Quantitative analysis of verbal evaluations

Abstract

A procedure for quantitatively analyzing verbal material (comments in officer efficiency reports) for the comparison of officer performance is described. The material is quantified by categorizing each comment and assigning to it the score for comparable comments in the empirically derived Thurstone-type master scoring scale for that category. "The findings show that: (a) the comments can be reliably placed on a nine-point scale by a relatively small number of judges; and (b) scores, based on either the individual comments in each category or the average comment scores for each report, are reliable. It is suggested that the procedures… can be utilized for other types of verbal material." (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)