ON THE QUESTIONABLE SOUNDNESS OF FACTORING IPSATIVE DATA - A RESPONSE

Saville & Willson (1991), in this journal, concluded, contrary to many researchers and methodologists, that ipsative scales can be soundly f actored and can be viewed as equally valid alternatives to normative s cales. We present evidence based on analysis of theoretical and actual data to demonstrate that ipsative scales, although sometimes highly c orrelated with their normative counterparts, cannot be factored and, w hen factored, result in predictable factor loading patterns not relate d to their normative counterparts' factor patterns, and, consequently, will result in invalid factor interpretations. An example is presente d where ipsative scores are appropriately and successfully analysed us ing multi-nomial statistical techniques. These techniques are more app ropriate for ipsative data because ipsative scores contain only catego rical information across individuals.