Coder contamination undermined the interview evidence for intolerance of ambiguity

Evidence

For the interview protocols it was suggested that the subject who is tolerant of ambiguity will make much use of limiting and qualifying language forms. The subject intolerant of ambiguity would take a more absolute tone. Of course the coders were free to consult the total protocol and so may simply have coded intolerance of ambiguity where there seemed to be intolerance of ambivalence or any of the other stigmata of authoritarianism. Consequently the interview results are not good evidence that prejudiced subjects were intolerant of ambiguity. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 571

Categorization

• XREF: A textbook example of criterion contamination / coder bias threatening construct validity — relevant to any qualitative coding research. — connects to: The study skipped formal intercoder reliability checks for time reasons — Ryan Andrew Brown, Todd C. Helmus, Rajeev Ramchand, Alina I. Palimaru, Sarah Weilant, Ashley L. Rhoades, and Liisa Hiatt (RAND Corporation), Violent Extremism in America:…, 276