984). This paper examines the underlying assumptions and the empirical basis of this claim. A hypothetical data set, with a more complex structure than the examples used by Weber & Scharfetter to support their claim, is analysed by means of both BFA and Ordinary Factor Analysis (OFA). It is shown that, as data sets resemble empirical conditions more closely, BFA may break down completely while OFA continues to yield adequate results.
ISSN:0033-2917
1469-8978
DOI:10.1017/S0033291700031470