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2005•Communication Research ReportsRequires access

Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Scale Validation in Communication Research

Timothy R. Levine

Open publisher page 175 citations

Abstract

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is an under-used and often misunderstood statistical tool. CFA provides useful information about scale dimensionality and validity. This paper offers a brief and accessible introduction to the role of CFA in communication research. Some common issues with CFA including dimensionality and model fit are addressed. More frequent and informed use of CFA would likely improve the quality of measurement in quantitative communication research.

About this research paper

What this paper is about

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is an under-used and often misunderstood statistical tool. CFA provides useful information about scale dimensionality and validity. This paper offers a brief and accessible introduction to the role of CFA in communication research. Some common issues with CFA including dimensionality and model fit are addressed. More frequent and informed use of CFA would likely improve the quality of measurement in quantitative communication research.

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OpenAlex reports 175 citations for this work. Citation counts describe recorded attention and do not establish research quality.

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Available abstract

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is an under-used and often misunderstood statistical tool. CFA provides useful information about scale dimensionality and validity. This paper offers a brief and accessible introduction to the role of CFA in communication research. Some common issues with CFA including dimensionality and model fit are addressed. More frequent and informed use of CFA would likely improve the quality of measurement in quantitative communication research.

Key concepts: Confirmatory factor analysis, Psychology, Scale (ratio), Curse of dimensionality, Social psychology, Statistical analysis, Structural equation modeling, Applied psychology

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