APA Dictionary of Psychology

in exploratory factor analysis, a graphic that shows (in descending order) the eigenvalues of the communality-adjusted correlation matrix. Researchers examine the plot to identify a “break” in the curve between strong, dominant factors at the top and smaller factors at the bottom: In this way, they can determine which factors to retain in the analysis. The plot was named by Raymond B. Cattell, in analogy to the sloping heaps of differently sized rocks (scree) that form at the foot of a mountain.