ABSTRACT
This study presents the findings of a content analysis of responses to open-ended questions from a survey of judges and trial commissioners regarding child custody decisions in divorce. Lowery (1980) reported the hierarchical ranking of factors considered important in making custody decisions. The content analysis presented here describes the respondents’ comments on the open-ended items in the questionnaire. In most cases, these comments served to clarify their reasons for attaching greater or lesser importance to a particular consideration or to clarify the method used in assessing a particular consideration during a court proceeding.
