Latent Trait Analysis (LTA), a form of latent structure analysis (Lazarsfeld & Henry, 1968), is used for the analysis of categorical data. The simplest way to understand it is that LTA is form of factor analysis for binary (dichotomous) or ordered-category data. In the area of educational testing and psychological measurement, latent trait analysis is termed Item Response Theory (IRT). There is so much overlap between LTA and IRT that these terms are basically interchangeable.
➚ “Item Response Theory” … Latent Trait Analysis (LTA)