Factor Analysis Rotation

Method. Allows you to select the method of factor rotation. Available methods are varimax, direct oblimin, quartimax, equamax, or promax.

  • Varimax Method. An orthogonal rotation method that minimizes the number of variables that have high loadings on each factor. This method simplifies the interpretation of the factors.
  • Direct Oblimin Method. A method for oblique (nonorthogonal) rotation. When delta equals 0 (the default), solutions are most oblique. As delta becomes more negative, the factors become less oblique. To override the default delta of 0, enter a number less than or equal to 0.8.
  • Quartimax Method. A rotation method that minimizes the number of factors needed to explain each variable. This method simplifies the interpretation of the observed variables.
  • Equamax Method. A rotation method that is a combination of the varimax method, which simplifies the factors, and the quartimax method, which simplifies the variables. The number of variables that load highly on a factor and the number of factors needed to explain a variable are minimized.
  • Promax Rotation. An oblique rotation, which allows factors to be correlated. This rotation can be calculated more quickly than a direct oblimin rotation, so it is useful for large datasets.

Display. Allows you to include output on the rotated solution, as well as loading plots for the first two or three factors.

  • Rotated Solution. A rotation method must be selected to obtain a rotated solution. For orthogonal rotations, the rotated pattern matrix and factor transformation matrix are displayed. For oblique rotations, the pattern, structure, and factor correlation matrices are displayed.
  • Factor Loading Plot. Three-dimensional factor loading plot of the first three factors. For a two-factor solution, a two-dimensional plot is shown. The plot is not displayed if only one factor is extracted. Plots display rotated solutions if rotation is requested.

Maximum Iterations for Convergence. Allows you to specify the maximum number of steps that the algorithm can take to perform the rotation.

To Specify Rotation Options

This feature requires the Statistics Base option.

  1. From the menus choose:

    Analyze > Dimension Reduction > Factor...

  2. In the Factor Analysis dialog box, click Rotation.