Multidimensional Scaling

Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) can be considered to be an alternative to factor analysis.

In general, the goal of the analysis is to detect meaningful underlying dimensions that enable the researcher to explain observed similarities or dissimilarities (distances) between the investigated objects. In factor analysis, the similarities between objects (e.g., variables) are expressed in the correlation matrix. With MDS, you can analyze any kind of similarity or dissimilarity matrix, in addition to correlation matrices.