Introduction to Computer-Aided Content Analysis (CATA)
Introduction to Computer-aided Text Analysis (CATA):
Computer coding involves the automated tabulation of variables for target content that has been prepared for the computer. Typically, computer coding means having software analyze a set of text, counting key words, phrases, or other text-only markers (Content Analysis Guidebook). Computer coding relies on dictionaries, which are lists of words or phrases that the text-analysis programs use to analyze content. Researchers may need to develop their own dictionaries, however, there are some dictionaries available that have been used in previous research and may be used in future research.
Evaluation Page for Computer Text Analysis Programs
Text Analysis Sites
CATPAC – CATPAC reads text files and produces a variety of outputs ranging from simple diagnostics (e.g., word and alphabetical frequencies) to a summary of the “main ideas” in a text. It uncovers patterns of word usage and produces such outputs as simple word counts, cluster analysis (with icicle plots), and interactive neural cluster analysis. A nifty add-on program called Thought View can generate two and three-dimensional concept maps based on the results of CATPAC analyses (one especially neat feature of Thought View allows users to look at the results through 3-D glasses and experience MDS-style output like never before, in true, movie theater-style, 3-D fashion!).
Samples Analyses and Output
Sample Dictionaries (Custom and Internal/Standard)
Links to Audiovisual Software Supporting Content Analysis Tasks
Facereader – FaceReader is the world’s first tool that is capable of automatically analyzing facial expressions, providing users with an objective assessment of a person’s emotion.
The Observer XT – The Observer XT is a program for behavioral coding and analysis. It allows researchers to gather rich and meaningful data, record time automatically and accurately, integrate video and physiology in behavioral studies, calculate statistics, assess reliability, and create transition matrices.
Transana – Transana is software for researchers who want to analyze digital video or audio data. Transana lets you analyze and manage your data- transcribe it, identify analytically interesting clips, assign keywords to clips, arrange and rearrange clips, create complex collections of interrelated clips, explore relationships between applied keywords, and share your analysis with colleagues. Transana is free and open-source.
Links to Qualitative Computer Analysis Sites
ATLAS.ti – Computer software for the support of text interpretation, text management and the extraction of conceptual knowledge from documents (theory building). Also has the capability to handle video sequences, recorded interviews, photos, maps, music, movies, the nightly news, videocasts and podcasts. Application areas include social sciences, economics, educational sciences, criminology, market research, quality management, knowledge acquisition, and theology.
The Ethnograph v6.0 – Software for qualitative research and data analysis, facilitates the management and analysis of text based data such as transcripts of interviews, focus groups, field notes, diaries, meeting minutes, and other documents. According to the Ethnograph homepage it is the most widely used software for qualitative data analysis since 1985.
MAXQDA – MAXQDA supports all individuals performing qualitative data analysis and helps to systematically evaluate and interpret texts. It is also a powerful tool for developing theories and testing the theoretical conclusions of the analysis. It is used in a wide range of academic and non-academic disciplines, such as in Sociology, Political Science, Psychology, Public Health, Anthropology, Education, Marketing, Economics and Urban Planning.
QDA Miner – QDA Miner is an easy-to-use qualitative data analysis software package for coding textual data, annotating, retrieving and reviewing coded data and documents. The program can manage complex projects involving large numbers of documents combined with numerical and categorical information. QDA Miner also provides a wide range of exploratory tools to identify patterns in codings and relationships between assigned codes and other numerical or categorical properties.