On the use of open‐ended measures to assess attitudinal components

The present paper describes open‐ended (i.e. free‐response) measures that have been used to assess the cognitive, affective, and behavioural components of attitude. After defining the attitude concept and outlining the open‐ended measures, the paper describes the results of various studies that have utilized this response format to assess the favourability and structure of attitudes. Each study discussed will also indicate how the use of open‐ended measures led to the generation of research questions that might not otherwise have been possible. The paper concludes by discussing some other domains of attitude research that can benefit from the use of open‐ended measures.