Latent Variable Models and Factor Analysis: Kendall's Library of Statistics 7 - Hardcover

Bartholomew, David J.; Knott, Martin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0470711108 ISBN 13: 9780470711101

Publisher: Wiley, 1999

Synopsis

Hitherto latent variable modelling has hovered on the fringes of the statistical mainstream but if the purpose of statistics is to deal with real problems, there is every reason for it to move closer to centre stage. In the social sciences especially, latent variables are common and if they are to be handled in a truly scientific manner, statistical theory must be developed to include them. This book aims to show how that should be done.

This second edition is a complete re-working of the book of the same name which appeared in the Griffin’s Statistical Monographs in 1987. Since then there has been a surge of interest in latent variable methods which has necessitated a radical revision of the material but the prime object of the book remains the same. It provides a unified and coherent treatment of the field from a statistical perspective. This is achieved by setting up a sufficiently general framework to enable the derivation of the commonly used models. The subsequent analysis is then done wholly within the realm of probability calculus and the theory of statistical inference. Numerical examples are provided as well as the software to carry them out ( where this is not otherwise available). Additional data sets are provided in some cases so that the reader can aquire a wider experience of analysis and interpretation.

About this title

About the Author:

David Bartholomew is Professor of Statistics at the London School of Economics.

Review:

"This book is essentially a resume of huge efforts and achievements in the field of factor analysis with different kinds of variables, elaborated theoretically and experimentally throughout the 20th Century...written by the recognized specialists in classical and modern factor analysis and latent structured models... Presented in a readable volume of 200 pages, this book reveals a wide range of models and problems, with their practical applications, numerical examples, and explanation of the results. It is fascinating, inspiring and useful reading." -- Stan Lipovetsky, Technometrics, Feb 2001

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0470711108
• ISBN 13: 9780470711101
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 464