Quantum-like cognitive models for question order effect

Abstract

The question order effect refers to the phenomenon where changing the order of questions alters responses. Since its discovery in social psychology in the 1940s, the question order effect has challenged the validity and reliability of social surveys, including public opinion polls, and prompted various theoretical explanations. However, it has been considered difficult to quantitatively explain this effect using conventional statistical methods. In recent years, research progressing in the field of quantum-like cognition has developed models applying quantum instrument theory, a general theory of quantum measurement, to explain this effect. This paper explains the methodological characteristics of the quantum-like cognitive models and the advances in research on the question order effect achieved through those models.