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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 January 2025
On the basis of the assumption that distributions of scores on psychological functions are generated by a finite number of equally probable factors, a method is presented which yields the number of factors and their probability p. The statistics β1 and β2 are used for this purpose. An experiment utilizing a code-transcription test is described in which the method was employed to analyze performance at several stages in the learning process. n was found to be 10 for the first 2 minutes of practice and 19 for the second 2 minutes. For the third, fourth, and fifth 2-minute periods, no value could be obtained owing to the pronounced leptokurtosis of the distributions. The first 3 periods of practice, when lumped together, gave an n of 33. It is suggested that the method offers a means of comparing the variability and “complexity” of otherwise non-comparable psychological functions. The use of the method as an instrument of investigation in the field of factor analysis is described.