A system for quantifying responses to open-ended questions by categorizing them according to objective rules or guidelines.
Context effects
Effects produced by the position of a question.
Where it falls within the question order can influence how the question is interpreted.
Continuous dimension
The concept that traits, attitudes, and preferences can be viewed as a continuous dimension, and each individual can fall at any point along each dimension.
For example: sociability can be viewed as a continuous dimension ranging from very unsociable to very sociable.
Manifest content
The plain meaning of the words or questions that actually appear on the page.
Position preference
When in doubt about answers to multiple-choice questions, some people always select a response in a certain position, such as answer c.
Random number table
A table of numbers generated by a computer so that every number has an equal chance of being selected for each position in the table.
Response set
A tendency to answer questions based on their latent content with the goal of creating a certain impression of ourselves.
Response style
Tendency for subjects to respond to questions or test items in a specific way, regardless of the content.
Survey research
A useful way of obtaining data about people's opinions, attitudes, preferences and experiences that are hard to observe directly.
Data may be obtained using questionnaires or interviews.