Configural Frequency Analysis

Configural Frequency Analysis (CFA) is a statistical method used to identify patterns or combinations of categorical data that occur more or less often than expected by chance. Imagine examining a table of responses or characteristics—CFA detects whether certain groupings are significantly overrepresented (called "types") or underrepresented ("antitypes"). This helps researchers understand which combinations of traits or behaviors are unusually common or rare, revealing meaningful structures or relationships within categorical data. It’s useful in fields like psychology, sociology, and market research for uncovering characteristic patterns beyond individual variables.