Samenvatting
The aim of this study is an objective comparison of 3 methods of factor-analytic research: (1) the principal component method; (2) the method of minimal residues (minres); (3) the maximum likehood method. These methods were applied on data from 3 different sciences: economy, psychology and sociology. Factor analysis is a method for the reduction of many variables to few. These new variables are named factors, or components or dimensions.