Fixed-alternative and open-ended methods differ in scoring and judgment

Evidence

In following the ever widening circle that centers on anti-Semitism we will cross one major methodological boundary. Anti-Semitism, ethnocentrism, political and economic conservatism, and implicit antidemocratic trends are all assessed with fixed-alternative questionnaires. In the remainder of the work, research methods are used which do not provide alternative responses but leave the subject free to construct his own answer; these include interviews, requests to tell stories about pictures, and requests to respond to projective questions. The fixed-alternative questionnaire item is like the multiple-choice examination question and the open-ended inquiry is like an essay question. Scor-ing the former is a mechanical process but the latter requires trained judgment and is handled by a method called content analysis. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 436

Categorization

• DEFINE: Maps multiple-choice vs. essay distinction onto survey vs. clinical methods, introducing content analysis.