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 Ellen Hamaker posted on Wednesday, September 09, 2015 - 10:54 am
I am investigating whether particular factor models are identified. To this end, I create a population covariance matrix in R, which I subsequently analyze in Mplus.

When I specify the model that I used to generate the covariance matrix with, this (of course) results in a perfect fit. Also, the factor loadings have exactly the same value as I used when generating the matrix.

However, the factor variances and the residual variances are slightly smaller than what I used in creating the matrix (e.g., 1.996 instead of 2). When I make the sample size very large (note this is just the number in the Mplus input file; there is no actual sample, as I am analyzing the population covariance matrix), this discrepancy disappears, so I believe it has something to do with the n/(n-1) factor, but I cannot quite figure it out. Do you have any thoughts on this?

Best,
Ellen
 Bengt O. Muthen posted on Wednesday, September 09, 2015 - 3:45 pm
Yes, I believe this is an n vs n-1 issue. This FAQ on our website is probably useful here:

N vs N-1
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