Content analysis in psychology is used to study...

• A. Only experimentally controlled behaviour.
• B. Directly observed gestures in a lab.
• C. Written records of researchers' impressions.
• D. Pictorial or verbal material to infer patterns of meaning.

Answer: (D)

Content analysis is a method for examining communications to uncover patterns of meaning. It uses pictorial or verbal material—texts, transcripts, media, diaries, ads—to infer what themes, ideas, and attitudes are present. Researchers code segments of the material into categories and can quantify how often certain themes appear or how they relate, while also exploring deeper, latent meaning beyond the surface words or images. This approach is about analyzing the content produced by people, not about observing their behavior in a controlled lab or relying on the researcher’s impressions.