Brief Report: Bartlett's Test of Sphericity and Chance Findings in Factor Analysis

Bartlett's test of sphericitg: was applied to a correlation matrix computed on random normal deviates by Armstrong and Soelberg (1968), and returned a chi square value indicating that the matrix could have been generated from a population where the correlation coefficients are zero. These results re- emphasize the desirability of computing this test prior to proceeding t o factor extraction, and in accord with the findings of other writers, indicate this test to be sensitive in detecting results which can be ascribed to chance.