Measurement exchangeability and normal one-factor models

The one-factor model restricts the covariance structure of the observed variables on the basis of assumptions about their relationship with an unobserved variable. It is hard to justify these assumptions on substantive or empirical grounds. In this paper, alternative measurement models are proposed that are based on exchangeability of variables after admissible scale transformations. They provide an alternative interpretation of the model and do not involve unobserved variables. They also yield a new one-factor model for sum scales. © 2004 Biometrika Trust.