A comparison of factor scores under conditions of factor obliquity

Six different methods of computing factor scores were investigated in a sim ulation study. Population scores created from oblique factor patterns selec ted from the psychological literature served as the bases for the simulatio ns, and the stability of the different methods was assessed through cross-v alidation in a subject-sampling model. Results from 5 evaluative criteria i ndicated that a simplified, unit-weighting procedure based on the factor sc ore coefficients was generally superior to several unit-weighting procedure s based on the pattern or structure coefficients. This simplified method of computing factor scores also compared favorably with an exact-weighting sc heme based on the full factor score coefficient matrix. Results are discuss ed with regard to their potential impact on current practice, and several r ecommendations are offered.