Revisión del Concepto de Causalidad en el Marco del Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio

Abstract

In Psychology, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) is widely used in the tests and scales development process, being a technique formally defined as a powerful tool for generating causal measurement models. However, in many studies, the application of the CFA is developed from a non-experimental research design, where many researchers routinely make attributions about the models and instruments that go beyond a strictly relational or predictive perspective. This work shows a review of the causality concept elaborated within the Structural Equation Models (MEE) and the CFA frameworks, with several theoretical and practical recommendations for applied researchers. The status of causal relationships in non-experimental designs and the need to think in causal terms to enhance the explanatory scope of CFA models in Psychology are discussed.