What does it mean to say that a variable’s categories may be collapsed? What should the researcher keep in mind when collapsing categories for analysis?
When looking at variables if there is a wide range of data being studied sometimes it is good to collapse them into a smaller more manageable group. For example the researcher is looking at a group of people ages 18-21, 22-25, 26-30, 31-40, and 41+. Collapsing the groups would be saying 18-25, 26-40, and 41+ this would make the study more manageable also when referring to the groups the first group would be young adults, middle adults, and older adults. One thing to keep in mind when collapsing categories for analysis is to make sure it fits, is appropriate, or makes sense to collapse the groups.
