Exploratory Factor Analysis with SAS

Types of Rotation

As with extraction, there are many choices of rotation method. In PROC FACTOR, 24 methods are available. Each method uses a slightly different algorithm to achieve the same broad goal—simplification of the factor structure. In general, the rotation methods fall into two broad categories: orthogonal and oblique (referring to the angle maintained between the X- and Y-axes).

Orthogonal rotations produce factors that are uncorrelated (i.e., maintain a 90° angle between axes), and oblique methods allow the factors to correlate (i.e., allow the X- and Y-axes to assume a different angle than 90°). Traditionally, researchers have been guided to orthogonal rotation because (the argument went) uncorrelated factors are more easily interpretable. ...