ABSTRACT
This chapter in A Step-by-Step Guide to Exploratory Factor Analysis with R and RStudio discusses the differences between exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Both EFA and CFA require thoughtful and evidence-based methodological decisions that offer many opportunities for error. Unfortunately, applications of both EFA and CFA are marked by habitual reliance on suboptimal practices. The choice of factor analysis method must not degenerate into cookbookery and should not be determined solely by statistical complexity.
