Qualitative methodologies in cultural psychology often lack the
objective and verifiable character of quantitative analysis. Author Carl
Ratner corrects this shortcoming by rigorously systematizing qualitative
methods. The book discusses, for example, means of systematizing such
subjective reports as interviews, letters, and diaries, which often
yield valuable data that is not easily quantified. Ratner argues that
"complex psychological phenomena are expressed through extended
responses" and hence are best studied by new, more regularized
qualitative methods that go beyond measuring simple, overt responses.